My Work

My work is scarce, rare and exclusive. The fifty years I spent in development was missing a critical element until I had an epiphany in 2020. That revelation made it possible for me to produce large pieces – as I initially envisioned. Following that came the proof-of-work, the blockchain and NFT’s which opened up another new dimension. I invite you to read My Story – a fifty-year history of my linear graphics development.

I design contemporary, artistic cryptograms featuring a traditional, text based substitution cipher presented to the viewer through a vertically displayed but horizontally read character set. The challenge for a Trithemian Web™ Cryptogram owner is to decipher the piece, revealing the body text (message), the designated title, and, if included, other revelations.  The message, title, and other inclusions are exclusive to that particular piece. You, as an owner, can share those revelations if you so desire.

Super Rare?

That term is frequently used these days in conjunction with the explosion of NFT’s in the marketplace. Artists and their marketplace affiliations are trying to present pieces as rare or super rare in hopes of increasing their value. Some of the NFT marketplaces are vetting their artists to help insure quality work. SuperRare is one such marketplace. If you click on Explore/Artworks you’ll see almost 60,000 listings. Many styles are similar. What you’re looking for is a totally unique style that sets it apart from every other artist.

What do I envision as super rare? Beeple for instance. His ‘Everyday’s: the First 5000 Days’ sold for $69 million. I don’t believe it was the 5,000 digital images that inspired the sale. It was his dedication to produce an image a day for 5,000 days; a stroke of genius. He is the first and only person to achieve such an endeavor. That makes ‘Everyday’s, I believe, super rare and obviously extremely valuable. On a side note, Mike Winkelmann (Beeple) and I are from the Charleston area, home to the Spoleto USA.

Beeple and I have one thing in common. He produced thousands of pieces which enabled him to design Everyday’s. I produced thousands of test prints over fifty years as a way to refine my trademark element. Unlike Beeple, I did not save very many of those tests. My concentration was on the linear graphics component and how best to make it readable. Saving the tests never occurred to me.  

Another example would be ‘Black Circle’, a 1924 oil on canvas painting by the Kiev-born Russian artist Kazimir Malevich sold on the secondary market for $85 million. Others have painted black circles on canvas, but they are secondary to the originator. There are many other examples of super rare in the art world – innovators who have long passed but whose work survived. Consider Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso. Each was an innovator, a master of his craft.

I don’t believe an artist has to be dead for their work to be considered super rare. Beeple for example. He’s only 41 (as of 2022). He has developed quite a social media following since starting his design career. What if he had not developed that large following but still produced ‘Everyday’s? Would it have sold for $69 million? That we will never know. Would the piece have still been considered super rare? I believe so. He still would have been the first and only person to undertake such a task.

As a cryptographer, I have developed a linear graphic character set along with a methodology to present a text based cryptogram that is solely unique. In addition, I incorporate another procedure that sets my work apart. See this example. These distinctive elements define my style, which is one of a kind.

My work checks all the boxes discussed on Binance.com – Rarity, Utility and Tangibility.

Each Trithemian Web™ Cryptogram conceals a rumination. My goal is to design uniquely identifiable pieces that will help them survive through generations. My thoughts will be perpetuated in a most unusual format.

In Conclusion

My goal, when I was a younger man, was to design pieces that could be purchased by the masses. My graphic design work was more focused on the art side of the gift market. Please read My Story for a detailed sequence of events. In my remaining years I’ve decided to focus on designing and producing a limited number of Trithemian Web™ Cryptograms for the serious, sophisticated, eclectic collectors.

“I regard collectors of my work as patrons; entrusted to preserve my thoughts through my compositions for generations to come.”