The Farthest Horizon: an anthology arts and faith culture zine

Order Now: The Farthest Horizon

139 page paperback, black and white interior with color cover

Twenty-one creative, insightful souls band together to craft an upbeat variety zine sure to inspire. Comics, drawings, short stories, poems, articles, and photos grace the artsy pages of this faithful and largely lighthearted anthology.

Loaded with 45 pages of brand new comics, art, and articles by award-winning author and cartoonist Joe Chiappetta, plus nearly 100 pages from a diverse and talented cast of mostly California creators with a Christian worldview, determined to move hearts and minds of all ages, even spanning to the farthest horizon.

Legendary cartoonist Eric Jansen delivers a 4-page, soul-stirring comic of allegorical faith. The prolific architectural artist Jose Arau displays 34 lively drawings from Europe and around the world. Scholar Jim Morgan shares a bold tale of biblical fiction from the fall of Jericho. Storyteller and songwriter Gary Ochs recounts his fascinating journey of tragedy and hope about growing up in the 1960s. Denise Chiappetta's essay on parenthood is a certified tearjerker.

Poets Anna Chiappetta, Hannah Does, Gwen Johnson, Katherine Lima, Astrid Morales, Anna Moricz, and Dennis Sitar pen heart-melting bars of power in their individual compositions.

Also features experimental artwork by Marco Arau and Elizabeth Velazquez, anime joy by Austin Barnes, an amusing watermelon cartoon by Chloe Marie Estrella, majestic bird photos by Tony Flores, an illustrated psalm by Eduardo Arellano Luna, a gripping essay by Ana Paola, and a down-to-earth dog tale by Rod Warren.

Intersection of Art & Values: Video Interview

I was interviewed in June 2026 about art/comics, culture, business, values and more on Exploring the Vintage NFT Space with ZeroG!

It's a pretty wide, career-spanning discussion with much depth, laughs, tips, and something for everyone.

The Most Wonderful Impromptu Concert

The Most Wonderful Impromptu Concert is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available as an NFT on OpenSea.

My wife and I went on a double date with some friends to see a chamber concert at La Sierra University. As an artist, one of my favorite things to do is go to concerts and draw the performers. However, when we got to the campus concert hall, much to our surprise, the building was mostly unoccupied with few lights on. It soon became clear that I had the wrong date in my calendar. Yet as a man of faith, I prayed, "God, I don't know what is going on here, but please, make tonight's concert still happen."

Shortly thereafter, I discovered a mysterious young man sitting quietly in the otherwise empty lobby. His name was Rafael. I asked him if he played any instruments. He said confidently that he did. Then I asked him if he would do a solo concert for us--on the spot. In fact, I asked him if he could play 45 minutes of material for us. He said he didn't think he knew 45 minutes of material that was concert-ready.

As soon as he said that, I concluded that he was a humble man and therefore anything he performed would be genuine and inspiring. So I countered, "How about 30 minutes?" When Rafael said nothing, I rephrased, "How about 15 minutes? Just give me what you've got... please. I am sure it will be fantastic!"

"I can do that, yes," Rafael replied in an almost bewildered tone. Was he bewildered that I would ask him for a concert without ever hearing him play, or was he surprised that he was cooperating with a complete stranger? Perhaps it was both.

A new twist occurred, however. He remembered that he did not have much time as he was going to dinner with a friend and that she was just finishing practicing a song somewhere else in the building. So I asked if both of them would do a concert for us right then and there. He left to go ask his friend, and about 5 minutes later, they graciously invited us into the concert hall for the most delightful musical experience ever!

Rafael Braga and Isabel Pulido, both undergraduate students in La Sierra's music department, performed an unforgettable and heart-moving concert loaded with 6 songs plus endless inspiration for all.

Here is the list of what they boldly and passionately played with all professionalism and power:

1 - J.S Bach Prelude in g minor - BWV 558

2 - L. v. Beethoven Piano sonata Op. 13 "Pathétique" - 2nd and 3rd movements

3 - J.S Bach Gavotte en Rondeau and Gigue from the Partita no. 3 for violin solo

4 - J.S Bach Sarabande from the Partita no. 2 for violin solo

5 - J. Brahms concerto in D major for violin - 1st movement

6 - J. Haydn violin concerto in C major - 2nd movement

At the end of this spectacular evening, our tiny front row of 4 concert-goers were compelled to thank Rafael, Isabel, and God with the utmost sincerity, joy, and astonishment. Such kindness, giving spirit, flexibility, and desire for excellence (regardless of size of the audience) speaks volumes. Indeed, our gratitude resounds.

ArtVndngMchn Series 3 Announcement

ArtVndngMchn Series 3: CryptoSkateboards and Other Things that Fly

• Launched February 26th, 2022
• Fine art NFTs wrapped in randomized packages
• 10% donated to charity
• Cryptoart OGs and emerging artists
• On Wax Blockchain
• Coincides with 3D virtual exhibit in the metaverse

ArtVndngMchn Series 3 NFT fine art pack art by Joe Chiappetta

ArtVndngMchn is a digital fine art collection that wraps curated, top-notch paintings and drawings into surprise NFT packages on the WAX blockchain. With its new Series 3 pack release, ArtVndngMchn is back to paint the world in all colors with fun and uplifting inspiration. Much of the Series 3 art will revolve around the theme of skateboards, fantastic cars, and other high-flying vehicles.

On this same day as the NFT pack release, many of the fine art pieces from this collection will be on exhibit in a Minecraft metaverse at The Brawl Gallery, where visitors have to fight monsters and complete mazes before they win the rare privilege of viewing this special exhibition. This 3D virtual gallery is located within the massive ArtVndngMchn Amusement Park in The Uplift World. Experiencing ArtVndngMchn Series 3 paintings in The Brawl Gallery is an art adventure to die for... because the in-game monsters may (virtually) kill you a few times before you make it through the labyrinth that leads to the Brawl Gallery's main exhibit hall.

As with each preceding pack release, a percentage of the revenue will be donated to help the poor through MERCYworldwide. To date thousands of dollars have been donated. For this series, 10% from the initial sale will go toward helping youth who are blind learn independent living skills at the Kyiv School for the Visually Impaired!

Curated by award winning cartoonist Joe Chiappetta, cryptoart OGs as well as emerging artists have contributed some of their best artworks to this lively fine art collection. Artists included in Series 3 include Bruce Bachelder, Jennifer Barrett, Anna, Denise, Joe, and Luke Chiappetta, Beth and Caleb Cohen, Kara Mia, Sean O'Kana, Mike Rende, Melida Rios, Fabi Yamada, Richard Yates, and Marko Zubak.

Each piece in this collection serves as stand-alone high-quality fine art... plus some of these pieces can also be blended through NeftyBlocks into even more stunning and rare pieces of artwork. The ArtVndngMchn series is a fine art experience with an unpredictably gamified NFT life of its own. Join in the fun now!

Follow joeychips on Twitter for more frequent ArtVndngMchn updates.

Chiappetta Fine Art NFTs on WAX

Bold Face of Color is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on AtomicHub.

Chiappetta Collection of Fine Art Comes to WAX

Old-School Artist Finds New Groove on WAX Blockchain

March 2021 by Joe Chiappetta, Riverside, California

WAX has become world-famous as the go-to blockchain to release brand-name collectible cards and gaming items, also known as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Atari, William Shatner, Garbage Pail Kids, and Street Fighter are just some of the prominent official NFT collections that have all launched highly coveted products through WAX. More big names and big projects are on the way.

Meanwhile, as an award winning cartoonist (best known for Silly Daddy Comics) and fine artist with over 30 years in the industry, I have spent the last 5 years releasing rare digital art on the blockchain through a number of platforms with a good deal of success. A fine art sub-category of NFTs, rare digital art has breathed fresh new life in many an artist and art collector in this increasingly digital age. My own rare digital art efforts have typically gone quite well on a myriad of blockchains. Yet none of those networks were built specifically with art and collectibles distribution in mind. It's more like previous blockchains were retrofitted to sell NFTs as best they could. That is why each of these chains, while all making art history as innovators, left at least a little something to be desired in terms of user friendliness as well as ease of simulating and improving upon mainstream art distribution.

For the mainstream art world, which still has not largely caught on to how game-changing rare digital art is, much improvement is sorely needed. The data supports this in an almost embarrassing way. Mainstream art industry sales dropped 58% when comparing the first half of 2020 to the first half of 2019, according to Artnet. Meanwhile rare digital art sales volume keeps increasing at a record pace. My own personal sales in this space reflect that nicely.

Focusing back on the mainstream art world (AKA non-NFT), its sales decline means incredible opportunity in the rare digital art space. Going live in June of 2019, along came a blockchain called WAX, and 12 months later, one of its main marketplaces: AtomicHub. Both were built by learning from the constraints of previous blockchain ecosystems while focusing strategically on delivering rare digital art in a fast, secure, user-friendly and frictionless manner. Gifting, collecting, releasing, trading, selling, and discovering digital art is now as simple as it gets. Literally, from the moment I saw how WAX works on Atomic Hub, I knew everything was going to change for me. Indeed, it already has.

Woman of the Garden is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on AtomicHub.

While not yet famous in the mainstream art world for it, I am certain that WAX will become one of the most prominent online vehicles for fine art distribution on the planet. In fact, for the artists already using WAX through AtomicHub, it already is an effective and exciting vehicle in which to release fine art. That's why, as a veteran cartoonist and fine artist, I have recently committed to releasing new art on WAX as the blockchain to take fine art into the future. I see it as a serious contender to be a perfect blockchain for the art world. My actions reflect this assessment; through AtomicHub, a whopping 77 of my latest artworks have just been released to the art marketplace, and this is only the beginning!

On May 8th, 2021, I will release a huge fine art NFT project with multiple artists on WAX called ArtVndngMchn!

World's Fair of Rare Digital Art

Where the Buffalo Browse is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on Atomic Hub Marketplace. While this cartoon pokes fun at virtual reality culture, behind the fun just might be an economic revival for the art industry--the likes of which has never been seen--at least not while wearing a buffalo helmet.

World's Fair of Rare Digital Art:

Digital Art Needs a Multidimensional Digital World

Joe Chiappetta, February 2021

When virtual reality (VR) becomes user-friendly, affordable, with universal technical standards integrated from online gallery to gallery, the art-loving world could see a revival more influential even than the Italian Renaissance. Indeed, everyone (with internet access) could witness this World's Fair of Online Art, open 24-7, poised to impress and built to buy/sell rare digital art as if you were floating through a game-like world because... well... because you would indeed be floating through a game-like world--virtually speaking. Such a place would have free admission for all, economic opportunity for all, and operate in 4 virtual dimensions of height, width, depth, and the dimension of "Wow, this is awesome!"

Of course, online 3-D digital worlds are nothing new, as any player of Minecraft or Second Life will tell you. Neither is cryptocurrency a new thing. In fact, all 3 of these systems have been operational for over 10 years. Yet what would happen if a 3-D digital world were well-integrated with digital art, community equality, and cryptocurrency? It could become the art industry's "killer app."

Silly Daddy VR Helmet is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on Atomic Hub

At 64 billion dollars for 2019, the global art market saw a decline in sales from the previous year. While 2020 statistics are not compiled yet, it is likely that this figure will be even lower. With fast transactions and borderless payment power, some are scrambling to declare cryptocurrency as the soon-to-be savior of a slumping global art market. 

However, the truth is at least a little more complex. Made possible by cryptocurrency, a small but excited number of people do collect rare digital art. But most in the art world still have no idea what such terms really mean.

What is rare digital art? It's online creative work tied to cryptocurrency that has been released in limited quantities, verifiable on a blockchain. For those in need of a refresher on what cryptocurrency is, think of it as coded internet money or credits released (usually) by entrepreneurs in specific predefined amounts. I should know; I have been researching and writing about this space for many years. In fact, I'm one of those rare digital art collectors. Many know that I am also a pretty prolific rare digital artist and educator in this space as well.

If you are just joining the rare digital art industry now, don't think you are late to the party. While rare digital art is 6 years old, the earliest pioneering developments from 2014 were not widely publicized and very slow in adoption (running on top of Bitcoin, often using Counterparty). Indeed, the first 4 years of rare digital art went by without much notice. Even now, the mainstream art world remains quite slow to completely jump on the bandwagon. So we are still in the very early days of rare digital art! For example, the Italian Renaissance lasted about 200 years, and some art historians find traces of the Renaissance roughly 100 years prior to its start through the work of Giotto. 

Whether the Italian Renaissance lasted 200 or 300 years, is not the point. Rather, it is significant that when a new movement starts, the early years of that movement are never as defined as historians make them out to be. Therefore if you are in rare digital art now, congratulations, fellow pioneer! You will be one of the early ones to help define and further shape it.

Since we are the early adopters, the question at hand is "Where do we go from here?" The first step is to soberly see where we really are now. The practice of buying rare digital art is only slowly being adopted by mainstream art collectors, and much of the rare digital art industry is dominated by speculators looking to make a quick profit flipping art. 

As an old-school physical collector turned rare digital art collector, I am not a flipper or speculator. In fact, of the many rare digital artworks in my collection, I rarely sell pieces from my collection. That is because I acquired the art in the first place because I wanted it for the fun of it. The art spoke to me in a unique way and simply made me happy. So if I can add such a piece to my collection, I will, and not worry about whether or not I can make money off of it later.

Zine Machine is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on Atomic Hub.

By contrast, I do sell a nice amount of my own original artworks. That has been a practice of mine in the physical world (since the 1990s at comic book conventions) as well as in the digital world on rare digital art markets. While (literally by the grace of God) I have collectively sold hundreds of pieces of rare digital art on Ethereum Network, SuperRare, Atomic Hub, and Book of Orbs. I can't say the same for everyone. Indeed, the opposite is true; the majority of artists--despite their great talent--are not selling much.

Unlike myself, not everyone has the benefit of 4 decades experience in the arts as well as authoring one of the longest running autobiographical comics about family like I have with Silly Daddy Comics and Silly Daddy Zine. Most folks are just starting out as artists, or are really strapped for time working odd jobs and doing art on the side. Therefore, people can't be wasting time on markets where they may never sell anything. Everyone's time is valuable. So it is important, as we shape the rare digital art economy, that we build more opportunity in it--not just for the superstars, but for everyone.

Loyal Daddy is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on Atomic Hub.

Despite the challenges of emerging artists struggling to make significant impact, artists are flocking to release new works on rare digital art markets in ever-increasing numbers. Naturally, due to the sad difference between supply and demand, as I alluded to previously, most of these artists will not sell anything there, and will soon leave the market discouraged. Some, in bitterness, may even spread a bad report about the true innovation going on in this still growing space, but don't be deceived; the best is still yet to come!

Next Steps for Rare Digital Art Markets

So what's the solution to increase demand for this kind of art? A higher quantity of serious art collectors will need a number of good reasons to jump into the rare digital art market. That's because the experience of collecting most digital art (rare or otherwise) is often--for lack of a better term--anticlimactic. It is hardly a social activity since collectors typically buy their art alone on their computers--with absolutely no fanfare. I know this because that is what I do as an art collector. 

Aside from the excitement of in-person rare digital art auctions, which are few and far between, why does collecting rare digital art hover on the sometimes anticlimactic side? It is actually a design problem. For most web sites selling rare digital art, the pieces are almost always offered in a visually dull grid layout. This is basically a 2-D catalog experience. Such design conventions have not changed since the mail order days which showcased department store catalogs of centuries gone by. That's not much different than scrolling through an Instagram art feed. Things really must change, and they can.

Gratefully, we have the technology to make those changes now. Online galleries who move to a virtual 3-D exhibit experience can be the ones who can stay relevant in an increasingly digital world.  As art-seeking and collecting becomes more of a game environment, more people will get excited about it.

The WAX community, and in particular the Atomic Hub Marketplace, is doing an incredible job at making 2-D rare digital art galleries fun, gamified, and incredibly user friendly. In fact, Atomic Hub has a "bundle" feature that allows collectors to buy multiple pieces of art in the same transaction. I liken it to the coolness and excitement of being a kid and buying a pack of trading cards. 

Digital Art Needs a Multidimensional Digital World by Joe Chiappetta. It's rare digital art available on Ethereum Network.

Another example of innovation is the unlockable content feature for owners of rare digital art. OpenSea and a growing number of other rare digital art markets have this feature. I used this feature to release my newest book, Silly Daddy Zine #1. Here's how it works: everyone can just see the cover of the book. But only those who buy it as rare digital art gain access to download the 50 page book. This unlockable download for owners is one of the most exciting new features in the industry, providing more incentive for further adoption.

Silly Daddy Zine #1 is rare digital art and a 50-page book by Joe Chiappetta, available on Ethereum Network.

Looking to the future, the next bold step is to migrate the best of these current rare digital art markets, like OpenSea and Atomic Hub, onto one virtual 3-D world that is only somewhat similar to Minecraft, Decentraland, Cryptovoxels, or Somnium Space. I say "only somewhat similar to..." because none of those sites have all of the below essential features:

VR Art Gallery Essentials

1. Exhibitors earn the rights to virtual 3-D land and wall space by purchasing affordable rare digital art in this world.
2. The virtual 3-D land to have gallery space will always be cheap and not manipulated by early speculators trying to drive up the price of land.
3. The virtual land borders keep expanding as more users exhibit in the space. Like the internet, where users can make an unlimited amount of new web pages, the same goes for wall and land space. More gets created as more is needed.
4. Collectors can explore, exhibit their collections, and still buy and sell art all in a 3-D realm.
5. The virtual 3-D gallery can be explored without a VR headset, plus users can buy and sell art without a headset too.
6. The virtual 3-D gallery world has a 2-D auto-generated counterpart for those with slower technology.
7. The 3-D world and its members have a code of conduct that adheres to the moral standard outlined in the FCC's guidelines and is a kid-friendly environment.
8. Users can create individualized exhibit space right in the 3-D environment without any coding knowledge. All necessary virtual building materials are available for free.
9. A few non-essential, yet more flashy premium gallery building materials are earned by those who buy a high volume of rare digital art, or complete defined and helpful tasks to advance the community.
10. Users can teleport to any location in the "world" quickly and easily. These links work in-world and also as links on a regular website.
11. Users can customize their own avatars.
12. The gallery does not issue its own new cryptocurrency, but rather leverages existing and widely adopted currencies. The art and art experience is the product, not another alt-coin.
13. Transactions to buy and sell art in the 3-D virtual environment can be done via credit card, PayPal, or existing crypto such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, and WAX. These cryptocurrencies are mentioned as they all have an existing and established track record of being used in current art markets. By default, financial actions on the site should be using blockchains that have no transaction fees to use the network.
14. No sign-in is needed to view and explore this world.
15. Open standards are used to foster as much continued development and international collaboration as possible. Perhaps Blockchain Game Alliance can help make this happen since they are a diverse professional coalition from a variety of blockchain and gaming platforms.
16. The environment also has 3-D games that a user can play--kind of like walking through a carnival; there's a game booth, and next to it is an art booth, including a collaborative VR drawing space, like a VR version of Dada.art. Prizes won in the game booth can include rare digital art. As an added example, imagine being able to play a great rare digital art shooter game called Spells of Genesis in a multiplayer 3-D universe and receive game points, crypto, or rare digital art as your winnings!
17. This VR cryptoart world should also have built-in user-to-user messaging (perhaps through secure chat), audio capabilities, and parental controls.
18. Designed as an ever-expanding World's Fair of Online Art, collectors can seamlessly use their avatars to explore a 3-D version of contemporary high-end Expressionist art from various galleries on one virtual block, perhaps on a street called Emotional Way. Then they would turn a corner and walk down Budget-Buy Boulevard, where all rare digital art is no more expensive than a bottle of water.
19. Such a site should also have a daily virtual newspaper, which aggregates relevant art news from this realm and sends it to members who subscribe. This would be things like how many new pieces of art were sold, created, who collects the most art, who releases the most art, who sells the most art, who has spent a lot of time on the site yet is not receiving many gallery visitors, who refers the most new users to the site through a referral code... kind of like a game leader board, but also designed to help everyone.
20. Site should have the ability for creators to upload new rare digital art of their own creation to be displayed on exhibit space owned by the artist. The operators of the site would take a commission on these sales and artist would receive the bulk of the sales. The artist could also receive a percentage of the resale commission on all secondary market sales if made via blockchain through the platform.

While it must be acknowledged that some VR art galleries are already operational (and have been for years), most just feature artists creating VR experiences as an isolated piece, not other kinds of art, and not connected to a whole VR world. Additionally, few of these galleries use cryptocurrency, none of them are household names, and they're all fragmented realms. More importantly, none of the existing sites have even a fraction of the features numbered above. Yet this is what is needed for wide consumer adoption.

That's not to say that existing VR galleries are failing or prospering; the data on that is not easily available (or reliable). Yet like the rest of the art world, these sites are typically siloed, many requiring expensive hardware to view (while this same hardware will be obsolete in a few years), and most of the existing VR galleries are hustling to make an individual name for themselves. There's nothing wrong with hustling to self-promote, but much effort must also be spent on collaborating to build a unified virtual art fair experience.

Consider this analogy as the current state of VR art galleries: disconnected food trucks with delicious food, yet non-uniform procedures exist at random, hard to find parking lots, while what is really required is a cohesive international full service food court. A combination of the above-listed elements could create a very compelling art environment that would be unprecedented, and perhaps even become the "Ready Player One" artistic universe of tomorrow... yet live in our own time. It would inspire many repeat customers, delighted to explore a dynamic virtual art market in an exciting and gamified role as art collectors, art-seekers, and new art pioneers.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

The War Is Not Over

The War Is Not Over

A flash fiction story by Joe Chiappetta

"I know how we can defeat Mr. Vigilant," said Dr. Bad Guy with a sinister wrinkle of his nose. "Trick him into thinking that the war is over; let him think he's won."

The idea was half the battle--or perhaps even more--because it was such a powerful concept. The rest was simple application of deceptive tradecraft: a few false rumors about Mr. Vigilant's fellow soldiers, a fake retreat by Dr. Bad Guy and his forces, a year of free virtual reality movies "anonymously" gifted to Mr. Vigilant, and a breathtakingly beautiful and lonely woman who "just happened" to move in right next door to him.

When a person believes their fight is over, they stop fighting. As a reliable agent fighting on the side of good v. evil, Mr. Vigilant had many years of fighting left in him. Yet such truths escaped him during that critical time. His heart for righteous battle was replaced with a heart for immediate comfort.

Later, Mr. Vigilant would recall with shame... as well as a renewed earnestness, "I let my guard down. I let my people down. But I live to fight again... for the victor's crown."

---

Read more of my new short stories only available in my latest zine!

When Paddy Fights

When Paddy Fights is rare digital art and a story of flash fiction by Joe Chiappetta on pixEOS Gallery.

When Paddy Fights

Paddy finally said what he had been thinking in frustration for decades; "Lofticuff Clan, I don't like losing... and I especially don't like losing to you! In fact, I absolutely hate it. And now I am ready to do something about it."

Some words come and go quicker than treats in a hungry dog's mouth. Yet these words--at least for Paddy--lingered. They had a sort of power. So he decided to spread them around. Paddy, his family, and friends drafted handwritten flyers with these exact words on them. There was something extra powerful about a growing group of unified people saying the same exact thing--and posting it for all to read throughout the town. In fact, it was the brevity of Paddy's words that unified them; their shared pain of failure made them a tribe of their own.

Meanwhile, Paddy's enemies, the ever-privileged clan known as the Lofticuffs, could care less. They liked that Paddy had always been the loser and subject to them in all too many things due to Paddy's poverty and low standing in society. With boastful and fairly aloof hearts, the Lofticuffs assumed this incident of Paddy's public outburst would be nothing more than a passing hiccup: a thing to giggle at and forget.

The irony of the whole situation never once occurred to any of the Lofticuffs. While they had oppressed Paddy and whole communities of people for the entirety of their selfish existence, it was all quite unnecessary. The Lofticuffs did not actually need anything from Paddy or his associates. Nevertheless, the Lofticuffs simply enjoyed the process of dominating others. It was their sick family sport, and they were the reigning champions at it thus far. Paddy suspected such things, and hated that too.

Therefore Paddy proceeded to further organize and gather all his weapons (which were not many), his currency (which was not much), his fellow underprivileged allies, and his few possessions... with one single focal point in mind. It was partly a mumbling question that transformed into half a prayer, and half a battle cry. "How can we use all our collective resources to defeat the Lofticuffs? We must defeat them--at least once. I believe it is surely possible, and I have believed this for a long time. Because if... no... when we do it one time, then we can do it again... and again. And then we can teach others to do the same."

This was the moment... that precious moment that changed history. Upon reflection, most others would say the pivotal point of Clan Lofticuff's defeat was in the final--and quite costly--battle surge with heavy casualties on either side. Paddy respected that: particularly the high cost of victory. Yet Paddy had an added perspective. He understood that the battle was actually won the moment he resolutely decided to have faith, take action, and never give up.

A Safe House For Your Imagination

A Safe House For Your Imagination is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available as an edition of only 1 on Ethereum Network.

I created an animated painting of my wife's old wooden dollhouse and she wrote an accompanying essay to mark the occasion.

A Safe House For Your Imagination 
Essay by Denise Chiappetta, art by Joe Chiappetta

It's been over a 40 year journey and I've carried very few things with me the entire time. But the dollhouse my parents gave me when I was 3 years old, has traveled many miles in many decades. Childhood, while wonderful, can also have its challenges. A perfect little world of fancy furniture, a picture-perfect fireplace and perpetually smiling family members made an ideal escape. 

Since my early days spent in grand imaginings, while sitting in front of this tiny home, I have raised 2 daughters who have woven their own whimsical tales within its small walls. So, the dollhouse remains a fixture in our household, some years being played with on a daily basis: other years fly by and it sits largely untouched, as childhood imaginings give way to bigger projects, and adulthood concerns. But every so often, us 3 girls, now women, who lived tiny lifetimes within its walls, will take an extended glance at it and recall the moments of whimsy we were privileged to enjoy within the walls of our very own little "safe house" for the imagination.

pixEOS Gallery Live on EOS Mainnet

Many years ago, when the EOS blockchain was still just an unlaunched idea in active development, I wanted to assemble the right people together to create a rare digital art gallery on top of that promising new technology. In the course of this wild and entirely unpredictable journey I met a few others who had the same vision and we joined forces. Finally, after much prayer, planning, perseverance, and development, that fine art marketplace has become a reality that we now call The Grand pixEOS Art Gallery.

It has been a long, winding, and sometimes abstract-expressionist road, yet I know that this is really just the beginning of a paradigm shift in the art market! The gallery is now officially open for business as the first professional international digital art marketplace on the EOS blockchain. Art collectors can now collect their favorite pieces of rare digital art (also known as non-fungible tokens, NFTs), trade them, and participate in the future of art today!

I thank God for victorious moments like this, and for the blockchain and arts communities for being so patient and supportive of us!

Joe Chiappetta

Human Hardfork

Human Hardfork is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta available on Ethereum Network.

As humanity's hardfork begins, rare digital art continues to be collectible and totally germ-free!

Because of a number of unprecedented developments--both bad and good--including the coronavirus, economic uncertainty, currency wars, and blockchain ninjutsu, the human race is on the brink of a very major hardfork. I hope to see you on the surviving chain.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Rare Digital Art Slot Machine

Rare Digital Art Slot Machine by Joe Chiappetta is rare digital art available on MakersPlace.

I would like to build a crypto-powered slot machine that spits out rare digital art as prizes. This can help to transform art collecting into a series of fun game mechanics with artwork ownership registered on the blockchain. In this new paradigm of fine and fun arts, the art collectors would become gamers, while gamers become art collectors, and gamblers could display their winnings in the form of modern-day masterpieces in virtual art galleries... or trade their digital art for more slot machine virtual tokens.

Slot machines, historically known as "one-armed bandits," would soon become one-armed blockchain curators!

Catalina Island as Animated Rare Digital Art

Catalina Island is available as rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta on Ethereum Network.

I drew this sitting peacefully at the end of Avalon's main pier on Catalina Island. The artwork contains 3 drawings in 1 piece through the modern-day miracle of GIF animation. This landscape is as rare as it gets, as an edition of only 1 and can be bought with credit card or Ethereum on the MakersPlace market for rare digital art.

At Catalina, my wife, 2 youngest kids, and I had an all-day-long family outing at this Southern California haven and it was a most wonderful time.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Rare Digital Art by Daughter

Sunny Duh-Light is rare digital art by Anna Chiappetta on MakersPlace.

My youngest daughter, Anna, has just released her very first piece of rare digital art on the Ethereum network through the MakersPlace gallery based in San Francisco! Sunny Duh-Light is an animated super rare edition of only one that can be bought with Ethereum. If you are unfamiliar with rare digital art, think cryptocurrency meets collectibles.

We live in sunny Southern California, which explains the artwork's title. I bet you can also identify some of the local desert climate imagery in this cool artwork. Of course as a dad I am very proud of my daughter, and I think this work is quite fantastic. I hope you like it too!

Portrait of Alon Goren

Portrait of Alon Goren is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available as an edition of only 1 on Ethereum Network.

I drew this portrait of Alon Goren while he was speaking on a panel at the Crypto Invest Summit (CIS) in Los Angeles. Alon is a Founding Partner of Draper Goren Holm, Co-Founder of Ownera, CIS (re-branded as LA Blockchain Summit), Security Token Summit, LA Blockchain Week, and probably all sorts of other cool things. On and off the blockchain, he is definitely a fine fellow to know!

Alon's influence in the crypto space has been an entirely positive one and the world could benefit from more folks like him. The more you hear him talk, the more you realize that he is an insightful champion for tokenizing art on the blockchain and selling these digital assets as an innovative new paradigm for artists. I share his zeal to help people and bring economic opportunity to the masses, marking a bright new future. It is one of the reasons why I am very active with rare digital art markets like OpenSea, SuperRare, Dada NYC, and pixEOS.

This rising of rare digital art has already gathered impressive market momentum. In the past, digital art has not been regarded as being collectible. While digital art has existed since the 1960s, it has traditionally been very difficult to monetize or verify its provenance in an immutable manner. Yet now there are solutions to these issues and it has begun to transform the art industry. This will create a whole new economy through blockchain technology.

The rare digital art industry is barely 4 years old. While still in the very earliest stages of growth, art is now being tokenized on the blockchain, and such art is also known as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). These art tokens are traded internationally and have real-world value, representing specific artworks. Their ownership history is also recorded on the blockchain, verifying digital item authenticity and guarding against fraud/counterfeit items.

Despite the newness of this industry, some rare digital art markets have reported weekly sales over $50,000 USD for many consecutive weeks, and these numbers are growing. In fact, by 2024, online art sales are collectively forecasted to be over $9 billion annually according to a Statista study. So stick around. Things are about to get even more interesting.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Crypto Paste

Crypto Paste is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta available as an edition of only 1 on MakersPlace.

Is it glue, or is it money? Yes to both!
The official glue of the financial revolution is finally here in all its blockchain glory. Crypto Paste is such a strong adhesive, you'll be stuck for life. 

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Prescription: SoCal Hot Tub

Prescription SoCal Hot Tub is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta, available on MakersPlace.

This conversation that my wife and I had some months ago continues to humor me to this day. Denise is not a comedian by trade. Yet by life, her sharp wit is highly impressive.

I drew this comic sitting in a chair next to the hot tub of our apartment complex in Pasadena while Denise enjoyed relaxing in the bubbly hot water. Later I colored and animated the scene. The side edges are intentionally left unfinished. Just as a partially colored drawing reveals the underbelly of artistic illusion, so too a profound statement can reveal the underbelly of life.

When a person is in a hot tub in any wonderful place like Southern California, on the surface it would be presumed that they are doing great. Yet of course, illusions are everywhere--especially in the shadow of Hollywood and the make-believe entertainment industry of LA. While a hot tub can be nice, and we should be grateful for such pleasantries, rarely is it a complete prescription for true health. However, that's a topic for deeper waters.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Carry Me Comics

Carry Me Comics by Joe Chiappetta is rare digital art on Ethereum Network.

This Silly Daddy Comic contains more than just a funny scenario brought to light by the child’s innocent query. There are a few possible answers to her question: "Who carries you when you are tired?"

1. No one carries me.
2. By faith, God carries me when I am tired.
3. By grace, God carries me when I am tired.
4. People who care are the ones who carry me when I am tired.

I choose to believe the latter three responses.

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net

CryptoArt Shrugged: What To Do During Rare Digital Art Technical Difficulties

CryptoArt Shrugged is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta on MakersPlace.

CryptoArt Shrugged:

What To Do During Rare Digital Art Technical Difficulties

Imagine for a moment this scenario. The most amazing art the world may ever see has just been finished, and you're its proud creator. Anxious to release your work for sale as rare digital art, you head over to your favorite online art market to launch the artwork to the public... yet... something's wrong! The marketplace is supposed to be live but it's temporarily delayed. Or other unexpected technical difficulties--with your entire preferred blockchain--make it impossible to immediately release such precious art. 

Would this now be the time to...
(a) Panic?
(b) Complain?
(c) Keep clicking buttons until your will be done?
(d) Leave this sketchy, experimental field forever?

The answer--probably--is actually (e), none of the above.

Therefore what should creators do when their preferred rare digital art gallery--in which they desperately want to release new artworks on--is having downtime or is delayed? The short answer is... something else. As with most things highly technical, new, and still evolving, proper development for mass consumption takes time and frequent revision. Rome was not built in a day.

Remember also some related facts of development.

• The Internet was quite fragmented at its inception. In fact, many sites only worked in certain browsers. Many computers did not even have a web browser. The first web browser was created in 1990, yet it took at least 8 years before the Web Standards Project started to push for the Internet to have clear standards for web browsers.
• While Bitcoin went live in 2009, it took another 6 years before anyone could issue rare digital art on top of Bitcoin (through Counterparty).
• With Ethereum launching in 2015, it was not until over 2 years later that anyone could issue rare digital art through Ethereum.
• Launched in 2018 as a faster blockchain with no transaction fees (unlike Bitcoin and Ethereum), major rare digital art markets on the EOS blockchain (such as pixEOS) will not go live until the later portion of 2019.

With these things in mind, the "urgent" feeling of disappointment or even frustration when delays bump through new technologies are--in most cases--not cause for alarm at all. It's all relative, and just a normal part of the development process. In other words, that's life; shrug it off.

Nevertheless, there is a way to make the most of such delays. Below are some useful professional actions that any artist can take when there are technical delays in publishing art through a preferred rare digital art market.

Rare Digital Art Downtime Game Plan

1. Think of more relevant tags and text to add to your existing artwork.
2. Re-share previously released, yet unsold art on social media.
3. Look around the web to see if this art would be good as a new submission for a contest or exhibition (which could get you extra publicity).
4. Let existing collectors know from you by direct message that you will soon be coming out with a new piece, and you can give them an exclusive preview.
5. Write a full article on your blog where your newly released artwork will serve as the main illustration, thus giving the artwork a wider potential audience.
6. Add that design to a merchandising site so fans can order it on t-shirts, phone cases, and more.
7. Review and revise pricing on your previously released unsold artworks.
8. Ask a colleague to post a review of your existing work.
9. Catch up on the necessary accounting work associated with your businesses so it does not all pile up.
10. Study what people who are more successful than you are doing.
11. Become a rare digital art collector.
12. Make related art, thus creating a cohesive series.

As anyone can imagine, the list of useful, professional, and forward-moving tasks that can be done during unexpected delays are quite involved and productive, in-and-of themselves. More could easily be added to this list as well. Those in the crypto-art field long enough know too well that a strategy to manage blockchain delays is simply a good thing to have. Therefore the prudent will pass the "downtime" wisely, turning it into "uptime." And soon--yet never soon enough in the moment--that preferred site that had you in such a bother due to delays will be up and running--and so will you--already.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Beware the Wall of Tissue Paper Flowers

Beware the Wall of Tissue Paper Flowers by Joe Chiappetta is rare digital art on Ethereum Network.

While on a date with my wife, we were walking through an outdoor art fair, having a pleasant time in Pasadena, California. There is hardly any breeze in this city, so it came as quite a surprise when a strong gust of wind knocked down a very colorful and large portable wall of tissue paper flowers. On instinct, my wife immediately helped to pick the wall back up, and was truly grateful that the wall did not fall on her or harm her in any way.

I always found this incident amusing on multiple levels:
1. We’ve lived so long in a non-windy city that I forgot that wind even existed.
2. I don’t think tissue paper flowers can harm anyone.
3. It would have been even funnier if the wall of flowers did fall on her.
4. It is probably wrong of me to think that such a thing could be funny.
5. Since “what goes around comes around,” I wonder what funny thing will happen to me on our next date.

It is remarkable how much hidden depth can be revealed from a gust of wind in a non-windy city.

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net