(Portland, Maine) 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—artist Charlie 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 January 15-22, 2023 at Moss Galleries in Portland, Maine.
 
For more information, or to purchase NFTs, visit www.charliehewittnft.com.

Charlie Hewitt 
Charlie Hewitt, b.1946, is an American painter, printmaker, and public artist. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney Museum, New York Public Library, and Library of Congress. He has also been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and is the only artist to have a permanent public sculpture, "Urban Rattle," on the High Line in New York City. Charlie Hewitt can be found on Instagram at @charliehewittstudio

The Hopeful Project 
Artist Charlie Hewitt began The Hopeful Project, 2019-present, with a single lighted aluminum sculpture commissioned by Speedwell Projects for the roof of their headquarters in Portland, Maine. To date, the Hopeful message has spread with installations across seven states at dozens of different sites, both public and private. Follow along on Instagram at @hopeful_project and with the hashtag #sharehopeful.