Belladonna Tea NFT Project

This artwork is the final submission from the artist Kristina Uyeda for the 'Humanity' event by the Faerian gallery. The artist created this piece in 3 days, inspired by a prompt that was submitted by the public. In a unique twist, instead of being interpreted by an AI, this time the prompt was brought to life by a human artist. The entire creative process was livestreamed online and at the NFC Lisboa event.

Original prompt text: -- 'I wish to see something Dark, Occult, Mystic'

Art Medium: -- Mixed media, acrylic painting on top of book pages.

Was AI used? -- No.

How is your final artwork related to the prompt? -- In ""Belladonna Tea"" there is a dark, poisonous tea surrounded by Belladonna berries, sitting on top of a mystical spell book, with other occult items nearby; ready for a witch to cast spells with. Specific items and symbols related to the prompts are: the poison berries (Belladonna), the skull shape in the steam from the tea, the crystal (used in mystical and occult practices), the potion bottle with a swirling golden substance, and the moon symbol on the ancient spell book. The overall feeling of the picture is dark and occult, with deep brown edges (as if burnt), and black or dark brown shadows everywhere to darken the overall tone of the work.

Why did you choose this prompt? -- The dark, occult, and mystical have always fascinated me and they relate well the themes in my artwork. I have done several poison tea paintings before and when I saw this prompt I knew that I had to do a witchy, dark tea just ready for mystical and occult practices.

Explain more your creative process: -- I've always been inspired by fairy tales and the stories that we tell each other, including what they tell us about our culture. Witches are an especially fascinating topic, as they are symbols of feminine power and knowledge, and witches potions are a large part of that history and that story. Recently I've become fascinated with learning about both poisonous and healing plants, which relates back to my lifelong fascination with witchcraft, the occult, and all things weird/paranormal. I love dipping my toe into the darkness, while maintaining my love for bright colours and and bold images.

A last comment? -- Thank you so much for the opportunity, it was soo much fun, I loved connecting with all of you and the other artists.