Please introduce yourself to our readers:

I am Oliver Hassell, and I’m 24-years-old from Birmingham, England. I’m an artist working mainly in illustration and painting. I also design clothing and toys. So far in my career, I’ve been a part of various local exhibitions, acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration, and launched two NFT projects on both OpenSea and AtomicHub.

What was the inspiration for this piece?

I chose clowns because they allow for a wide range of variation, with their different outfits, make-up, and emotions. Each one is unique and has their own personality, which I think is a main draw for collectors. Also, I like clown characters in films such as Batman’s Joker and IT’s Pennywise, because they’re both scary and funny at the same time.

How long have you been creating in the digital realm?

My first introduction to the crypto/NFT space was through the project ‘Shadow People’ on OpenSea back in April of this year (2021). Super glad about the emergence of NFTs as it has finally allowed for me and so many artists to sell our digital pieces, and create online communities for our artwork.

Can you tell us about your workflow?

Most of my images are drawn and painted by hand. I use black fine liners to draw, and acrylic to paint. I like to experiment with textures as well, so I also use other equipment such as oil and paint rollers from time to time. Once scanned and digitised, I use Photoshop to compose and colour the images.

Who are your artistic influences?

Artists that have influenced my style the most are George Condo, Ralph Steadman, and Takashi Murakami – I like the scary, trippy vibes with the fine-art flair. Thematically, I’ve been inspired by horror, drugs, shadows, politics, and nightlife. Two of my biggest inspirations are musicians Travis Scott and Kanye West – I like their production styles, and the visual aesthetics of their videos and concerts.

What got you interested in NFTs/Crypto Art/Digital Collectibles?

I saw the bit about Beeple making 67 million from an NFT sale on TV, which is what initially caught my interest. Then, once onboard, I saw how passionate the community were about NFTs, and now the desire to create something that people will love is what drives me. Having someone go crazy about my work is the greatest feeling ever. It’s also led me to think about new ways to create artwork that I would have never considered – such as in the form of a packaged product, and collectibles.

Where can we find you online?

Twitter: @oliv3r_hass3ll –
Instagram: @oliver_hassell –
Website: oliverhassell.com –
OpenSea: oliver_hassell –
AtomicHub (WAX) collection: olivrhassell
Linktree: linktr.ee/oliverhassell (has all above links and more) –

Anything else you’d like to share?

Be sure to check out my collection THE CLOWNS on AtomicHub, and also OpenSea. Shoutout to AGORA Ltd. – the guys are doing a great job of building a community of artists and collectors. I thank them for all the help they’ve given me with the project over the past few months.