Francis Lim is a multi-awarded Filipino traditional watercolorist who brings the activities of the Philippine urban landscapes to life while telling a story. He was a byproduct of the teachings of Fernando Sena, the Father of Philippine Art Workshops.
He started his journey in crypto way back in 2018 — when one of his friends introduced the space to him. Thereafter, when crypto gained attention and hype in 2020; that is when he decided to transform most of his artworks into NFTs.
Doing all of the research by himself; the technicalities and unstable minting fees hindered him from moving forward. Thus, he applied to become an artist for the First Mint Fund, a non-profit foundation managed by AJ Dimarucot, a Filipino artist who previously worked with well-known brands like Nike, Adidas, NBA, Star Wars, and Marvel.
According to Francis, he owes all of his beautiful artworks to his maestro “Fernando Sena” — where his profound teachings, especially discipline, genuinely made him the best version of the artist he wants himself to be.
His inspiration comes from various watercolorists from foreign like Alvaro Castagnet, Joseph Zbukvic, and Chien Chung Wei. Along with local artists like Wilfredo Calderon, Achiles “Uhky Uhky”, Art Cunanan, and Erwin Mallari.
Francis personally believes that freedom is essential in doing great arts — this allows the artist to confidently finish their craft. He also added that painting is like a meditation to him and somehow therapeutic. It helps him simplify complex challenges in life which improve his perspective & storytelling skills.
The innovation happening in the art space provides every artist the opportunity to earn more than what they traditionally do. However, due diligence for research is required as the new technology comes with a huge risk & greed from the market itself.
Along the way, his personal standards for NFTs arose. In an interview, he states that before he converted his artworks into NFTs he was one of its doubters because of environmental issues and soon found out that not all projects had the same cause.
Francis is part of the genesis artist of Likha, an NFT marketplace & gallery that allows Filipino artists & brands to mint, market & manage their own NFTs on the platform. Currently, he is now earning around P80,000 pesos for every piece of his artwork.
Further, Francis added that NFTs are here to stay and he encourages every Filipino artist to explore their way into venturing into the space as more opportunities are now trying to unfold especially for those people who start and learn early.
