Studio Notes
Category
Year
136 entries across 3 years
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Asynchronous Airdrops Selected for Paris
I am pleased to share that Asynchronous Airdrops – One has been selected for the exhibition reel of Techspressionism: New Visual Languages at Mémoire de l’Avenir in Paris, France, curated by Colin Goldberg. The international survey of digital motion works brings together 80 artists from 24 countries. It premieres on January 22, 2027, at 6:30 p.m. Paris time (12:30…
Plotting the Next Chapter
Fifty-six days remain in 2026, and in this photo I am doing what much of my work begins with: looking up at the clouds. Lately, I have been looking back as well. I am currently reflecting and working on a new issue of my newsletter, out in mid-December. It gathers the year’s works, studio notes,…
VIDEOCombining Visualization Modes
Since 2020, when I began translating clouds in Python through tile sets of painted marks, stamp marks, and drawn shapes, much of my time has gone into tile-based visualization modes: cents, ASCII characters, halftone dots, dither, hatching, each a different vocabulary for the same sky. Until now, every export used one of them at a…
Sunset Lake Reflections
Last week I drove out to Lac Aylmer Park, at the edge of the Eastern Townships, to photograph a sunset. It was freezing and the park was empty out at the season, and that was precisely the advantage. With nobody around, the water stayed undisturbed long enough to hold the sky whole. Contrails crossed overhead…
VIDEOSunset ASCII Clouds
I’m further developing the cloud engine, adding new visualization modes for an upcoming project. Each mode offers another way to answer the same question: what vocabulary should the sky be redrawn in? This iteration renders the clouds in ASCII characters. Density becomes typography; the formations resolve into text that happens to look like weather. More…
VIDEOSky Scanner Continued
The scanner has taken another turn. Rather than leaving the sky empty around the clouds, the script now fills it with concentric contours derived from the sky itself, which then merge with the cloud contours already being traced. The result is fascinating, psychedelic, and mesmerizing. The boundary between cloud and sky, the very thing the…
3 Window-Glitched Clouds and Montreal Architecture
Whenever I walk in downtown Montreal, I keep looking up at the skyscrapers and the reflections of clouds. I especially enjoy how the windows seem to transform them into glitched clouds. Each glass pane sits under a slightly different tension and pressure. This makes each one bow a fraction differently and act as its own…
VIDEOLaunching Sky Scanner 2.0
The cloud scanner has grown into something worth a version number. After further tweaking of the detection, Sky Scanner 2.0 now recognizes clouds at a much finer granularity. Thin contours trace each cloud’s outline, while hatching fills in and identifies its mass. I also played with the 3D grid to implement different hatching styles, and…
In Conversation with DANAE
Alongside Inner Voice, DANAE has published an interview with me on Medium, in English and French, under a question I rather like: can clouds teach us about impermanence? We cover a lot of ground. Why clouds have been my subject and medium for nearly a decade as a metaphor for the blockchain’s constant evolution, permissionless…
VIDEOA Tropical Thunderstorm from Above
On a recent flight, I encountered a tropical thunderstorm and documented it from the plane. I have flown several hundred flights over the past decade and have seen my share of thunderstorms and hurricanes from above, but this was by far the most spectacular storm I have witnessed and recorded. The frequency of the lightning…
VIDEOCopper Clouds Animation
Copper Clouds is a new animation and an homage to Rutherford Chang’s Cents, the richly symbolic collection of 10,000 scanned one-cent coins inscribed as Bitcoin Ordinals. The penny makes the homage fitting. Across more than a hundred years in circulation, inflation has drained it of practical worth while collectors have learned to treasure it. The…
VIDEOStretching Pixels of Clouds
I am back at playing and experimenting with how pixels can turn a static image into animation. I have been playing with vertical and horizontal stretch patterns, and with aligned, centred, and broken-up variations of the animation across the grid and frames. The first results are surprisingly relaxing, and they make me curious to keep…
Sculpting Towering Clouds
I am back at the drawing board, developing cloud shapes for a set of new sculptures. At the moment, I am experimenting with how a cumulonimbus cloud system could be represented through sphere-based shapes. The towering elements are proving quite challenging. A fun fact from along the way: a single cumulonimbus can hold over a…
VIDEOScanning Cloudy Sky Videos
While tweaking the cloud scanner, I ran a proper first test on an aerial video I recorded earlier this year. The result is encouraging. The detection already works rather well, though the footage admittedly plays to the script’s strengths: the contrast between the clouds and the sky is visibly strong, exactly the condition under which…
Last Bill Edition Got Spent
For three weeks, much of my time has revolved around a transaction I cannot take back. On July 21st, a fee bump I pressed in the wrong wallet fed the final Digital EUR bill of “Do Not Accumulate” to a miner as part of a 758-satoshi fee. The full account is on the blog. This…
Power Sculpting
I am working on a new sculpture, one that will bring together several elements, including power plugs. So I spent a couple of hours sculpting a power plug from scratch. Below is a behind-the-scenes peek: three screenshots from the process, each a stage further along. There is something quietly fitting in the exercise. A power…
10 Digital EUR Featured by 100 Collectors
I am honoured to share that Digital EUR, the first currency in my Do Not Accumulate series, has been featured by curator Eleonora Brizi for 100 Collectors, the global membership network for digital art collectors, as part of their 5 Things to Know series. Eleonora has accompanied this movement as a curator since its earliest days, and it shows in the reading. She…
2 Scanning Skies for Clouds
I am returning to a small project I set aside last year: a script that scans the sky for clouds and traces their contours. The work is far from finished, and the difficulties are instructive. Dark clouds and clouds sitting in shadow absorb so much of the blue spectrum that they become hard to separate…
10 Introducing Do Not Accumulate
A currency programmed not to last. Do Not Accumulate imagines a near future in which cash is gone and the Digital Euro is programmable: 21 editions inscribed on Bitcoin, each losing one unit of value every month across a 21-month cycle. The EU flag becomes an eye watching every transaction. The clouds dissipate like the…
4 A visit to Danae Gallery in Paris
During my recent stay in Paris, I finally had the chance to visit Danae in person and to spend some time with the team behind the gallery. It is one thing to send work across the ocean; it is another to stand in the room where it hangs. The occasion was Inner Voice, the group…
VIDEONew Work: Radial Translation
For a while now, I have been feeding clouds into code. Videos and photographs of the sky, broken down and rebuilt in Python from sets of marks I make by hand: painted, stamped, drawn, then digitized. The results have always settled into a grid, one mark to a cell, orderly and rectangular. Radial Translation is…
New Hatching Patterns
Another approach to dividing the skies with geometry. This time, the hatching itself is holding up reasonably well; the patterns read cleanly, and the logic feels closer to right, but the overall composition still needs refinement before it settles. Une autre approche pour découper les ciels à l’aide de la géométrie. Cette fois, le hachurage…
VIDEOTranslating Radial Patterns
After experimenting with radial placements, I started connecting the script to my digital stamping script and existing tile sets, letting the two systems feed one another. The results are early and imperfect. The moving cloud patterns are still hard to read, and much of the structure remains buried beneath the motion. However, even in this…
Newly Hatched Cloudscapes
I have returned to tweaking my composed hatching scripts, the ones that alternate between different hatching styles based on the colour depth of each region. Every shift in tone calls up a different pattern, and watching the sky resolve into those layered marks feels like the logic of how clouds actually behave. Notably, what I…
2 Generative Radial Iterations
I have been looking into taking my stamping patterns somewhere more complex, moving from the grid into the radial, and seeing what happens when the same logic is bent around a centre point. To get there, I started exploring them generatively, a way to test many configurations quickly before committing to any one. The goal,…
4 NFC Summit Lisbon
NFC Summit Lisbon has wrapped up, my third year taking part, and the summit has quietly become one of my favourite annual events. Over the years, it has grown into a real meeting point for artists, and what keeps drawing me back is the environment itself: welcoming, generous, and open to emerging artists and first-time…
Three Sculptures at Inner Voice
These three new sculptures have joined Inner Voice at Danae Gallery in Paris: Cloud of the Past, Cloud of the Present, and Cloud of the Future were created by re-engaging with my triptych Known, Uncertain, Unknown: My Past, Present, and Future. Each sculpture is printed via SLA in hardened, UV-protected clear resin, measuring 240 x…
2 New Cloud of the Present
For Inner Voice at Danae Gallery, Paris, I am re-engaging with my 2024 triptych Known, Uncertain, Unknown: My Past, Present, and Future, originally created for the {R(Evolutionaries);generations} group exhibition at Art Dubai 2024 with Morrow Collective. The triptych is a visual reflection on the past years of crypto art practice, drawing on transtemporal theory, in…
Inner Voice Group Exhibition
I am pleased to share that I will be part of Inner Voice, a group exhibition opening on Wednesday, May 28, at Danae Gallery in Paris, through July 31, 2026. For the show, I will present Known, Uncertain, Unknown: My Past, Present, and Future, a triptych drawing on transtemporal theory, in which past, present, and future do not exclude…
4 Recap Bitcoin 2026 Las Vegas
Bitcoin 2026 Las Vegas has wrapped up, and it was once again a conference worth the trip. I was pleased to showcase Do Not Accumulate, a new Ordinal project exploring the design, implications, and quiet coercions of Central Bank Digital Currencies. The work generated exactly the kind of dialogue I had hoped for, specific, informed,…
6 Visualizing a Century of Inflation
Thrilled to have presented PAC: A Century of Charted Devaluation at the Bitcoin Las Vegas 2026 conference. P(lotting) A(against) C(entralization) is a generative visualization of 100 years of monetary erosion. Loosely abstracting the design of the 1 Dollar bill, the work features 100 rectangles, one per year. Angled lines within each rectangle represent that year’s…
6th Annual Bitcoin Conference
6 years in a row! I am thrilled to be heading back to the Annual Bitcoin Conference in Las Vegas! Come find me at the BMAG Bitcoin Museum and Art Gallery and say hi. See you there! 6 ans de suite ! C’est avec grand plaisir que je retourne à la conférence annuelle Bitcoin à…
3 Iterating Linear Skies
I am teaching a new script to read the sky. New experiments in translating clouds into geometry are mostly based on contrast, colour-mapping, and hatching. Still rough, still learning. More to come. J’apprends un nouveau script pour lire le ciel. De nouvelles expériences pour traduire les nuages en géométrie, principalement fondées sur le contraste, la…
Tracing Cloud Contours
I’ve been diving into a new script that traces the horizon to identify and isolate clouds, using that data to explore the negative space around them with generative patterns. It’s a fun mix of atmospheric logic and digital abstraction. Here’s a first look at some of the early outputs from the collage. It’s still a…
Cloud Fragments Recomposed
Here is a small preview from a generative script that recomposes my cloud images. The process breaks the photograph into pieces and reassembles them through algorithmic steps, much like how an encryption algorithm transforms data into a different form. Voici un aperçu d’un script génératif qui recompose mes images de nuages. Le processus découpe la…
VIDEOVideo Exhibition at Dig Shibuya
Footage from Dig Shibuya in Japan, where my generative animation PAC AN3Y Shape Variant was presented as part of the Neort.io open call. Séquences filmées au Dig Shibuya au Japon, où mon animation générative PAC AN3Y Shape Variant a été présentée dans le cadre de l’appel ouvert de Neort.io.
Screens Contextualized at DIG Shibuya
Excited to share that one of my artworks was selected for DIG SHIBUYA 2026 / MIYASHITA PARK as part of NEORT’s SCREENS CONTEXTUALIZED showcase. The sky-themed open call rethinks city signage as a stage for culture, and I’m excited to be included. I believe this is the first time my work will be shown in…
5 Tropical Storm Clouds
With the heat easing below 30°C again this week, I’ve been looking back at last summer’s trips and those tropical storm clouds. Cloud formations like these definitely make you forget what they bring with them. Avec la chaleur qui redescend sous 30 °C cette semaine, je me suis replongé dans les voyages de l’été dernier…
Vector Tiling Experiments
I’m currently upgrading my tiling tools to work better with vector forms for future pen plotter projects. It’s fascinating how vectors make it possible to harmonize scale and spacing, and how a few small parameters can shift placements just enough to change the whole composition. I already like where this is going. Je suis en…
Cloud Pattern Collage
I wrapped up a new collage today, built from multiple generative studies layered, re-cut, and re-aligned until the seams began to disappear. I’ve been testing how patterns can function like material, while negative space becomes structure: it separates, but it also connects, letting the eye complete what isn’t there. Aujourd’hui, j’ai terminé un nouveau collage,…
Sketching Clouds with Fountain Pens
After a few hours spent experimenting with an LED matrix, I reached for my fountain pen. Sketching clouds is a small mental reset. Ink and paper offer a slow, fluid space where thoughts can drift before returning to light, pixels, and Python. Après quelques heures passées à expérimenter avec une matrice LED, j’ai repris mon…
Geometric 3D Cloud Collage
I just finished another collage built from by-products of the past few years. It feels like 2026 will shift my focus further toward generative work involving electronics and 3D. Some of these projects are already taking shape. Je viens de terminer un autre collage, construit à partir de sous-produits des dernières années. J’ai l’impression que…
Geometric Cloud Collage
I keep revisiting collage to explore new unions between different experiments and styles. This piece brings together generative data visualization techniques for pen plotting and tiled compositions, based on my Python-processed cloud imagery. Je reviens sans cesse au collage pour explorer de nouvelles combinaisons entre différentes expérimentations et différents styles. Cette pièce réunit des techniques…
Cloudy Textile Textures
I’m currently working on new projects for the pen plotter and keep returning to patterns that evoke the feeling of fabrics. At this point, I feel I’ll eventually have to turn some of them into an actual carpet or a set of towels. Je travaille actuellement sur de nouveaux projets pour le traceur à stylo…
VIDEOAlgorithmic Refraction
Building on the photo collage I made a few weeks ago, I experimented with recreating the concept generatively for video. Here are two early tests. The approach strongly depends on the contrast of the footage. I’ll keep working on it and see where it goes.
Cloud Archiving and Mixing
Every project leaves behind a trail of files: experiments, tests, and by-products. I try to archive them carefully, but I also enjoy mixing them back together when the moment feels right. This collage combines pixelated algorithmic backgrounds, 3D-sculpted forms, and plotter paths into a single composition. Revisiting and repurposing these materials has become part of…
Kicking Off Flight Season 2026
I hope you’ve had a good start to the year. There’s a noticeable wind of change in the air, and it’s been a refreshing source of energy. It feels like the right moment to begin the 2026 flight season. What are you most looking forward to in 2026? J’espère que ton année a bien commencé.…
On Square Pegs and Round Holes
The holiday season and the end of the year are always good moments to pause and reflect, allowing patterns to surface across longer timelines. Over the past months, I’ve been thinking and writing extensively about contextualizing crypto art, with a particular focus on the role of art-world misfits in its early years, those who operated…
Throwback to my Cumulonimbus Murus installation
Cumulonimbus Murus, commonly known as a wall cloud, is a meteorological phenomenon that indicates a strong updraft and powerful thunderstorm from which tornadoes can form. The wall cloud represents the fast-growing crypto art movement and is the title of my 45 sq. m (485 sq. ft) in situ installation, which I created for the DYOR…
Happy New Year 2026
Wishing you a fantastic, healthy new year: Full of life, laughter, and spectacular cloud formations. 2026 has a lot of big news coming up, and I can’t wait to share it with you first. If you’re not yet subscribed to my newsletter, that’s where it will appear before anywhere else. I only send 3–4 emails…
Clouds over the Bahamas
As the year winds down, I return to the clouds and itineraries that stayed with me. I’ve never visited the Bahamas, yet I’ve crossed their airspace several times and photographed cloud structures like this one. This work is an experiment in expanding those formations in a generative way. À l’approche de la fin de l’année,…
Morning Cloud(s)
Nine years into working with clouds, and the pattern recognition is getting out of hand. Even my bread has joined the project. Neuf ans à travailler avec des nuages et la reconnaissance des formes commencent à déraper. Même mon pain s’est mis au projet.
2 Technological Support Grant
I’m grateful to be among the artists and collectives selected for the Technological Support Grant by Eastern Bloc and Scènes Interactives Technologiques (SIT). The grant supports experimentation with creative technology and teleperformance, providing access to Isadora 4 and IzzyCast, digital tools for exploring remote stage control, live broadcasting, and the transmission of video, audio, and…
VIDEOTransaction Block Iterations
A small behind-the-scenes glimpse into one element of my upcoming animated work. This sequence visualizes a Bitcoin transaction block coming together. I’ve long imagined these blocks as two clouds (one of senders, one of receivers) merging through their connections. The video highlights a few iterations that led to the final aesthetic and concept featured in…
3 Touching Grass
Touching grass in the Black Forest. I timed it perfectly because I left Montreal on the first snow day of the year. No better place to think than the woods where I grew up. Toucher terre dans la Forêt-Noire. Timing parfait : j’ai quitté Montréal le jour de la première neige de l’année. Il n’y…
Speaking at UCAM’s Art History Faculty
I am looking forward to my next academic speaking engagement at UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). I’ll be speaking in Prof. Caroline Nepton Hotte’s Arts médiatiques et numériques (HAR4590) course about Crypto Art as a Paradigm Shift: From Bitcoin’s Architecture to a New Ecology of Art. Among others, we will discuss how technology, economy, and…
3 A Desert Note
I wrote a stack of postcards in the Marfa desert and mailed them at the Marfa, TX Post Office so they’d carry that place with them. Location and time are core to my practice as the work lives in where and when it’s made. The Marfa postmark turned each card into a small artifact: a…
New Noctilucent Memento
Introducing Noctilucent Memento Marfa 2025, a new piece marking the second anniversary of the Noctilucent Mementi series. First shown in Marfa, Texas, this edition was gifted to collectors of the series, a gesture of gratitude and continuity. The final layer was completed by the Cloudpainter plotter during our SOVRN.art popup with Pindar Van Arman, adding…
Two Years of Noctilucent Mementi
Celebrating two years of Noctilucent Mementi, a generative series that continues to drift through memories, places, and shared experiences. Grateful to all collectors, especially those who have held their pieces since mint. This week, I joined the first SOVRN.art activation with free prints for holders as a small token of appreciation, and certainly not the…
From Marfa with Love
To mark the 2nd Noctilucent Mementi anniversary, I created Noctilucent Marfa postcards and stickers that I’ll be sharing in Marfa. If you can’t attend, don’t worry, I’ve reserved a few to send out by mail. Claim one here and let me know if you hold a Noctilucent Memento, I might slip in a little extra…
Back from Collecting Clouds
After a short hiatus, I’m returning with fresh energy. I’ve had time to recharge and to collect many cloud photos and videos that I’ll share soon. With Marfa, TX on the horizon next weekend, expect a series of updates in the coming days, including some special surprises for Noctilucent Mementi holders. Après une courte pause,…
First Cryptocurrency Acquisition
Another piece from my new Plotting Against Centralization (PAC) series is FA8Y, a visualization of first-time cryptocurrency acquisitions as of 2025 by year as a percentage (cloud density per triangle) from 2017 to 2024. This work debuted at the Art Ono fair in Seoul, South Korea. Discover more about the PAC FA8Y Blue Variant and…
New Digital Cloud Collage CW37
The photo for this sunset cloud collage was captured on the ferry between Quebec City’s Old Port and Lévis. There’s something timeless about sunlight breaking through clouds in radiant streaks. La photo de ce collage nuageux au coucher du soleil a été prise sur le traversier reliant le Vieux-Port de Québec à Lévis. Il y…
New Piece of the AI Series Two
Five years back, I approached this dataset with GANs and style transfers. Returning now with diffusion models, I find myself tracing not only the progress of technology but also the changes in my own way of seeing. This piece is the latest chapter in that unfolding exploration. Il y a cinq ans, j’ai abordé cet…
Cloud Surveillance
Recently, I’ve been reflecting on cloud surveillance, especially the role of data clouds. My practice often explores the ambiguity between clouds, data, and blockchain, and I find myself drawn to how relentless the collection and monetization of information has become, ranging from copying crypto wallets’ “investment” strategies to triangulating data points that expose real-world identities…
From My Sketchbook
Another sketch in white acrylic ink layered over leftover ink. I’ve filled pages with stamp marks that form surprising sky gradients, collected while stamping. It feels worth exploring this approach intentionally as backgrounds. Un autre croquis en encre acrylique blanche, superposé sur des restes d’encre. J’ai rempli des pages de marques de tampons qui créent…
VIDEOMaking Of Video PAC AW8Y Grey
Making-of video of the PAC AW8Y Grey Variant, a visualization of active crypto wallets as a percentage of the global population with smartphones (cloud density per rectangle, adjusted) by year from 2019 to 2024. You can watch the video here or on YouTube.
New Digital Cloud Collage CW35
I put together a new photo collage using Python-processed cloudscapes I often use in pen plotting. I like the direction and want to test lighter inks next to layer on top of dark-pen lines with the plotter. Do you also see a face? Update September 9th, 2025:Minted as an edition of 30 on OBJKT. Collect…
VIDEOActive Bitcoin Node Visualization
PAC AN3Y Shape Variant visualizes the evolving structure of the Bitcoin network through layered geometry. First shown at the Art Ono Art fair in Seoul, South Korea, earlier this year. Learn more about PAC AN3Y Shape Variant or collect an edition on OBJKT.
Visualization of Active Crypto Wallets
PAC AN8Y illustrates the rise in active participants in the blockchain ecosystem, as measured by wallet numbers. The cloud density represents the adjusted growth rate over the past eight years. Learn more about PAC AN8Y Grey Variant and the series Plotting Against Centralization.
4 Texas-bound Aerial Clouds
A few weeks ago, I flew to Texas through some truly breathtaking cloudscapes. It also happened to be my 50th flight this year. Flying through storms isn’t for everyone, but I might be one of the few who genuinely enjoy it, because that’s when the clouds are at their most spectacular.
New Piece of the AI Series Two
Five years ago, I used GANs and style transfers to explore this dataset for the first time. Today, I’m returning to it with diffusion models, curious to see how the technology and my own perspective has changed. Here’s the latest outcome from this renewed experiment.
VIDEOMaking-Of Video PAC VV4Y Black
Making-of video of PAC VV4Y Black Variant, a visualization of the remaining versus issued Bitcoin supply following the fourth Halving, contextualized by the USD value recorded at each of the four Halving milestones. You can watch the video here or on Youtube.
Geometric Pattern Collage
I just got back from Texas with dozens of photos and videos. The clouds heading into Dallas rarely disappoint. With all this new footage, I’ve started experimenting with simple geometric patterns and shapes. Collaging clouds has become one of my favourite ways to slow down and play with the material. Update September 8th, 2025:Minted as…
Throwback WOW Gala Lisbon
Throwback to a fun evening during the World of Women (WoW) Gala at the Palácio do Grilo in Lisbon earlier this year. The palace’s decoration was truly special—but I still got stuck on these lamps for obvious reasons. Quentin caught me mid-awe, mesmerized by the palace’s cloud enhancements.
Bitcoin Volume and Value Visualization
Another piece from my new Plotting Against Centralization (PAC) series is VV4Y, is a visualization of the remaining versus issued Bitcoin supply following the fourth Halving, contextualized by the USD value recorded at each of the four Halving milestones. This work debuted at BTC 2025 in Las Vegas, NV. Discover more about the PAC VV4Y…
New Geometric Cloud Collage
I am sharing my newest geometric cloud collage, made from a digitally drawn cloud and photos captured during a walk earlier last week. I created the collage in my hotel room in Toronto during one of those pauses between flights. Two takeoffs last week, four more this week. Update September 5th, 2025:Minted as an edition…
New Series Two AI Study
I continue my exploration of a dataset I first worked with five years ago, using GANs and style transfers. This time, I’m applying diffusion models to see how far the tools and outcomes have come. Here’s another glimpse into this evolving experiment.
VIDEOMaking-Of Video PAC AN6Y Monochrome
Making-of video of the PAC AN6Y Monochrome Variant, a visualization of active and reachable Bitcoin nodes (based on cloud volume, adjusted) by year from 2019 to 2024. You can watch the video here or on YouTube.
Active Bitcoin Node Visualization
One of the first pieces from my new Plotting Against Centralization (PAC) series is AN6Y, a visualization of active Bitcoin nodes shown as growing cloud formations over the past six years. This work debuted at the Art Ono fair in Seoul, Korea, and at BTC 2025 in Las Vegas, NV. Discover more about the PAC AN6Y Monochrome Variant and the broader Plotting Against…
New Cloud Collage
It’s been a deadline-heavy stretch, but I’m slowly returning to my regular rhythm. Sharing a new cloud collage today which I built from sky snapshots I took earlier this week. Always looking up. Update August 26th, 2025:Minted as an edition of 30 on OBJKT. Collect one edition here. Added to the Artwork inventory as Cloud Collage…
Upcoming Keynote at NFC Summit 2025
Next stop: Lisbon. Just days after my installation at BTC 2025, I’ll be speaking at the NFC Summit, presenting Iterating With, Through, and About Clouds as a Metaphor for Blockchain, an immersive keynote exploring my artistic journey, on the Main Stage, Wednesday at 5 PM.
Plotting Against Decentralization at BTC2025
Throwback to live plotting at the Bitcoin Conference 2025 art gallery in Las Vegas, a massive thank-you to Dennis, Tommy, and the entire Bitcoin Magazine team for making it such a memorable event. Here’s to an even bigger BTC 2026!
Live Plotting at Bitcoin 2025
Plotting Against Centralization goes live next week at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas. This year, I’ll be plotting in real time at the Bitcoin Art Gallery, thanks to the support of Bitcoin Magazine and Scarce.city. See you there?
“From Grass Root to Tie Loot” Collected
Happy to announce that my piece From Grassroots to Tie Loot was collected yesterday. From Grass Root to Tie Loot examines the shifting dynamics of the crypto art space, particularly its (d)evolution from a grassroots movement to a venture capital-dominated landscape. What was once a decentralized dream has become a centralized system, where infrastructure acquisitions…
3 New Limited Edition Print
The Bitcoin Art Gallery will showcase a limited edition print series from The Art of Freedom collective, protesting inflation through the vision of over a dozen Bitcoin artists. The special exhibition will be held at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, NV later this month. My generative visualization, PAC: A Century of Charted Devaluation,…
Panel: Collecting Blockchain Art and NFTs
Snapshot from last night’s panel on the particularities of collecting NFTs at Le Livart Gallery in Montreal. Thank you to Espace Art Actuel and the CIÉCO Research and Inquiry Group for the kind invitation and for hosting this thoughtful discussion. A special milestone for me: my first talk entirely in French.
Upcoming Panel Discussion in Montreal
I’m excited to join a round table organized by ESPACE art actuel magazine on the theme of their latest issue, « Blockchain: After Protocols ». We’ll discuss collecting blockchain and NFT artworks, exploring how decentralized technologies are shaping art practices, communities, and collecting. The event is presented in collaboration with the Art et Musée team and the CIÉCO…
Plotting Lines like Fabric
After returning from South America, I’ve returned to pen plotting with heavier markers and new algorithms. I’m chasing textures that feel like woven threads. This direction shows promise, but more testing of pressure and placement lies ahead.
Beyond the Hype Panel
Exciting conversations ahead! On March 13th at 10 AM EST / 4 PM CET, I’ll join an exciting panel for Beyond the Hype: How Web3 & NFTs Are Still Changing the Art World. With: Kika Nicolela (Art Curator for Objkt, Artist), Alexandra Art (Head of Arts at Trilitech), Debbie Soon (Co-founder of HUG), Amir Soleymani…
Throwback RURart Residency
During the pandemic, this residency let me spend time in nature with fellow artists and facilitators, leading to an unexpected epiphany: collaborating with clouds through rain. I was stamping in a field for hours when large cumulonimbus clouds suddenly turned into rain. At first, I was stunned as the rain blurred the geometric features of…
VIDEOGenerative Cloud Collage
I ran another cloud clip video with a different seed through my video collage algorithm. I recorded this sunset on my flight from Toronto back to Montreal earlier this month. I’m considering increasing the tiling complexity further, as it still feels a bit too cohesive for my taste.
VIDEOPen Plotting Lines
Hit by a fresh wave of snow, the plotter is back in motion, running its lines once again. There’s something calming about watching the fountain pen trace these long, deliberate strokes. You might even get to see it in action; I may be travelling with it later this year. More on that soon!
Series Two AI Studies
Five years ago, I used style transfers and GANs to create my first AI series based on my artwork. Now, I’m revisiting the same dataset with diffusion models to see how the results evolve. Here’s an early glimpse of this new experiment.
VIDEOSunset Flight from Toronto
Sunset flights always amaze me; the ever-changing colours and hues in just an hour are incredible. Flight 17 of 2025 didn’t disappoint; it’s been the best cloud harvest of the year so far.
3 Transaction Block Study
Last week, I wrapped up a new study for my hand-cut, woven Transaction Block concept as part of my larger journey to make blockchain technology more accessible through art.
VIDEOCloud Collage Video
After refining my generative collage script, I wanted to explore its potential in video format. This is a studio time-lapse I recorded last week. I’m excited to see how this script performs and to experiment with which videos work best in collages.
VIDEOKMAC Museum Visit
Last night, I had an hour to visit KMAC Contemporary Art Museum in Louisville, KY. I was drawn to the beautiful works of Gee Horton and Tiffany Calvert. They are definitely worth a visit if you’re in town!
Weaving Into Things
As I continue experimenting with my pen plotter, I’m revisiting past techniques: this time, weaving. Layering old and new methods has been a passion of mine for years, and I believe it may lead to some exciting happy accidents in the future.
VIDEOPen Plotting with Fountain Pens
This is a short behind-the-scenes video of my latest pen-plotted study, created with fountain pens. It’s a setup I’ll definitely explore more in the near future.
Return of Old Patterns
Generative patterns keep pulling me in, but I can’t resist cutting and weaving in my exclamatory information patterns, something I’ve explored for over 25 years. I’m excited to see how they can merge with plotted artworks and evolve into a new series of iterations.
3 Generative Collaging Continued
Earlier this week, a stunning sunset stopped me in my tracks in the studio, a perfect source image to further refine my generative collage script. This time, I focused on achieving a more balanced distribution of the source image within the collage. It’s moving in the right direction!
New Pen Plotter Study
I recently completed another study. After some initial experiments, I’m thrilled to finally incorporate one of my favourites: fountain pens. This study also explores layering different vector designs and inks. It’s going to be exciting to see how the next iterations evolve!
3 New Blockchain Art Paper
Understanding the History of Blockchain Art as Incremental Innovation: For its 139th edition, the Canadian art journal Espace Art Actuel focused on blockchain for the winter issue. I was delighted to contribute an abbreviated crypto art history, proposing a staircase model approach to better understand its evolution rather than focusing solely on isolated events or artworks.…
VIDEONew Making-Of Video
Here is a small making-of video of my first pen plotter project. While it’s designed to run unsupervised for hours, the process is so mesmerizing that I couldn’t help but keep watching and recording. For this initial project, I used Uni-ball pens and mixed media paper.
First Cloud Pen Plotter Study
After some trial and error and getting familiar with the machine, I’m excited to share my first completed cloud plot! There’s still a long journey ahead, fine-tuning pens, papers, and settings to find the perfect compatibility, but the process is already so rewarding. Next, I’ll post a short video of the pen plotter in action;…
Nephology Studies
Last year, I explored some of my cloud photography and created a small series of Nephology pieces. For those not entirely lost in the clouds, nephology is the study or contemplation of clouds. Many of these studies were offered for free on ZeroOne, where users could mint them as NFTs at no cost. This particular…
VIDEOA Prosperous New Year 2025
Happy New Year! Wishing you all a healthy, prosperous, and inspiring year! To celebrate, my latest generative timelapse draws on iconic blue bills of world currencies. A visual reflection of growth and possibility as we step into the new year.
2024 Year-End Thoughts
As the year comes to a close, I’m wrapping up 2024 with a spectacular 103rd flight of the year today. The hundreds of photos and videos captured during these journeys will serve as “raw material” for a new series launching next year. Stay tuned!
Sketching New Tiles
As the year draws to a close, I’ve been creating new tile sets and reflecting on the past twelve months. It’s been a year full of events and growth. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post and newsletter!
Algorithmic Collaging
After a few hectic weeks and the recently concluded Miami Digital Art Fair, the pace has finally started to slow down as the year comes to a close. This pause offers the perfect opportunity to dive back into my algorithmic collaging and continue exploring.
Digital Art Fair Miami Announcement
I’m thrilled to announce that my Cloud Wallet series will be exhibited in partnership with @LaCollection.io and @objktcom at the Digital Art Fair (@miamidigitalartfair) in Miami Beach, FL, on December 3rd, from 12 pm to 12 am. Curated by Marlene Corbun, the exhibition will feature all three pieces from the Cloud Wallet series, along with my latest artwork, From…
Cloud Animation Preview
Here’s a small detail from a piece I’m currently finishing for the Digital Art Fair in Miami, happening in two weeks. This work will also be featured alongside a paper I wrote for a Canadian art journal. I’ll share more details soon, stay tuned!
VIDEONight Clouds over Toronto
Last week, I flew from Toronto (YYZ) back to Montreal (YUL). I usually avoid flying at night since the low light and window reflections make it challenging to capture good photos and videos of clouds. However, every now and then, city lights create stunning views of low-hanging clouds, just like these.
Generative Collaging Continued
How experimental is your creative coding process? I often find that manually going through certain steps helps me better understand the effects I want to achieve through code. This might involve experimenting with mockups, identifying which digital manipulations get closer to the desired results, and then iterating from there.
Collectors Call Podcast
A few weeks ago, I had the chance to chat with Scooter on the Collector’s Call podcast about the past and future of crypto art, as well as some of my recent and upcoming projects. You can find the YouTube video and Spotify link in the blog post! Collectors Call podcast with Martin Lukas Ostachowski
Generative Collaging
Returning to collage-making, but with a new approach: I’m currently exploring the use of code to create seed-based collages from images. My goal is to fragment and reposition parts of an image in a way that allows me to reconstruct the collage later and potentially apply the process to videos. Early tests have been quite…
VIDEOJoshua Tree National Park
This week, I had the opportunity to spend time in the Coachella Valley and visit Joshua Tree National Park—a place I’ve always wanted to explore. The park is fascinating, transitioning from the Colorado Desert to the Mojave Desert, each with its own unique flora and fauna. I hiked to Mastodon Peak and visited the Cholla…
VIDEOGenerative Word Clouds
Having primarily worked with physical tiles based on painted elements, drawings, and stamp marks, this animation takes a different approach by translating word densities into shades to form cloudscapes. For this study, I used the word ‘Cloud,’ but I already have a few ideas for how I can expand on this script in future iterations.
Parameterizing Font Clouds
One often-overlooked aspect of generative art is parameterizing the algorithm to gain control over the final output. While I’m unsure how others approach this, I spend considerable time fine-tuning parameters to “weatherproof” the algorithm within a specific range of desired outcomes. In this example, I experimented with a script font, adjusting opacity levels, font sizes,…
Studio View Cloud Collage
Since moving to the new studio, I’ve taken photos and videos daily. After experimenting with sketches last week, I’ve found myself enjoying digital collaging again. Here’s a collage of some recent views from the studio.
Connecting Cloud Collage
Variety is the spice of life! To clear my head, I’ve been experimenting with recent generative outputs, connecting clouds and revisiting collage work; it’s been a while! You can peek into my attempts to distract myself and return to long-term projects with a refreshed mind in my visual studio notes. How do you break up…
VIDEOConnecting Clouds
Wait for it… Watching these clouds connect is endlessly captivating. After countless trials and errors, I’m back on track and moving in the right direction with each new iteration. Let’s see where we’ll be a few weeks from now!
VIDEOTexan Aerial Sunset
Earlier this month, on my flight back from Texas, I captured one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen from a window seat. It was a moment I won’t soon forget. I hope you enjoy this view as much as I did.
VIDEOCloud Carpets
Thick, carpet-like cloud layers have fascinated me for some time. I’ve been capturing videos of various cloud formations to study their texture and depth for a potential project. Recently, I began adding continuous sketches alongside the cloud footage. I look forward to taking this concept further by introducing 3D-rendered models down the road.
Panel Discussion at the Ottawa Art Gallery
Throwback to last month’s memorable NFT Passages Opening and Panel Discussion at the Ottawa Art Gallery, presented in collaboration with BRAVO (Bureau des regroupements des artistes visuels de l’Ontario). I was thrilled to join Benoit Couty from the Museum of Cryptoart for an insightful panel moderated by cultural facilitator Cătălin Ivan. Congratulations to all the…
More Digital Sculpting
My ongoing journey to create simple, recognizable low-poly cloud models evolves. This time, I added colour stripes to emphasize their three-dimensional surfaces. Though these shapes could also resemble rocks, their low-poly structure opens the door for future video projections. While more detailed, fluffy clouds might be easier to identify, they limit how I can use…
VIDEONew Generative Cloud Animation
I recently shared how I’ve been tweaking my tile set to add highlights and depth. Now, it’s time to validate the concept in real-world conditions by testing it against some time lapses. I was pleasantly surprised by the retro atmosphere it created. It’s time to push this concept further and iterate on it!
Celebrating Noctilucent Mementi
Today marks the first anniversary of the Noctilucent Mementi series! It’s a special moment to reflect on this meaningful journey. If you’re a holder, don’t miss the blog post below, there’s a surprise waiting for long-term collectors. Noctilucent Mementi spans my first five years (2018–2023) of cloud art, blending milestones, travels, and the interplay of…
New Generative Study
This weekend, I dedicated some time to refining my generative scripts. In this concept, I experimented with basic geometric shapes and how they can merge to form cloud-like structures. From left to right, you can observe the progression: I began with darker colour ranges, added highlights, and finally incorporated mid-tones to enhance the volume and…
3D Modelling Studies
I am currently modelling clouds in various shapes for an upcoming book project. While it’s relatively easy to achieve an appealing cloud form from one angle, ensuring the cloud appears natural from all perspectives, especially from the top and bottom, presents a significant challenge. The cloud model shown above has been rotated by 90 degrees…
VIDEOCloud Timelapse from the Art Studio
I’ve been absolutely captivated by the sky ever since moving into my new studio. Watching the clouds drift by has become a daily ritual, and I love capturing these moments. In this video, you can see something special, the background and foreground clouds moving in opposite directions, creating a mesmerizing effect.
New Stamp Study
This week, I started working again with stamps of different sizes. I am considering a small series using my custom logo/initial stamp, which I made a while ago but never used. As you can see in the bottom-left corner, it will take some tweaking to place the logo stamp correctly, but the permanent ink is…
The Opening of Art of Punk
The tool, the fool, and his artwork. I stamped this phrase 45,360 times on suspended notebooks to create the 6-meter (20 ft.) wide mosaic POW-3: A Brief Crypto Punks History in 45,360 Marks. This piece weaves together four key concepts, which you can explore here: POW-3: A Brief CryptoPunks History in 45,360 Marks. Also included…
New from my Sketchbook
I’ve filled dozens of notebook pages with ink while working on my recent installation POW-3: A Brief CryptoPunks History in 45,360 Marks. Now, I’m excited to see how I can put them to good use.
Transit in Toronto (YYZ)
Today, I’m back from Texas, and Toronto is welcoming me with a rainy fall vibe. Now, I’m heading off to Montreal, hoping to catch some beautiful rain clouds along the way.
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About This Archive
A Public Studio Practice
In 2024, Martin Lukas Ostachowski moved his studio documentation from social media to his own website. Studio Notes is the result: a permanent, searchable archive of his creative process, owned and controlled entirely by the artist.
What began as a replacement for Instagram Stories and Twitter Posts has grown into a working journal of an artistic practice, updated several times per month, often per week, organized by year, and structured around 12 topical categories.
Each entry captures a moment in the studio: generative algorithm experiments, pen plotter calibrations, photography from flights and travels, AI-assisted composition tests, 3D rendering studies, stamping techniques on cotton paper, and the events, press coverage, and exhibitions that punctuate the working year.
These notes complement the finished pieces in the Catalogue and the exhibition coverage in News, offering an intimate view into the research and experimentation that connects Ostachowski’s art practice with his academic work as a PhD researcher in crypto art history at the University of Zurich.