DESERT MINIs [view collection]

desert minis is an NFT project by visual artist and writer, alex (amac) maceda. each NFT is a 1/1 original watercolor painting and accompanying poetry/prose piece. there will be fewer than 400 minis released in total; a daily mini priced at 0.05eth and a few surprises.

minis will be released daily for her first year as a full-time resident of joshua tree, a town in the high desert of southern california. you can think of minis as diary entries, of sorts: “the diary of my first year in the desert.”

40 minis will include unlockable content, redeemable only by the first holder. the relative rarity of mini ‘of note:’s will be released throughout the project. the daily drop times of minis will be announced via twitter. at the end of the project, all primary and secondary holders of minis will be sent a collector token which will unlock a physical piece.

the desert is a magical place. there will certainly be more surprises.

About the creation process - a note from amac:

desert minis

one of the things i love about this project is the forced (imposed) patience. i have loved the excitement of the NFT space, but i have also struggled with finding balance and maintaining my mental health amidst the movement. escaping to the expansiveness of the desert has become central to my art practice; plein air painting has influenced my abstract art and the stillness has quieted my overactive mind. i started painting these minis as a calming exercise for myself when i was physically not there; visualizing a calming space when i mind was anything but.

my intention with this project is to release some soothing and something small. to give you a little taste of stillness amidst the chaos. these ‘minis’ are literally mini: a little over 1" x 1” paintings, often done in only one or two strokes. like my abstract work, i love the challenge of communicating a feeling or place simply through color and line. i hope they take you there.

lastly, i am delighted to finally integrate more of my writing practice into my NFTs; the writing makes desert minis is a visual and literal, desert diary.

i love projects that work as standalone pieces but also take new meaning when seen together. maggie nelson’s “bluets” was certainly an inspiration here. that’s all for now, hope to see you in the metaverse and in the desert

xo amac