Macho Motors

Macho Motors by Joe Chiappetta is a rare digital art edition of only 9 NFTs, available on AtomicHub NFT marketplace using the WAX blockchain.

BENEDICTION: I charge the people of this earth, drive to be not just another flashy gas guzzler, but a vehicle of positive impact, racing with power, boldness, zeal, directness, and the leadership that God is calling us to embrace along the unpredictable and exciting road of life. 

BACKSTORY: I set out to make an artwork that inspired viewers in multiple ways, calling us all to a higher level of helpfulness in this world. As my "Macho Motors" piece was almost finished, my son, Luke Chiappetta, released his own piece of rare digital art through his NFTnT Gallery called "No One Else Has To Die," which is the first-ever End Overdose NFT. Luke is part of that organization, with a mission to End Overdose by distributing fentanyl testing strips and to spread awareness on the opioid crisis (https://endoverdose.net/). As a tribute to the inspiring work Luke is doing, both artistically and with End Overdose, you can partially see Luke's artwork in the background on the blue billboard.

BONUS: This NFT also comes with unlockable content available exclusively to NFT token holders. This means the only way to see the bonus art is to buy the NFT.

What is a NFT?

A NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique computer-coded asset assigned to specific digital artworks, making provenance, ownership history, trading, and collecting possible through blockchain technology. Also known as cryptoart and rare digital art, to own an NFT each collector typically needs a digital wallet.

For the WAX blockchain, NFT collectors can get a wallet from a number of providers, including AtomicHub or WAX Cloud Wallet.

Catalina Island as Animated Rare Digital Art

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

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

Nanu Laughs

Nanu Laughs is rare digital art on MakersPlace by Joe Chiappetta

Here is a portrait I created of my imaginative and talented friend, Nanu Berks. We met through pixEOS, the art and gaming ecosystem. Both of us are Featured Artists there. We've created a few collaborative artworks that will be released later this year.

Why is Nanu laughing in this digital portrait? Everyone wants their friends to be happy always. Therefore my hope is that we all can bring joy to each other: friends, family, strangers, one and all.

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net

Silly Daddy Site Map

Silly Daddy Site Map by Joe Chiappetta is rare digital art available on MakersPlace.

Almost all of my major (and minor) works of art and writing from this century have been covered on my Silly Daddy website at one time or another. It is a little odd to think about; here I can see what my main interests have been, because we create what we care about. Topics of parenting, sci-fi, faith, crypto-art, comics, surrealism, and family are all there. Much of I have done creatively is packaged in a virtual electronic world connected by wires, airwaves and computer hardware that I cannot begin to understand.

This experimental animation came about while I was making a navigational site map for that website. It was just a bunch of boring text links on a plain page and I really wanted to spice it up with some surreal digital art. However I also wanted the cartoon illustration to have at least something to do with signs and navigational pointers. That way, the artwork would have relevance to the various themes of my work for the past few decades. So after much trial and error, drawing and redrawing, animating, editing, and revising, I finally created the most atypical site map art--at least that I have ever imagined.

Are you a curious navigator looking to see how my Silly Daddy Site Map art fits in with a bunch of website text links?
Then go to https://joechiappetta.blogspot.com/p/site-map.html and cruise around what may be the first site map illustration to be put on a blockchain.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

LA Dodger Woman

LA Dodger Woman is rare digital art by Joe Chiappetta on MakersPlace.

My wife and I went to a Los Angeles Dodgers game this summer. It was our first time in their stadium and we really enjoyed our time at the ball park. They have many photo opportunity spots within this pro baseball stadium surrounded by scenic Southern California mountains. 

One of the coolest indoor spots we found was a collection of historic ball park signs that really take you back in time in a cool way. This drawing started out as a contour line drawing of that classic American scene. It is an attempt to capture the lively simplicity of the baseball fan experience, as well as a way to memorialize the fun outing we had at the old ball game.

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net

Victory of the Spiritual Mind

Victory of the Spiritual Mind is rare digital art available on MakersPlace

We all want victory in as many areas of our life as possible. For me, this is especially evident in the things I go to God about in prayer daily. The things I want to gain a victory in are the things I am typically praying about... over and over. Such things have become the themes of this surreal, symbolic digital painting of mine.

Many of these themes are easy to spot in the painting but some may be more subtle, because this particular artwork has paintings within paintings. Therefore I will list the victory-seeking areas I have painted about in this piece of animated art, and I will do so in the form of a prayer:

Dear God, please grant me, my friends, and family great and enduring victory in the realms of faith, servitude, kindness, business, finances, cryptoart, family-building, playfulness, insight, friendships, joy, and peace. Amen!

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Father Daughter Treasure Time

Father Daughter Treasure Time is rare digital art available on MakersPlace.

Fatherhood and parenting have been recurring themes in my art and comics for 3 decades. It has forever changed me--as it should--for the better. I know I am not alone.

This drawing started as a sketch of a father named Jason Berns. He is happily holding his youngest child in the relative quiet of his backyard. The letter "B" on his shirt is from his company logo for The Berns Team, which is a prominent real estate company in the Los Angeles area. In fact, The Berns Team is one of the most accomplished realtors in LA county, helping families find remarkable homes to treasure. I know this because my wife and I have seen some of these homes, and they are pretty incredible.

Yet as this man holds his precious child, business accomplishments fade to the background--as they should. More important matters are at hand. Fathers being highly accomplished at remarkable parenting... that's where the real treasure is.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Portrait of a Creative Blockchain Technologist

What began as a big marker sketch on a reused plastic bubble-wrap envelope to mail art, has evolved considerably. After much editing, the sketch has turned into full-on animated rare digital art. This piece depicts Matt Condon, who is an insightful podcaster on Digitally Rare and also a creative blockchain technologist.

A number of personal drawings that I enjoy most started out as unassuming giveaway sketches on envelopes. Perhaps it's because drawing on such items is quick and uninhibited by nature. Since I come from the old-school comics publishing industry (and zine scene before that), adding drawings to envelopes was a pretty standard practice for me in correspondence. Most of these drawings were super quick, and some I really got into. I do not have any of these drawings of course--because I mail them out. Yet a few of these sketches I did have the foresight to capture on camera before sending them off into the world. 

Like most in this digital age, I hardly ever mail items directly anymore. So when I do use shipping services, especially when the contents are art-related inside, it is likely that I will create some nice design on the envelope too. I guess such behavior is coded into my old mail-order-genes.

Therefore now, by the power of God, the Internet and the Ethereum blockchain, this art is available as rare digital art on MakersPlace!

As a side note, while I do call this a crypto art "portrait," I suppose, with all the whimsical elements added on, the drawing is probably more of a caricature... or is it? 

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net

Rare Air

Rare Air by Joe Chiappetta is rare digital art on MakersPlace.

I drew most of this during a business trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco--and back again. The purpose of these travels was to educate more people about new opportunities for collecting art on the blockchain. On the way in and out of planes, buses, and airport terminals, I created an experimental animation that portrays the over-stimulating nature of airport travel. The artwork title is “Rare Air,” partly due to this aviation theme, and also because the occasion of my journey was to speak at the Rare Digital Art Feast. That art/tech event was put on marvelously by MakersPlace. It was an uplifting event for all, and to commemorate such a historic happening, I have released this artwork on their fine marketplace as a rare digital art edition of only one.

What is a Rare Digital Art Feast?

Picture stepping in the future while still in the present, and all the while you are having fun, being fed, and having your mind pleasantly stretched along with the boundaries of art through blockchain technology. That's what we call a Rare Digital Art Feast, and such an event happened on June 20th, 2019. Indeed, at their hip work space in San Francisco's legendary Mission District, MakersPlace put on a truly remarkable show.

If the art industry, tech industry, or really any industry wanted to see how to put on an excellent and thorough event, this was the place to be. It was pure joy to experience this hybrid of art exhibit, auction, educational talks, networking, and Q/A sessions... all to the beat of a live DJ and, of course, great food. To craft an event that is both down-to-earth for crypto-art-curious new people yet also inspiring for all, it takes a rare breed. MakersPlace delivered on all counts, and I thank them for it.

As the rare digital art industry grows, I would bet that more of these events will continue to spread around the globe, by the likes of industry leaders including SuperRare, pixEOS, EverdreamSoft, Rare Art Labs, and of course, MakersPlace. If these outings are anything like the first Rare Digital Art Feast put on by MakersPlace, then we can be sure that this movement has a very bright future.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Silly Daddy Cookie Bake Off

This comic is loosely "baked" out of a real conversation I had with my wife, Denise. She, as well as my kids, have been a near-endless source of Silly Daddy cartoon material over the decades. You are welcome to join the family feast!

You can find this rare digital art and bid on it in the MakersPlace marketplace.

This particular incident happened as my wife and I came across some delicious looking cookies. Glaring at them as they were majestically placed in a store window, in all frugality, I said to my wife, "You should bake these cookies. I've had them before and I like those cookies so much that if you made them, I would even HELP you make them."

"No you wouldn't," replied my wife quickly. "I know you too well. You would just help EAT them."

Thus another true conversation during a fun date with my wife gets turned into yet another cartoon. To bake in some even deeper meaning to this artwork, this happened while we were celebrating one of our many wedding anniversaries. My wife and I thank God for the years we have had together and for receiving much more than we deserve.

Joe Chiappetta

Feed the Fun House Well

The head is a fun house of fantastical proportions. With the same mind mounted inside, we can imagine plans to save the world or destroy it. I say we save it.

You can find this rare digital art and bid on it in the MakersPlace marketplace.

Joe Chiappetta

Deepest Art Ever

Baked fresh from a Chiappetta digital oven, this flavorful dish is such a delight to the art senses, you can almost taste it. Animating my wife thinking about Chicago deep dish pizza was a lot of fun to create. Even more fun, of course, would be eating such a pizza. For those interested in the chef's secret recipe, I drew this art entirely in the Procreate App on iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.

You can see this rare digital art and bid on it at MakersPlace.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Rare Dinner with MakersPlace

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I had the honor of sharing a meal with the core team of MakersPlace. They are an incredibly wise team running a very easy to use marketplace for rare digital art; in fact they might be the most user friendly of them all, since art collectors can purchase digital art using a credit card or Ethereum. Plus their minimal gallery design helps collectors focus solely on the art--without any unnecessary bells and whistles.

Throughout this special night, the food, conversation, and company was delicious. The place we ate at is called Zero Zero; I have no idea why it was named as such, but that never seemed to matter. To commemorate the evening, which was also a dinner celebrating the MakersPlace marketplace being 1 year old, I was inspired to draw this group portrait of the team on the spot, and animated the art shortly thereafter. It was certainly a crypto art night to remember.

You can find this artwork in a very limited edition of rare digital art on MakersPlace. Only 5 editions exist on the blockchain. There you can buy it with Ethereum or a credit card.

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Rare Digital Art Ownership Visualization

Rare Digital Art Ownership Visualization by Joe Chiappetta is available on MakersPlace

In understanding any new concept, it often helps to provide visuals. This is definitely the case with rare digital art. As a new ecosystem to release, catalog, sell and collect digital art, the growing field of rare digital art is fascinating for a number of reasons. For the first time ever, digital art can be coded to be entirely rare, sales could happen instantly and internationally through new monetary systems, royalties for secondary art sales can be built right into the market, the art can be sold for a fixed price or auctioned, artists can issue super-rare editions of only 1 or limited-editions such as 1 of 10. Mind you, I am only mentioning just a few of rare digital art's exciting features.

To illustrate what actually goes on when a person owns rare digital art, I have drawn up an imaginary universe where digital concepts are as tangible as the toes on your feet. Art collectors can buy this particular piece of rare digital art on the MakersPlace marketplace. It is a comical drawing that depicts a world lined with chains of data held in sequential blocks. That's where we get the term "blockchain." When someone buys rare digital art, they are actually buying a unit of cryptocurrency. Their account on the blockchain gives them a private key whereby only they can sell that crypto if they find a buyer. All this is packaged in an orderly and cryptographic manner on the blockchain. These blocks of ownership data are uniquely linked together so that the order and the data cannot be changed. Therefore the data on this blockchain has a decent semblance of permanence.

Is Art Really On the Blockchain?

While important data about art is permanently on the blockchain, what about the actual art's permanence? The art on the blockchain is a different, yet completely related story. In most cases, the actual art image is (gulp) not hosted on the blockchain. Rather the art is usually hosted the way most digital images are hosted: on a file hosting device called a server or multiple servers in physical locations, with the image being delivered (or "served") when someone on the Internet goes to a particular website (or image-enabled blockchain wallet). Therefore the art is as permanent as the Internet, the blockchain that holds the art data, and the servers that host the actual image.

With rare digital art, while the image does not truly reside on the blockchain, it's file name and web address are coded to be linked to a particular blockchain. So we can enjoy a little irony in the fact that art on the blockchain--in most cases--is not actually on the blockchain. Yet the art data, ownership and link to the art are on the blockchain.

Is Rare Digital Art Actually Rare?

While we are on the subject of irony, there is one more big one to cover. In the case of rare digital art, the art is... uh... not actually rare. In most cases, the art image is announced and uploaded to at least a few social media sites, plus the artist's blog, and then people share it over and over again on social media. Servers deliver the image to everyone viewing the art on the marketplace. So copies of the art are all over the place. Nothing rare about that. Yet as discussed in the previous section, all that doesn't matter--not one bit. What is rare is the crypto token that the art collector buys. That token cannot be copied, thanks to cryptography. This is where rarity comes in. When a collector buys rare digital art, it is a statement of value. It says "this art is so valuable, that I want to be on record as its owner so I can show it off in my collection, or sell it as I see fit, and I will do it all through the only economic vehicle that represents that art: its cryptocurrency token."

It is on top of these slightly ironic cybernetic rails of truth that art and tech pioneers started rolling out this new generation of artwork. We call it new, yet this was going on as early as 2014 in small groundbreaking circles. Little did people know that history was being made, and a whole industry would rise up from these humble and virtual beginnings. Yet here we are... making history... making art (kind of) on the blockchain. It seems only fitting then, since there have been movements of impressionism, cubism, futurism, and now... there is blockchainism.

So in making such a history, writers have to write about it. Artists have to make art about it. In the case of this rare digital art, the story needs to be told--or better yet shown--regarding what a person actually owns when they purchase rare digital art. What is owned? In short, it boils down to a few blunt facts:

The Short, Blunt Answer: What Do I Own When I Buy Rare Digital Art?

• It's nothing you can touch.
• Your purchase helps fuel a crypto crazy creative market ecosystem.
• You bought into a crazy risk with the potential for crazy rewards that can just as easily drop to zero in value or go sky high.
• You own cryptocurrency with a pretty face.
• A unique crypto token is what you own; the art is what you see.

If any of this appeals to you, then we are probably destined to be friends. So all aboard the rare digital art train!

Joe Chiappetta

http://SillyDaddy.net

Tokenization: The Final Frontier

This animated sci-fi image will soon be available as rare digital art on the Grand pixEOS Art Gallery. I drew it first as a quick sketch on my big old Samsung Galaxy Note 3. That's an over-sized phone that came with stylus and I have used it as a mini drawing pad reliably for almost 6 years. It seems fitting that a somewhat space-age handheld device was used to create this art inspired by space-age classic science fiction themes. Old shows such as Star Trek and others have become famous for introducing handheld devices that were decades ahead of their time.

Why would anyone want to collect rare digital art? We are speaking of monetizing digital art, which is an innovation ahead of its time--yet here now. Rare digital art is deserving of more attention and I do think someone should win a Nobel Prize in Economics for its inception. In fact, the benefits and interesting traits of rare digital art are worth listing all together. The below list can be used to help art collectors see the benefits of collecting rare digital art.

Characteristics of Rare Digital Art

• Digital art can be issued in a limited supply (similar to limited-edition prints)
• Instant or near-instant sales powered by the speed of blockchain
• International market exposure
• Digital art becomes a personal collectible item
• Ownership data available to everyone
• Ownership of digital art is transferable
• Creators and collectors can set flat rate for art sales or accept bids
• Royalties for secondary sales can be written into the blockchain so artist automatically receives a percentage of resale price each time a collector sells that artist's work to another collector
• Artwork is as durable as the Internet, the blockchain that holds the art data, and the server(s) that stores the image
• Art collectors can easily publicize their collection
• Collectors can show people their collection in person from their own phones
• Artists can easily keep track of art with release dates and any other data included in that art's release description
• All sales final: non-reversible
• Technology prone to attract new audiences, including younger audiences
• Typically lower price of art (less art material cost) makes collecting art more accessible to wider range of collector income levels
• Rare digital art has overlap with rare gaming items, increasing the potential for new art audiences 
• Art can be static image or an animated piece
• Artists are more likely to trade limited-editions with other artists
• Artists can host giveaway art events without shipping or physical production costs
• Physical art can be bundled with rare digital art as an option
• Cryptocurrency price volatility may be a good thing (if crypto price goes up), or a bad thing. Yet even if a bad thing (as in the price of crypto goes way down) the artists involved still gain market exposure to new audiences.

I am sure there are more interesting traits to list about rare digital art, but these stand out right away. As can be seen, blockchain has opened up a whole new market for artists and collectors. Prior to blockchain technology, digital art images had very limited market venues for artists to release them in limited quantities. Art collectors have a hard time being interested in owning such art since images on the internet are easily copied. So there was no way to prove art ownership. Yet all that has changed!

Yes, any user can still simply copy and paste images onto their own devices. But that is not the point. Now, for collectors who want a way to collect digital art directly from an artist through an authorized and collectible means, the technology is here today to make that happen while also tracking ownership and date of sale. Furthermore, collectors have an authorized means of reselling that rare digital art to a new owner on the blockchain.

Physical art trade and exchange has always been possible. Now digital art trade and exchange is also possible. Transfer or ownership, bidding, discounting, limited supply... all those features that the physical art world has enjoyed have now come to rare digital art.

What Makes Rare Digital Art Possible?

Rare digital art means that on a blockchain, the cryptocurrency (or tokens) issued through these networks are now able to be linked to specific artworks. The artwork details get coded and recorded on the blockchain. This data is designed to last for the lifetime of that blockchain. In the same way that cryptocurrency creators can specify how many units of their cryptocurrency they will release to the world in a limited supply, and which users own which cryptocurrencies, the same features are now happening with digital art.

For example, on the Bitcoin blockchain, the total supply of Bitcoin has been coded to be 21 million. That means only 21 million Bitcoins will ever be in existence... and that's it. In similar fashion, digital art can now be linked to tokens on a blockchain that have a limited supply.

So take the above sci-fi art image I created. When I release it on a blockchain through pixEOS, it will be written into the code to issue this art linked to a limited supply of only 1 token. This is where the "rare" from the term "rare digital art" comes from. Once issued, only 1 image of "Tokenization: The Final Frontier" will ever be available to be bought and sold on that blockchain. Many can be copied infinitely. But only one copy can be monetized--the one image that I link to the blockchain, to be collected by only once collector at a time. Perhaps that one person will be you!

That is why I, along with many other rare digital artists, have "set phasers to tokenize!"

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Preposterous pixEOS Headgear

Do all your deep pondering with the protective, yet preposterous pixEOS Headgear. Deliver yourself from boredom by wearing this happy head garment. It is certified by a team of decentralized semi-fungible and semi-anonymous crypto art technicians. Patterned after the most stylish wrestling headgear, this item is sure to turn heads throughout the entire art market. Once fitted with this fashionable helmet, bright and artsy ideas will effortlessly pop out from your blockchain brain with no end in sight!

This animation will soon be available only on the Grand pixEOS Art Gallery. As limited-edition art, this whimsical piece will be among the first rare digital art items to be released on the EOS blockchain.

What Is Rare Digital Art?

• Art issued electronically in a limited-edition through blockchain technology.
• Art linked to a cryptographic token whose entire history can be tracked. This history takes the form of metadata on a blockchain and can record date of creation as well as buyer/seller and price data.
• Also known by the following terms: crypto-collectible, crypto-art, non-fungible token (NFT), semi-fungible token, crypto goods, digital goods, and digital assets.
• Creative collectible digital items that can be sold from artist to collector, and then from collector to collector, where ownership is verifiable via the blockchain.
• Art dependent on the Internet, electronic devices, and blockchain technology to be seen and traded.

If the above animated rare digital art looks somewhat familiar, you have a good memory. This new version with the green background is a revised variation of a comic that I issued previously in the Book of Orbs marketplace... however that original comic (with a white background) is not animated. While the comic version with the thought balloon brings the humor, the new animated version has its own set of fun surprises too.

Compare all the differences for yourself, let me know which version you like best, and even consider collecting them both.

Joe Chiappetta

Silly Daddy Comics - Tuck In Time

Leave it to Silly Daddy Comics to deliver warm parenting and crypto-comedy all in the same non-fungible token family experience. Snuggle up to subtle financial education wrapped in a warm and fuzzy blanket of art and snacks.

This individual comic strip is available as rare digital art on the Portion marketplace. There you can buy it using Ethereum. Only 10 limited editions exist!

Joe Chiappetta
http://SillyDaddy.net

Unlock the Pulse-Pounding Power of Pixels

The key to fun is to be... a square! In this minimalist art, each pixel has been painstakingly placed to produce the maximum payload for your personal perplexity. For those unfamiliar with this soon-to-be legendary character, Papa Pixel Pinwheeleos can be observed here ascending upward through the 4 colorful corners of his pixelated universe in search of the finest treasures. Surely he will find such things, or cryptographically die trying.

This animation started out as a simple little drawing on the pixEOS art game online. If you are an artist, collector, or art historian, yet you don't know about pixEOS, you are missing out on some of the wildest stuff happening in the art industry--sure to expand the very boundaries of what art is, as well as how art is made. Shortly after I started drawing it, I quickly had in mind that this surreal creature would be a perfect character to animate as crypto-art. And the rest is pixel history.

At least it is history for this particular finished piece. Since I often like to make variations on a theme when creating my artwork, the character depicted in this animation will be getting some more exposure in at least one other piece of art. I have plans to create and release a new image of this little creature, but with some significant modifications to the pinwheel blades on his hat as well as a complete overhaul of the color scheme and an entirely new background. Perhaps when I have completed the new version, we can view them side by side and see which one is most preferred. Or perhaps I won't compare the two versions. My hope is that they will each be completely unique and able to stand on their own, or at least float on their own through pleasant pixel pastures.
Joe Chiappetta

Silly Daddy Multi-Merry-Go-Round

Here is a very experimental (and fun) animation I created and ran on multiple overlapping window screens at different start times. It represents family, unity, and creativity.

You can also see the animated GIF version of this Silly Daddy comic-related artwork on SuperRare. On that crypto-collectible marketplace, it is available as rare digital art in a super rare limited edition of only 1 issuance on the Ethereum blockchain at https://superrare.co/JoeChiappetta

Joe Chiappetta