NFT ART BY
TOM VIERUS
What are NFTs?
NFTs are ‘Non-fungible Tokens’, a relatively new way of digitally signing and validating artwork. By ‘minting’ an NFT its information will be available on a blockchain validating the owners. NFTs are increasing in popularity and take many different forms from photos to GIFs and sounds (and many more).
NFTs offer a new way of revenue for artists and increasingly gain in popularity with millions of people engaging in collecting and selling NFT art.
If you would like to support my work and help me fund future conservation storytelling projects, you can find my art on the carbon-neutral Savage marketplace or the Etherium-powered Foundation and OpenSea marketplaces..
Visit my NFT art profiles
APEX H20 // 2021 SERIES
APEX 1 // Carcharhinus leucas
APEX2 // Nebrius ferrugineus
APEX 3 // Negaprion brevirostris
APEX H20
My first NFT collection APEX H2O pays tribute to one of my biggest passions: sharks! Over the past years, I have studied, photographed, and filmed sharks throughout the world with a particular focus on Fiji and I am absolutely fascinated by these amazing animals. Each piece comes with a shark adoption package from MY FIJI SHARK, a shark adoption program supporting shark conservation efforts in Fiji.
APEX H2O is a three-piece collection that is meant to steer more attention to these misunderstood animals while celebrating their beauty and raising awareness about their vulnerability. No, sharks are not how you have seen them in Jaws! Head over to my blog for more info on sharks.
Why sharks?
Sharks are incredible animals. Adjectives range from powerful, majestic, intelligent, social, but also vulnerable and threatened. About 100 million sharks are killed per year and despite an evolutionary track record of more than 400 million sharks, systematic overfishing since the dawn of industrialisation has pushed species to the brink of extinction. Sharks need a better public image and a visible lobby and I hope this collection will help to achieve that!
OCEAN STORIES
A Collection by Tom Vierus
Our planet's surface is covered by 71% water and all life on earth is intrinsically tied to the oceans. The oceans regulate the climate by absorbing heat and carbon dioxide, produce more than half of all oxygen on earth and millions of people depend on them for their livelihoods.
Despite all this, most people never witness what lies beneath the water surface. Vibrant and colourful coral reefs sparkling with life, passages full of sharks, or sandy patches inhabited by slugs and crustaceans. From the tropics to the artic, the shallows to the depths - the oceans hold an abundance of life.
This collection is meant to celebrate the fantastic animals and seascapes found underwater. And hopefully, these photographs will inspire ocean appreciation & the wish to get active to help preserve them.
10% of initial sales will be donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji. The rest will fund future conservation storytelling projects. One image at a time.
NFTs and their impact on the environment
The NFTs I minted were created within the Ethereum blockchain, which ran on proof-of-work until it switched to proof-of-stake in September 2022, effectively reducing energy consumption by 99%. This means the enormous power that was necessary to solve complex algorithmic equations and add blocks to the Ethereum blockchain is no longer needed.
Personally, I feel there is will be huge chances in the NFT space unfolding over the coming years. My work focuses on conservation issues, and the greater the crowd, the better it is. The more people are made aware of a problem, the likelier it is that it will be addressed. And the NFT space might help to do that.
And my NFT artwork is meant to do exactly that: create awareness among collectors and other creators about the importance of the protection of our environment on planet earth. Yes, I create a carbon trail by doing that, but I sincerely hope its impact on the individual and the community will outweigh these negative consequences.
Carbon offsetting and donations to conservation groups
I have decided to donate parts of my proceeds to non-governmental organisations and groups whose aim is to create a more sustainable planet. I became a member of the Give Back To Nature (GBTN) fellowship, which consists of nature photographers that donate a percentage of every sale towards GBTN, which in turn facilitates tree planting through The Eden Projects and plastic clean-up projects through a variety of partners. Depending on the project, I will additionally donate percentages of initial sales to conservation groups that were picked myself. For example, I will donate 10% of my Ocean Stories collection on OpenSea to the Wildlife Conservation Society Fiji which is doing fantastic conservation work in the region.
