Goldcat

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How did you first become interested in art, and how did you get started with it yourself?

Goldcat: Art has always been around me, but I never felt pulled towards it until my late twenties. In fact, even when I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do after school, one thing I was certain about: I would never be a fine artist.

I attended a British school in Mombasa, Kenya, and the art education was horrible. I was okay at it, but there was no learning process. So it took several years of business degrees and project management to finally come across digital painting and truly discover my interest in art. I was getting more and more depressed at my office job in an engineering firm and started learning how to draw using a second-hand bamboo tablet and Facebook art groups. I looked into illustration as a job and started writing a business plan. That was in 2016, and I was 27 years old.

Could you tell us more about the story of your work “Nostalgia”

Goldcat: I painted Nostalgia, especially for the event commemorating the end of the platform Hicetnunc2000. The portrait directly references my earliest three pieces on the platform. 

Which of your artworks are you most proud of? 

Goldcat: That’s like asking which child one is most proud of. 😀 In the meantime I would probably say “The Swimmer”, which I painted for the auction at Christie’s auction house. I chose this because there was a lot of pressure that I felt having to deliver drafts and an excellent final painting. All of this while heading into my 1 month vacation in Kenya. I not only am very happy with the piece, I also dared to take a risk, with a new colour, new ratio and my first headless figure painting.

Is there an artist you would like to work with? Like a collaboration?

Goldcat: I’ve already been lucky to work with many amazing artists like Jenni Pasanen and AD_AD. I love what William Mapan is working on with code; that would be an epic collaboration.

We are curious 🙂 Would you be willing to share any plans of upcoming projects?

Goldcat: As recently announced, I was asked to be a signature artist for AlphaDoggg in a year from now. Looking forward to that. I also just sent off the artwork to an exciting project that I cannot talk about – unfortunately. Then there is one collaboration with another painter in the works and an upcoming drop on Tezos as part of a collective drop which should be interesting! 

In between, I will continue making solo pieces, such as completing the next trio on superrare.

Who or what are your biggest influences or sources of inspiration?

Goldcat: For the past four years, I’ve attended a weekly drawing session where we draw portraits from life models. The lady overseeing the sessions is a retired university professor, and she has probably taught me more than anyone and really helped me find my groove in art. Even though I draw exclusively in charcoal there, it has greatly influenced how I paint digitally.
I don’t have a specific source of inspiration. I usually need to find a nice piece of anatomy, put on my favourite music, and let my initial chaotic marks influence the direction of the painting. My first three artworks on superrare, for example, have been an hommage to Tamino Amir and his music which has accompanied my pursuit of fine art these past two years.

Is there something specific you are trying to express with your art?

Goldcat: Whatever it is, it’s subconscious, and I am constantly reflecting on trying to nail it down. The thing is that creating solely works for me is still new to me, and I want to follow the current that I’ve gotten myself into without overthinking things. What I know is that I am drawn to powerful melancholy. I will only call a piece done once I feel an emotional essence when looking at it. I am very strong on intuition; I base most decisions on gut feelings, which is also present in my art—initial raw brushstrokes and sketch lines that often remain visible right through the end. I want people to know they don’t need perfection; beauty is imperfection, passion, loving what is, and emotions are powers, not weaknesses.

What do you feel when you are creating new art?  

Goldcat: At the risk of it sounding like a cliche, I definitely feel freedom. Freedom and power because I can do whatever I want. I feel excited to discover this new piece and adventurous when I am stuck and do something risky to get unstuck.

 What do you feel the moment a project you’ve created dropped?

Goldcat: It usually depends on the circumstance. I often tweak the painting right up to the last minute, so it’s a huge relief once I’ve finally decided to press mint. It’s a relief and accomplishment. I’m grateful that I don’t have anxiety about showing the work or anything.

Do you remember the first time you heard about NFT Art? 

Goldcat: I read it as a hashtag under a friend’s post on instagram. So I started googling.

How do you enjoy the NFT Art you have collected? Do you have a way to display it for example at
home?

Goldcat: I plan on getting a display hung up, but I’ve had too many other expenses to follow up on. I currently don’t make the most of my own collection. But whenever I see a piece from an earlier date, it brings back so many memories of that time. I really need to find a way to get them shown more.

What would be your biggest wish for the NFT Art scene? What is currently missing / not fullydeveloped to reach full potential out of it?

Goldcat: My biggest wish would be that the digital art scene can establish itself away from fluctuating crypto rates. So many artists lost hope and started questioning themselves during the bear market. It’s so unfortunate because the timeframe in which this scene evolved is so short compared to an artist’s career in the real world. But the pace is so much faster, and huge opportunities feel within grasp that not getting them is immediately perceived as a failure. I think nothing has reached its full potential: The size and diversity of its user base, the use cases of NFTs, the security measures, the art curation, the inclusivity, and the independence from platforms like Twitter… you name it. We still have a lot to improve.

What is the most disturbing thing when it comes to NFTs and cryptoart in your opinion?

Goldcat: Three things immediately come to mind:
1) The number of (successful) scams going around.
2) Cult-like treatment of accounts that promise to collect art and or just have a lot of influence in the space (sometimes with an entertaining lack of taste and art knowledge).
3) The ignorant way digital artists have treated and are still treating NFTs. Some truly prefer crunch-time, hire and fire jobs to the possibility of financial and creative autonomy. I still cannot wrap my head around the latter point.

We would really like to know, where do you see the NFT Art scene in the future?

Goldcat: I do see it as a big movement in art history. It will not replace traditional art and auction houses, but it will add to them. I hope that web3 can fulfill its promise of being borderless, giving artists a chance to make it regardless of which piece of land they were born on.

Which tools do you use to create your art?

Goldcat: I use my PC, a Wacom Intuos graphics tablet, a stylus, and Photoshop as my canvas. Sometimes I work on the iPad Pro, but I’m still not as comfortable with it as I am with my PS program.

What does a typical day for you look like, and what do you like to do when you’re not busy with NFT
Art?

Goldcat: I often have my free time in the mornings. I wake up at 10 am, say gm on Twitter, check emails/do correspondence. Then lunch and a short walk outside. After that, I get painting, finish business, and reply to emails, inquiries, etc. Then I cook dinner and afterwards do more painting or play a video game/watch something. Sleep a bit after 1 am.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Goldcat: I don’t recall getting that much good advice, but when I was looking for information on things, some points stuck with me. Like when it comes to feeling shy to post something, “Nobody really gives a f***”, and that should feel freeing. Making an effort to employ good mental habits, like the stoic approach of dealing with what can be dealt with, not worrying endlessly about things one can’t control.

Is there something aside from art or NFTs you collect?

Goldcat: I don’t collect anything. I have started thinking about what I need and want to accumulate around me.
But I finally have a garden, and I will most definitely be collecting all sorts of plants and seeds to create my little permaculture paradise.

Where do you like to travel?

Goldcat: My go-to travel destination is Kenya, both Nairobi and the tropical coast, because that’s where my family still lives (I came back to Germany alone when I was 18.)
Other than that, I have no preferences. I can get equally excited about heading to the German seaside as flying to another country. I want to do more travelling by train though. I hope to do that this year.