Multidisciplinary artist Jeremy Booth has navigated through the “Wild West” of NFTs
en route to capturing the nostalgic-laden landscape of the American West on large-scale canvases.
Written by Bridget Cottrell / Photos of “Sweat and Blood” opening at Square One Gallery by Suzy Gorman, courtesy of Jeremy Booth
"I am as much an entrepreneur as I am an artist; if something doesn't work out, I move on," said Kentucky-based Jeremy Booth, describing the circuitous route he took from a self-taught graphic designer to a fine artist featured at major art fairs and sold by the likes of Christie's. More than a childhood fascination come to life, it's no coincidence that the strength and resilience of the American cowboys prominent in his paintings are reflective of his character.
Early in his career as a self-taught graphic designer struggling to find his voice, Booth was faced with the graphic nature of mortality: the discovery of a mass on his brain that had triggered a series of grand mal seizures. While the financial toll was brutal, he utilized the six-month recovery period following surgery to create a new portfolio and sign with a French agent. Throughout a decade of graphic design work, Booth became known for his "Vector Noir" approach, where simple shapes and striking color palettes appear as simultaneously retro and modern. This distinctive style led to commissions from Apple, Wrangler, Roku, and Warby Parker, among others.
At the same time, Booth garnered quite a following on social media, and when he accepted a position as a product illustrator for Coinbase, a pioneer in cryptocurrency exchange, he dove headfirst into the NFT / digital art world. The whole blockchain concept can be confusing to those of us on the outside, and I readily admit that all the art-tech terminology I read in an article about Booth's digital work on NFTnow.com in advance of our meeting left my head spinning. My takeaway after asking Booth to "dumb it down" for me is that for an artist, in theory, digital art provides an open ledger of ownership that should provide a royalty payment each time the artwork changes digital hands in the future.
