Fort Worth’s Sunflower Man uses every possible means to present his art to the public.

Artist, real name Matthew Miller, is a 33-year-old fashion illustrator who recently transplanted to Cowtown. He moved to Fort Worth a little over four years before him.

But like many artists today, he uses everything at his disposal, from social media to public art, to NFTs, to apparel, to make another stream of entertainment just a click away, a very has made a name for itself in a highly competitive media environment.

Miller’s new public art piece, Fashion World, is a multimedia exhibit on the facade of the former H&M storefront at 3rd and Commerce streets. ‘Fashion World’ combines the artist’s interest in fashion and technology with Fort His Worth’s unique style. It also combines old and new, physical and digital art.

On the second floor of the building’s facade, Miller used vinyl LED lights to make winged longhorns dance across the windows. Fake neon lights flashed to create the illusion of movement.

On the ground, the background in the store window display glows like a perpetually setting sun. The watercolors hang side by side, each depicting two floating figures reaching out to each other. “Fashion World” brand denim His jacket hangs on display and is hand-painted by the artist.

A screen next to a physical painting Audiences can be linked to the artist’s digital storefront, where they can purchase non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of the art in the exhibition.

An NFT is essentially proof that someone owns a digital, unique image or video. NFTs buy, sell, and use the same blockchain (a digital public list of all transactions made) as cryptocurrencies. A more complete description of the NFT phenomenon can be found here.

Like any asset, NFTs hold value and can go up or down depending on the market.Why would you do a project like this? nowwhen the NFT and cryptocurrency markets plummeted?

“That’s a terrible answer. [but] why not now said Miller.

“We had a big crash, but I think you would imagine that technology has already had a huge impact on society . . . crypto and NFTs . So it seems poorly planned not to try to understand it, it’s still early days for society to understand what blockchain technology can do for us.”

Like cryptocurrencies, NFTs have been criticized for the amount of energy they require. Ethereum, the most popular cryptocurrency/blockchain for NFTs, is notorious for requiring huge amounts of power to complete a single transaction.

Miller wanted to address that concern with his NFT product line.

“The fear of excessive energy use pervades everything in society and I am very concerned that it will be exacerbated by blockchain technology. That is why I am staying away from Ethereum.”

“Fashion World” NFTs run on the Tezos blockchain and “by some estimates use 99.9% less energy to actually run the program,” said Miller.

Many see artists using NFTs as an easy way to earn cash and their work as another way for the ultra-rich to store value.

“Just like today’s established physical art world, where artists set up galleries where they buy their work at exorbitant prices to increase its value,” Miller thought.

“It’s similar to the real world system we already have. Now it’s on the internet, just ending with new money instead of old money.”

As much as I despise the conventions of the contemporary art world, I still love art. Art has value beyond the exorbitant value that people seek to use to manipulate their wealth and taxes. ”

Miller’s true love for art shows is reflected in all his projects. He used his art to promote mask wearing during the height of the pandemic. His mask His positive artwork was posted all over his Square at Sundance.

He is commissioned by watch enthusiasts around the world to create photorealistic paintings of watches. He has a strong presence on Instagram, where you can get a behind-the-scenes look at his artistic process.

Miller is also launching a line of Sunflowerman coffee beans, a passion project for men with a deep appreciation for fine coffee. (His intricately designed collection His espresso cup, which has traveled the world, lives in his studio in downtown Fort Worth. )

Keeping up with the latest technology helps artists pierce the public consciousness. That’s always been true, but today it can be a big challenge.

“Continuing to understand developing technology and cultural trends offers the potential for any artist to have a long career, but the opportunities for art are enormous,” said the artist following the interview, adding, “The only There is no way to do it,” he added. success. ”

Ultimately, Miller is unafraid of the challenges facing today’s artists. He knows the most important thing – art itself.

“I want to be beautiful first. The concept is for me.”