For decades, art created with algorithms and code remained on the fringes, recognized in academic and digital art circles but largely overlooked by the traditional art world.

That changed with the rise of blockchain-based collecting, which gave artists working in this style, known as “generative art,” a reliable way to prove authenticity, establish provenance, and sell their work directly to collectors.

Today, esteemed institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York are exhibiting generative artists. This expansion coincides with the rise of platforms like Art Blocks, a leading generative art marketplace that has streamlined how artists create, sell, and distribute their work.

Founded in November 2020 by Erick Calderon (aka Snowfro), Art Blocks has fueled what once was an emerging market with more than $1.4 billion in secondary sales. And few individuals have played a bigger role in this shift than Jeff Davis, an entrepreneurial artist with a mathematician’s heart who served as Art Blocks’ chief creative officer from 2021 to 2023.

Davis has spent more than 30 years exploring the intersections of color theory, code, and computation. Trained as a painter, he turned to design software in 1999 for greater precision in his artwork. That eventually led him to explore mathematical randomness and generative systems by coding in certain parameters and seeing what visual configurations formed as a result. Over the course of his artistic career, he has built a body of work that has been exhibited internationally, including with Bright Moments, a gallery known for its live-minted generative art. His pieces have also been sold through Sotheby’s, Phillips, and Art Dubai, among other major art fairs and auctions. 

Conceptual and early computer art shaped much of Davis’ approach:  He points to Sol LeWitt, Vera Molnár, and Herbert W. Franke as key influences. LeWitt’s instruction-based wall drawings and the early computational experiments of Molnár and Franke, dating as far back as the 1950s and 1960s, laid the groundwork for generative art long before blockchain—or even personal computing—transformed the world.

Now a strategic advisor for Art Blocks and co-founder of the Generative Art Foundation, Davis focuses on funding, education, and institutional outreach for the generative art movement. His latest project, “Progression,” was released on Art Blocks Studio on March 11 and explores color transitions and algorithmic design.

Ahead, as “Progression” mints until March 25, Davis reflects on generative art’s evolution, Art Blocks’ impact, and what comes next.

OpenSea: Let's start at the beginning: How did you first get involved with Art Blocks?

Jeff Davis: I first got started with Art Blocks in the second half of 2020. I've been a practicing artist for 30 years. I started my training in traditional media—painting and drawing—and have an MFA in painting. But I also have a background in mathematics. I majored in math as an undergraduate, so there’s always been this mixture of systematic thinking and problem-solving in my art practice, no matter how I was expressing myself.

As I moved through my art career, I became increasingly digital. I started using computer drawing and painting applications to sketch things out before painting or executing them as traditional prints. Eventually, I set aside traditional media and used the computer as a printmaking device. I created similar works as I had in painting and drawing, but I kept them in digital format and executed them as prints.

OpenSea: That’s such an interesting transition—from traditional painting to digital and eventually to generative art. What made you start incorporating computers into your work?

Jeff Davis: Around 2009 or 2010, I became interested in what it would mean to introduce randomness or chance into the structured framework I had developed. That led to some initial explorations using spreadsheets to create tables of random data that I would then manually draw. But then, I discovered a programming language called Processing, which is used by many generative artists today. It was a breakthrough for me. I taught myself how to code, and my math background helped. From there, I became a generative artist.

For years, I worked that way—developing systems that specified visual elements, introduced randomness, and generated unique outputs. I exhibited my prints in galleries here in Phoenix, still practicing as a digital printmaker.

Then, in 2019, I discovered NFTs. I don’t remember exactly how, but I became familiar with platforms like SuperRare and KnownOrigin. I think they followed me on Twitter, and I checked them out. I was struck by the idea that these were marketplaces for digital works without a physical manifestation. That really resonated with me because it meant I didn’t have to take the final step of creating a physical object—there was a market for purely digital work.

I bought some ETH, did some early experiments on SuperRare in 2019, and sold a few pieces—mostly to other artists buying and selling among ourselves. By early 2020, I decided to create a dedicated large generative project for release. That project, called “Abstract Token,” was 60 generative NFTs—one-of-one images minted individually on SuperRare. I eventually sold out the collection, and realized, ‘Okay, this is something real.’

OpenSea: That must have been a huge turning point. Was that when Art Blocks came into the picture?

Jeff Davis: Exactly. Toward the end of 2020, Erick Calderon, the founder of Art Blocks, discovered my NFT work. He reached out to me via cold email, saying he enjoyed my work and thought it would fit well on a platform he was building. At that time, Art Blocks didn’t exist yet; it was still in development.

I was instantly intrigued because, as I had been working through my SuperRare series, it struck me that it made more sense for generative artists to put their code online and let people generate outputs from it rather than manually selecting and minting individual pieces. I immediately understood Erick’s vision and was excited about it.

So I got a project ready and worked with Erick. When Art Blocks launched in November 2020, I was one of the first three projects on the platform. Erick had "Chromie Squiggles," his brother Danny had "Genesis," and I launched "Construction Token." We released them on November 27, 2020. Danny and I sold out on opening day, and Erick sold an equivalent number of Chromie Squiggles. It was amazing and solidified for me how incredible it was to be doing this work as NFTs on the blockchain.

After launch, I was already doing some entrepreneurial things, like running Davis Editions, a print publishing company for contemporary art. But I told Erick, ‘If you’re building Art Blocks into a business, I want to be involved.’ So I set aside my other ventures and became chief creative officer at Art Blocks to help manage the art pipeline, work with artists, and oversee project releases.

OpenSea: And how long did you stay in that role?

Jeff Davis: For about two and a half years. My role has since evolved. About a year and a half ago, I transitioned from chief creative officer to strategic advisor. Now, I work closely with Erick at a higher level to help guide Art Blocks’ direction and focus on public engagement—being out in the world, talking about what we’re doing, and growing our audience—that kind of thing.

OpenSea: It seems like you've left a really creative legacy of curation in your wake. Art Blocks has evolved in terms of its curation models, and the collections rotating through are incredible. How have you seen the generative art space evolve since Art Blocks launched? Essentially, since Art Blocks normalized generative art, how have you seen people build on what you've created?

Jeff Davis: Yeah, absolutely. Before Art Blocks, I was doing generative art but didn’t know anyone else working the same way. I felt like I was in a vacuum. When I pitched my digital prints to traditional galleries in Phoenix, I’d say, “I have 40 digital prints created by a computer program,” and they’d just kind of glaze over.

OpenSea: Like, “a computer program—what?!”

Jeff Davis: Exactly. I would start downplaying the fact that I was using a computer. I’d lean into the aesthetics—talk about abstraction, color, and composition—because anytime I brought up the algorithm, people just checked out. This was 15 or 20 years ago, and people weren’t ready for it.

OpenSea: Were you ever worried that using a computer would take away from your credibility? Like how writers worry about AI replacing their craft?

Jeff Davis: Not exactly. I wasn’t trying to hide it, but I found that the conversation was more productive if I focused on the artistic aspects. It was just practical—talking about colors, for instance, as opposed to the code behind them just made for better engagement. But now, the dialogue has changed completely. People are far more interested in how code works, and they want to understand it because technology drives so much of our lives. Generative art now has a home in the art world, and that’s been incredibly gratifying to see.

OpenSea: Let's talk about your new collection. What’s it about, and when can we expect it?

Jeff Davis: It’s called “Progression,” and it launched on March 11th on Art Blocks Studio. The project is all about color theory, exploring how colors transition from one to another. The core concept is simple: given two colors, how do you create a smooth progression between them? I wrote an algorithm that picks a set of colors, arranges them horizontally or vertically, and generates even visual steps between them.

There are also randomized features that change how the color progresses. Some outputs use distinct steps, while others create smooth gradients. Some use tinted pastels, others emphasize saturated colors. There’s also an homage to Rothko and Gene Davis, where certain outputs mirror their artistic styles.

I’m donating 50% of profits from “Progression” to the Generative Art Foundation, which I co-founded with Erick.

OpenSea: That’s incredible. Tell us more about the Generative Art Foundation.

Jeff Davis: It started as the Generative Art Fund in 2021. We had a Sotheby’s auction featuring early Art Blocks works, and Erick and I decided to donate the proceeds from the sale of our collection, rather than personally benefit. Over time, other artists contributed to the fund through their Art Blocks projects and eventually we were able to expand the mission into the Generative Art Foundation.

Now, the Generative Art Foundation funds educational programs, institutional resources, and digital preservation initiatives. We’re actively fundraising to expand these efforts. “Progression” is a way I can help contribute to that mission.

OpenSea: As we wrap up, I’m curious, how do you see the perception of generative art evolving? Do you think it’s gaining mainstream recognition?

Jeff Davis: We’re right on the verge. It’s already in major museums, but people don’t always realize what they’re looking at. You can walk into MoMA or LACMA and see generative or algorithmic works, but the broader public might not immediately connect them to what’s happening in digital art today.

OpenSea: That’s a huge shift from just a few years ago.

Jeff Davis: Definitely. A lot of the work I’m doing now, especially through the Generative Art Foundation, is about helping people understand that context. Generative art doesn’t have to be tied to NFTs, and NFTs aren’t inherently generative art. But what blockchain has done is create a way for this work to be seen, collected, and appreciated in a way that wasn’t possible before.

OpenSea: So blockchain is more of a record-keeping tool, but the art itself stands on its own.

Jeff Davis: Exactly. It’s about distribution: exposure, education, and ensuring these works have a lasting place in the broader art conversation.

OpenSea: And you’re balancing all of this with your own artistic practice. How are you managing everything?

Jeff Davis: Yeah, I wear a lot of hats. But at the end of the day, it’s all about making sure people see the value in what’s being created now. This is contemporary art—it just happens to be made with code.

OpenSea Jeff, this has been a fantastic conversation. Thanks so much for your time.

Jeff Davis: Thank you! I really appreciate it.