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Intro

GM GM Everyone,

No weekly this week as I am off in Tokyo. Instead we have an Artist Feature with an artist I have been following for quite sometime in the space, Coup Of Grace.

I found out about Coup Of Grace from a friend in the web3 space and I instantly fell in love with his work. He found a style I gravitated towards and it called to me. The movements, the colors, the playfulness of it all. I hope you enjoy learning a little about my friend Coup and his story.

Interview

Who is Coup of Grace?

coupofgrace is a pseudonym under which Miguel Ángel Garrido, a traditional Mexican painter with over 20 years of experience, decided to delve into the world of digital art. The idea of using a pseudonym primarily emerged as a need to detach from the transparency of blockchain transactions, and later to distinguish my digital exploration (which was just beginning) from my traditional art path. Over time, I stopped needing that separation rigidly and relaxed the path to maintain it as a creative workspace where the pseudonym evolved into a heteronym, similar to how Pessoa’s characters each had their own voice and personality. The journey of coupofgrace has been one of exploring mediums that Miguel Ángel Garrido, as a traditional painter, could not or did not find suitable to explore. However, from the beginning, this journey has been one where both personas blend and influence each other interchangeably.

I see that you were a traditional figurative painter at first, what made you take the leap to digital and NFT art?

Familiarizing myself with Bitcoin and blockchain technology in depth, while closely following the trajectory of my great friend irl, neurocolor, convinced me to try out ideas I had been mulling over for years. One such idea was to paint sequenced oil paintings and turn them into an animated video, which would have been very difficult to commercialize in a traditional manner. With the idea of an NFT, this problem was solved. And that's how I took the first step to create the persona of coupofgrace (coupdegrace’s handle was taken). Later, as I progressed in my exploration and started minting my first pieces, I realized that digital art was a completely different universe and wanted to explore it in a much more genuine way, playing and learning with the tools at my disposal and thus developing my own iconography and voice.

How would you describe your art?

My exploration through coupofgrace is, on one hand, a blend of playful irreverence toward art history, a game with reality, with the possibility of a metaphysical world behind the art of history. All of this is mixed with a lot of mysticism, a touch of the dark side of life through humor, and the human condition. On the other hand, it has been the exploration of alternative digital mediums, mixing digital with analog and the corruption of visual data (glitch). There's also a space for my traditional work translated into a digital medium through purely digital painting and sequences of traditionally painted images digitally altered.

How is the NFT/Digital Art scene in Mexico like?

The digital art or cryptoart scene in Mexico is significant in terms of its presence and influence. We are a fairly organized group, where important friendships and collaborations have emerged. I am in contact with more than 70 Mexican crypto artists who are actively creating and minting, from which the collective Opuntia was born, among other projects. There are people making crypto art since the early days on BTC, who have guided all of us who came after them. It’s a very active, fun, and generous scene that I’m proud to be a part of.

You've been a painter for a very long time, what are some similarities and differences between the traditional art world and the digital one?

The similarities lie in some aspects of the creative process, where you plan what you want to do and then execute it. But the major difference is the immediacy of digital art; everything seems to move faster. In traditional art, you finish a painting and have to wait for it to dry, then wait to frame it, and hope to have an exhibition. Maybe you'll have one or two solo shows and several group exhibitions a year, with all the logistics of transporting the artwork. In digital art, you can conceive, execute, and mint several pieces in a day because all the processes are quicker. For example, when creating a digital piece, you don't need a physical canvas, so you don’t have to wait for a carpenter to finish your canvas or for the store to open on Monday because you ran out of titanium white to start creating. There's a big difference in waiting times... that's the main difference I see. On the other hand, there is an oversupply in the digital world, which is not as evident in the traditional world, although through social media both paths seem to merge at some points. These are the differences that affect me or stand out the most.

How has the bear been treating you?

It has been difficult to come to terms with the decrease in sales or interest in my work, but I’ve taken it as a challenge that has made me stronger psychologically because it has led me to reconnect with the main reason I create art. It doesn’t matter what happens after I finish a piece; what’s important is the process and how that process helps me grow. Even though I’ve had to deal with the scarcity that the bear market represents, I like to see these moments as an opportunity to grow my patience, my resilience, and reconnect with the deeper meaning of my need for creative expression. This isn’t the first time I’ve had a family to support and only 5 pesos in my bank account.

I know you were one of the first artists to do a token = art drop meta (Skully in the Sky Drops Diamonds). Have you thought about revamping this but with Hypersub?

Honestly, before this interview, I had never heard of Hypersub, but after checking it out, it seems like an excellent concept, and I’m going to give it a try. Thank you for mentioning the platform because I had no idea it existed.

How has your time on Farcaster been?

Although I was excited at first and thought it was an excellent alternative to X, the truth is I haven’t kept up with my profile, and it’s rather neglected. However, I might give it another chance in the future.

Final Remarks

Before wrapping up, I also want to take the time to thank the Onchain Alien Ambassadors out there that support my work. You all give me the energy and support to do all this ❤️.

A couple of things stood out to me about this interview. The first one being that I was in awe that Coup had such a distinct style pretty quickly in joining the space and it makes sense, he had been an artist for over a decade before joining. The other was the level of creativity Coup came with, digital art was not just a way to copy and paste what he already did but it allowed him to explore a whole new medium and mechanism of deploying his art. I vividly remember thinking when he announced Skully In The Sky Drops being a hit instantly and many artist also deploying monthly art drop tokens after his announcement. Ahead of his time as I don't think the hypersub was really a thing at that time or barely starting. That is why I felt inclined to ask him this questions as it fits this model so well and so many artist are doing this now successfully like Yon, Dalek and more.

The next thing that stood out to me is how much of a toll being an artist during these times has taken on many. The great thing it sounds like Coup is not giving up which is great and fantastic news! And it makes sense, he has been at his craft now for a long time and a market like this doesn't scare him and make him not want to leave the space. Knowing him and based on some of the tweets I have seen, he is at his craft and working away. As a Latino, I hope that Coup one day can get back on that horse and shine bright for the world to see. Keep chugging along friend!

I hope you all have a great rest of your week. Make sure to share and tag a friend that may enjoy this content. If you have other artist, collectors or builders you would like me to speak to, message me.

💸💸💸💸💸 - Super helpful thanks!

💸💸💸 - It was OK!

💸 - Not really!

Links

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Tezos Art

Hypersub (peer pressure lol)