‘Someone Replied to My Tweet and Said ‘You Should Have a Castle Party”: Why Trevor Jones Is Releasing a New NFT From a Scottish Castle

Scottish-Canadian artist Trevor Jones, creator of the wildly successful open edition NFT, Bitcoin Angel (2021), is hosting a crypto ball at Scotland’s storied Stirling Castle this summer.

The castle soirée, set to take place on July 30, is an exclusive event for hodlers (crypto parlance for “holders”) of Jones’s NFT, which he based on Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1652). It depicts an angel thrusting an arrow into the heart of Teresa, set against a gold Bitcoin token. 

In February of 2021, Jones set what was then a record for the most expensive open-edition NFT ever when Nifty Gateway sold 4,157 editions of Bitcoin Angel at $777 apiece in just over seven minutes.

For the fete, Jones has booked a carousel of entertainment, including the superstar DJ Don Diablo, Dusty the Magician, and even a confessional booth where Jones is asking visitors to confess their “crypto crimes.”

“Maybe you’ve made some unwise investments when caught up in the FOMO of the moment,” Jones told Artnet News. “Perhaps you’ve lost your nerve when a solid asset’s value briefly dips. Or you may have jumped into the latest dubious PFP project because someone on Twitter told you to.”

“None of us are perfect in the crypto world, but there are some sins we just don’t like to admit to in public. At the Castle Party we offer you the chance for forgiveness of your crypto-crimes.”

Trevor Jones painting.

Jones’s story is a remarkable one in the crypto space. After a tumultuous exit from western Canada he moved to Edinburgh where he worked as a waiter at a Hard Rock Cafe. Then, after he ended a relationship and fell into with depression, he found his way to art school. In 2021, his viral image of Bitcoin Angel launched him to crypto fame.

Now, Jones is known the world over for taking famous art-historical pieces and adding a crypto twist. Another piece, Bitcoin Bull (2020), took inspiration from Picasso, with Jones adding to it contemporary icons including Bitcoin and Twitter logos. That piece sold to crypto collector Pablo Rodriguez-Frail for $55,555.55.

“I studied art history and fine art, so when I came out of school I was very much connected to the past,” Jones said. “But at the same time, I started to paint QR codes onto my paintings around 2012 or 2013… I think the crypto community, despite often over-promising and under-delivering when it comes to things like PFPs, has actually given my work and life new meaning.” 

Stirling Castle. Photo by Julien Scavini.

Guests of the castle party, which is now fully booked, will have access to a unique NFT that will be made available only at the event. 

Since it was built on the misty hills of Scotland, the Stirling Castle has been the site of numerous momentous historical events. From William Wallace and Robert the Bruce seizing back the castle from invading English armies during the 14th century Scottish Wars of Independence, to the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century, the castle has played a pivotal role in the history of this tenacious island nation. 

“The idea for the castle party came about on Twitter,” Jones said. “I started to think about what to do next, and someone replied to one of my tweets and said you should have a castle party.”