Charlie Hewitt creates his Maine-inspired NFT collection. Photo courtesy of Mainermedia.

Maine artist Charlie Hewitt has launched his first digital collection of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Each NFT in this collection depicts a story told by a lifelong artist, filled with uniqueness, creativity, fun and speed. One-of-one bold, colorful, and humorous works were created with Sharpie markers, cut out, collaged, and digitized. The first phase of the collection has 50 NFTs inspired by Hewitt’s life experiences with art, his travels across the world, and the many great artists before his time. The NFTs can be purchased on the artist’s own digital platform designed for NFT e-commerce.  

Coming off the success of his Hopeful Project — illuminated marquee signs made out of aluminum that can be seen from Maine to New Jersey — Hewitt came to realize the power of a digital image. In April of this year, he started drawing, doodling, and working with paper — a clear departure from his paintings and large, lit signs. Hewitt learned of the blockchain and began to recognize the value, culture and community in the decentralized art world. His decision to create NFTs is borne of the belief that this technology will preserve his work for future generations.

“NFTs are shaking up the art world,” said Hewitt. “With NFTs, there’s no institutional gatekeepers. These works are completely accessible just like a photo on your iPhone. Now anyone can show multiple images on a screen and change the art in a digital frame whenever they feel like it. For me, creating NFTs has re-energized my creative process and I’ve had to think differently about making a bold, strong image.”

A collection of Charlie Hewitt’s NFTs will be on view Jan. 15 to 22 at Moss Galleries in Portland.

For more information, or to purchase NFTs, visit www.charliehewittnft.com.