Back in June this year, I was able to join an art exhibit in Paris, France and even though I wasn't able to attend personally, it was a really great experience especially it was my first international exhibition. The exhibit lasted 4 days (from June 25-28) at the Atelier Richelieu and after it was done, I was told if it was okay for me to let the paintings stay there for a while until they come back from London in September - since they had to travel to London right away for another exhibit and because there was a required quarantine they can't spend any more time in Paris.

I was also told there were interested buyers for my paintings and the feedbacks were good, so they let it stay there til they can make their decision. This was fine for me since I don't really plan on shipping these paintings back to me in the Philippines.

My paintings as a gift

It would be lovely to see my paintings on my studio wall back home but I would be happier to see them on my early NFT collectors' wall/home (I mean not literally, as long as it's in their hands lol).

After my 2 years hiatus in making art, I have found my fuel thanks to NFTs. Combining passion + making a living + learning the tech + being able to make careful financial decisions is really a great thing for an artist in this generation.

Because of it, I was also able to explore digital art as a medium and I loved every second of it. Of course, this wouldn't be possible without the support of my earliest collectors who have encouraged me to do better everyday: elCastor and Matthew.

Both have been really helpful in all ways (not just to me but to other artists as well) and made the cryptoart community so much fun. They were on top of my list to be gifted and thankfully, they agreed and accepted the gift!

Off to the West

The 'Portrait Of The Unknown' was sent to Matthew and the 'Blame Game' was sent to elCastor. Both of them are closer to France than I am, so it's like it's meant to be sent there. Haha! After a few days of shipment, they were able to receive it (yes it was hella fast) safely. I couldn't be more happier than seeing them happy of the package!

U chillin there???

_{Photo by castorfeliz on Twitter}

It was a lovely surprise by elCastor who sent me photos of my painting in the Swiss Alps!!! The breathtaking view of the scenery... just stunning. As the artist, it really warms my heart to see my creations travel to the other side of the world and of course, be appreciated for what it is. <3

https://twitter.com/castorfeliz/status/1470796597332262914

I'm so glad to be able to make them happy in this small gesture. It's nothing compared to what I have experienced and learned because of them. :D

_{Me during the painting process of Blame Game. Davao, Philippines.}

If you would've told me last year (before NFTs) that I would be able to do this by 2021, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I believe in myself but nobody really expected it to happen this fast. Haha! I'm proud of what I have achieved and was able to do in that short amount of time.

_{Photo by castorfeliz on Twitter}

This is what my painting get to see EVERYDAY?????????? Jealous.

They also got NFT versions

I also gifted them the NFTs which are the animated versions. They add to the art and thankfully I can now connect my physical paintings to the digital world. Isn't it amazing???

You can find them on my KnownOrigin profile :

https://knownorigin.io/gallery/3930000-portrait-of-the-unknown
https://knownorigin.io/gallery/3929000-blame-game

For elCastor and Matthew, I couldn't thank you enough. I will always treasure this experience with you and will strive to improve all day everyday!