EO-S Wakes by GRIFF
EO-S Wakes
Bio
Matt Griffin, aka Griff, is a multimedia artist from Ireland. Since 2008, he has garnered an international reputation as a commercial illustrator in the publishing & film industries. He is probably best known for his work on the Deluxe Editions of Frank Herbert's Dune series. He is also an author, with his debut novel (A Cage of Roots, the first in The Ayla Trilogy) named Children's Book of the Year in 2017 by the Literacy Association of Ireland. In 2020, Matt was introduced to the world of web3, establishing himself under his childhood nickname - Griff. His focus has been on world-building & finding new ways to tell stories, laying the groundwork for an epic, genre & media-fusing story universe called THE ENDLING SAGA. Clients: Disney, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros, Universal, Penguin, Folio Society & more...
About the Work
I describe myself as a multimedia artist as while I'm better known as an illustrator, I love to work with a variety of techniques including 3D/2D animation, music, sound design, writing etc (hence why web3 is a perfect fit). In terms of illustration, the drawing part is, these days, nearly all digital (Procreate/Photoshop), with the analogue part coming in the form of textures made with ink, water, charcoal, paper, and photography. For other things I use Blender, After Effects, Logic Pro (+ guitar, bass, keyboard) & whatever else I can get my hands on (although I'm pretty terrible at all of them - I can just about get what I want from playing around). In terms of technique, playing around is essential. I learned a long time ago that my best work comes when I abandon all sense of control & just have fun. Something I forget all too often...
About This Piece
CryptoCubes is such an innovative & interesting project - a great example of what is possible with the new tools and market that blockchain-driven digital ownership gives us. So I knew I wanted to make a piece around the theme of a new era for creatives and technology in a wider sense. The description says it all really: 'Eos is the Greek Goddess of the dawn. This is a piece about the beginning of a new age of art and technology, an awakening of colour, light and tech. However - all things are cyclical. Night follows day and EO-S returns to sleep. But new dawns erupt in light, for eternity.' In coming back to the piece for this interview, I can't help but think the message hasn't changed and is almost more apt now, as we go through the 'sleeping' part of the cycle. But as sure as night follows day... dawn will come again.
Future
For someone like me, who wants to create in any media, genre and style that I like, it is the perfect environment. As a storyteller who wanted to try and do something beyond just writing more books, the tech has allowed me to realise my dream project - gamified, world-building-first, non-linear narrative. The ability to fuse visuals, writing and ownership allowed me to experiment with how a story is delivered (for better or worse!). So I was given the opportunity to turn a pipe-dream into a real thing, resulting in The Endling Saga. It also meant, for a time at least, I was able to devote more time and energy to this pursuit. I always wanted to (had to) make a living from my art. Before web3, that involved applying my skills as an illustrator to commercial projects. While I ticked a lot of items off the bucket list in that field, it was never quite as fulfilling as pursuing my own ideas. They remained a spare-time obsession, maybe a means to an end in terms of winning more clients (good personal work being more effective in getting attention). I wasn't sure they'd ever become the main source of income. Web3 changed that. For a time! As for the future, like in EO-S Wakes, I still believe a pulse will return and the digital art market will wake up from its slumber. I don't think it will, or should, return to the unsustainable frenzy of 21-22. But this new digital economy is too perfect for art & creativity not to thrive again.
