Artist Interview | Quetzal Gelo
Quetzal, Thank you so much for taking the time to share a bit about yourself with us. Would you mind starting by sharing a little about your story?
I am an abstract artist who has long put off trying to become a full-fledged artist. I studied at a school with an artistic bias, but after entering university, I stopped creating art. Sometimes I painted something for the table or for myself, creating acrylic paintings on canvas for my apartment and nothing more. I have worked as a counselor for problem children, a consultant at Zara, a copywriter, and most of all, I was a bartender. At one point, I began drawing a lot again to express my emotions through paint. After learning about NFTs, I started uploading these works to platforms for the sake of interest and the opportunity to be
recognized.
Where are you from?
I am from St. Petersburg, which is considered the cultural capital of Russia. Many famous poets and artists lived in this city and were inspired by it, such as Dostoevsky, Pushkin, Kazimir Malevich, and others. It is impossible not to be inspired by this city. However, after Russia attacked Ukraine, I flew with my boyfriend and our cat to find a new home. We ended up choosing Montenegro, and our journey took us through Istanbul. But we loved Istanbul so much that we decided to stay there. I don’t know if this will be our final choice, maybe we will continue to look for a new home and travel further.
Can you tell us about your background and what lead you down the path to becoming an artist and ultimately experimenting with NFTs?
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be creative. Since childhood, I have been drawing a lot. I remember how I drew fashionable outfits for my mother, came up with nail designs for her, and so on. Then I was sent to a school with an artistic bias. It differed from the usual school in that we had many drawing lessons, and we studied a lot of architecture from different eras, costumes, and painting. After school, I delved into university affairs. My specialty was not very creative (bridge and airfield engineer), and I even forgot that I once knew how to draw. But nevertheless, I always followed artists, performances, exhibitions, fashion, and music. All this shaped my taste in art for many years. During my life, I managed to work as a counselor with problem teenagers and as a bartender. As an introvert, it was difficult for me to work as a bartender. On weekends, I started painting for myself, in pencil, acrylic on paper or canvas. With the help of colors, I expressed my emotions, most often negative ones. It helped me to throw everything out, and I really felt better. Then, experimenting with acrylic in the form of simple strokes became one of my NFT collections. I learned about NFT from the stories of my favorite singer Grimes. And I decided – why not try? Dude, you always stopped all attempts to become a full-fledged artist, you were insecure, and you are almost 30, can you change something already? And I finally decided to do it.
When did you mint your first NFT? What platform did you choose and why?
I dropped my first NFT about two years ago on OpenSea. At that time, I knew of only two platforms for NFTs, OpenSea and Foundation. However, I needed an invitation to join Foundation and didn’t know how to get one. Therefore, I chose OpenSea.
Can you tell us one thing you cannot live without? (and why)
Except for my family and my son cat, I thinking it would be music. Music has always been essential to me as it allows me to immerse myself in a particular emotional state, and it is an excellent source of inspiration. The music and the artists I have listened to have played a significant role in shaping my worldview and creative preferences.
Who is your favorite artist(s) (Non NFT)? What about their style resonates with you?
I adore many classics in art. But to answer this question, I will choose a contemporary artist, and it will be Emanuele Tozzoli. God, I just love his style. This is what inspires me a lot. He is completely free in his self-expression. His works are impulsive, and I see a whole theatrical performance in them. Some may find his work strange, but this is what inspires me. Going beyond has always impressed me.
Who is your favourite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?
I love @iamsati with all my heart. She was one of the first artists I followed in NFT, and we became great friends afterward. I really like her TV collection; I love her color palette and cute stories. I appreciate that over time, she began to add more of her experiences to her art, and I often see a social or political context in her TV characters, which I like. I also love her 1/1 art, where she maintains her style, her color palette, and expresses herself on many topics that I admire. I see and feel her emotions in her work, and her cyberpunk storylines are impressive.
What made you pursue NFT art?
Everything matched perfectly. I always reproached myself for feeling embarrassed to post my art, being unsure of myself, starting and abandoning my art Instagram. Additionally, I felt the approaching crisis 30 years old; I had still not started doing what I had always dreamed of, and was often depressed. I saw that the main tool for promoting NFTs is Twitter, and I had not used this social network for promotion before. After seeing the amazing support from artists, I decided that I would do everything to fulfill my dream and become a full-fledged, full-time artist. As they say, “LFG”!
What is the one piece of NFT art you wish you had purchased but missed out on?
It was a photo of @Tylersjourney_ “True colors”. I periodically checked whether it was sold or not, and planned to buy it when I sold something for a certain amount. But I didn’t have time, she was taken away from my hands haha.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Why this location?
I have always dreamed of visiting New York and Berlin. I think these cities are perfect for me and I hope to visit them. But if I were to choose a place to live, then I would opt for a quiet and peaceful place with good Internet and warm weather, where I could completely immerse myself in my creativity.
What are your other passions besides art? Why?
Music. I listen to music all the time, follow news and updates on different genres, and like to explore new artists. I also enjoy cooking and often treat people to my dishes, though I should probably do it more often.
Do you make other forms of art?
Currently no. If you only count writing stories for my open edition collection, each art is a separate story in two parts and I write these stories myself. In the future I would like to learn how to make music.
How did you come up with your specific style?
I’ve experimented a lot with my art, exploring different themes, colors, and even genres. My first NFT works were chaotic acrylic strokes, but I gradually began incorporating more movement and color. Eventually, I started adding characters to my pieces and sketched a lot on my iPad. I watched a lot of other artists, was inspired. This process led me to develop my current style, which is still abstract and features pastel-colored backgrounds that imitate oil paint. My works now include more characters and storylines, and each one tells a mini-story that I’ve experienced personally. Additionally, I always include my mushroom characters in each piece, which have become a signature of my art. While I still criticize myself at times, I would say that my current style is my favorite of all that I’ve done. Drawing in this style brings
me a lot of joy.
How has your style evolved over the years?
I think my art has become bolder and freer. I no longer see any limits for myself in creativity. There are more interesting details and features, and I see that my style is finally starting to emerge, and my latest works look organic with each other. I went from chaotic acrylic brushstrokes to full-fledged abstract illustrations.
What is coming in the near future?
I have some new 1/1 artworks that should be dropping soon, as well as several works in progress and many ideas in the form of sketches. I also plan to release a collection of works without characters, featuring minimalistic abstractions. I will continue to work on myself as an artist to become a full-fledged artist, and I will continue to develop my social networks, writing different threads such as a section for artists, musicians, and videos that have inspired me.
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be?
Another tough question haha. There are many talented artists that I admire, but if I had to choose one for a potential collaboration, I would say Grigala. I think our styles would complement each other well, with my characters and details blending nicely with his abstract approach. Who knows, maybe we can work together someday!
Do you have any upcoming drops?
Yes, there are at least two jobs that I plan to drop. These are personal arts for me, which I really love and worry about before the drop. If I’m lucky and I can get on SR, I would gladly post them there. The second option is Foundation.
Biggest piece sold?
“Coming out” – 0.5 ETH
This was a very personal work for me, where I expressed my emotions about my coming out last year. The art is accompanied by a very long description where I share my life and emotions candidly.
What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that? Anything else you’d like to share?
I guess I’ll name my unfortunate trait. I used to trust people too much, and because of this, I had problems with betrayal and many unpleasant situations. But that was in the past. Now, I have become a more closed person, and I am selective about who I trust. I don’t immediately open up to people haha
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would like to encourage all the artists who are considering trying their hand at web3. It is definitely worth it! I regret not getting into NFTs sooner. You will receive tremendous support from other artists, make friends, gain lots of inspiration, and have opportunities to grow. We are all just at the very beginning of this journey, so jump on the NFT train and embark on this journey together.
Where can collectors find your work?
https://lynkfire.com/QuetzalGelo
https://www.twitter.com/quetzalgelo https://instagram.com/quetzalgelo
https://opensea.io/collection/quetzalgeloedition
https://knownorigin.io/quetzal-gelo https://exchange.art/QuetzalGelo/nfts
