#30 - Phoenyx Rein
Tell us more about you..
I'm a 31-year-old creative from Melbourne Australia. I live with my wife and two children - both boys. I've always loved drawing. I loved anime when I was a kid (still do) and would spend time drawing Dragon Ball characters, or Pokémon for fun. I used to love making up my own Pokémon - to see what cool creatures I could create. After I finished school, I undertook a university degree in Mechanical Engineering. I graduated university in 2012, and began working as an engineer in manufacturing factories.
Busy with engineering and often exhausted at the end of the day, I had no time for art. I took a hiatus from creating art and only within the last year or so have I really made it my mission to create more art on a daily basis. I'm completely self-taught with no formal art training. Often, I will zoom into my art so far that I can see individual pixels, just to make sure it's perfect. Since the rise of AI art tools, I can now create pieces much faster than previously. Like many creative individuals, I struggle most with getting my ideas onto paper initially. Now I can use AI to generate an image, or several, to get my concept onto a canvas. From there I use digital programs such as Procreate and Photoshop to stitch, paint and adjust my art until I am happy with it.
Creating art is my passion. One day I aspire to make a living from my art, but for now I am just learning and enjoying the creative process.
How do you describe your NFT Art?
I focus primarily on portrait work. I have always drawn people, since my early sketching days. I find the human face in particular very fascinating. I love how unique we all are, and how that shows in our faces. I like to use bold, bright colours in all my work. I want my works to bring feelings of joy, love, curiousness & awe to the viewers of my work. I love using neon lights to light my subjects - digitally of course. They way neon light interacts with the skin, clothing, and other details within my portraits intrigues me. I also love to create abstract art, often using a "rainbow" colour pallet.
Why did you choose this piece to show us?
I chose my piece titled "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" to share today as it was my push into the NFT space as a creator. I've bought and sold NFTs since 2021, but was pushed to enter the #TezAus NFT event in September 2022. This was my first time selling an NFT of art that I had created, and I enjoyed every part of the experience.
This piece features two First Nations warriors from Australia and New Zealand. I actually created two separate pieces initially, but chose to combine them to a single piece because I felt they really complemented each other. In this piece we see a Māori man next to an Aboriginal man. They are both staring triumphantly just past where the 'camera' would be. Who or What are they staring at? This much is unknown, but what is known is they have come together to create a union. This is a binding of cultures and a celebration of our similarities and human needs & desires. Despite who we are or where we come from, our beliefs and traditions, we are all human and all deserve respect and compassion. This is the message I hope to promote with this art piece.
Can you leave a message to collectors and other artists that are willing to connect with you?
The highlight of my NFT and Web3 journey so far has been the support and encouragement from my fellow artists and collectors. The Web3 space is so inclusive and inviting! Since creating new social media accounts just for my art only a few months ago, I have already created several collaborative pieces with other artists, and am about to be featured in an IRL exhibition in Sydney. Please reach out to me on Twitter/Instagram (@phoenyxrein) to check out my work and say hello!
Thank you very much to the NZBR team for this opportunity!
