Studio Notes
Category
Year
116 entries across 3 years
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VIDEO
New 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…
VIDEO
Translating 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…
VIDEO
Video 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…
VIDEO
Algorithmic 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…
VIDEO
Transaction 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
A Desert Note
New Noctilucent Memento
Two Years of Noctilucent Mementi
From Marfa with Love
Back from Collecting Clouds
First Cryptocurrency Acquisition
New Digital Cloud Collage CW37
New Piece of the AI Series Two
Cloud Surveillance
From My Sketchbook
Making Of Video PAC AW8Y Grey
New Digital Cloud Collage CW35
Active Bitcoin Node Visualization
Visualization of Active Crypto Wallets
Texas-bound Aerial Clouds
New Piece of the AI Series Two
Making-Of Video PAC VV4Y Black
Geometric Pattern Collage
Throwback WOW Gala Lisbon
Bitcoin Volume and Value Visualization
New Geometric Cloud Collage
New Series Two AI Study
Making-Of Video PAC AN6Y Monochrome
Active Bitcoin Node Visualization
New Cloud Collage
Upcoming Keynote at NFC Summit 2025
Plotting Against Decentralization at BTC2025
Live Plotting at Bitcoin 2025
“From Grass Root to Tie Loot” Collected
New Limited Edition Print
Panel: Collecting Blockchain Art and NFTs
Upcoming Panel Discussion in Montreal
Plotting Lines like Fabric
Beyond the Hype Panel
Throwback RURart Residency
Generative Cloud Collage
Pen Plotting Lines
Series Two AI Studies
Sunset Flight from Toronto
Transaction Block Study
Cloud Collage Video
KMAC Museum Visit
Weaving Into Things
Pen Plotting with Fountain Pens
Return of Old Patterns
Generative Collaging Continued
New Pen Plotter Study
New Blockchain Art Paper
New Making-Of Video
First Cloud Pen Plotter Study
Nephology Studies
A Prosperous New Year 2025
2024 Year End Thoughts
Sketching New Tiles
Algorithmic Collaging
Digital Art Fair Miami Announcement
Cloud Animation Preview
Night Clouds over Toronto
Generative Collaging Continued
Collectors Call Podcast
Generative Collaging
Joshua Tree National Park
Generative Word Clouds
Parameterizing Font Clouds
Studio View Cloud Collage
Connecting Cloud Collage
Connecting Clouds
Texan Aerial Sunset
Cloud Carpets
Panel Discussion at the Ottawa Art Gallery
More Digital Sculpting
New Generative Cloud Animation
Celebrating Noctilucent Mementi
New Generative Study
3D Modelling Studies
Cloud Timelapse from the Art Studio
New Stamp Study
The Opening of Art of Punk
New from my Sketchbook
Transit in Toronto (YYZ)
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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.