Launched in November 2020, Chromie Squiggles is a groundbreaking work by Erick Calderon, also known as SnowFro, released on his innovative platform, Art Blocks. It marked a turning point in digital art and demonstrated how unique, code-generated artworks could be created and stored entirely on the blockchain.

Chromie Squiggle #9999, 2020 by SnowFro, Source: LACMA

Since 2012, SnowFro has been experimenting with projection mapping—a form of generative visual art. This exploration was likely sparked by an Amon Tobin performance he attended, where immersive visuals and technology merged in striking ways. That experience ignited his interest in using technology as a creative tool. Years of experimentation and artistic curiosity eventually culminated in Chromie Squiggles, which became an iconic symbol of fully on-chain digital art.

In 2020, SnowFro founded Art Blocks, a platform that offered infinite algorithmic creativity and unique collecting experiences. The Chromie Squiggles drop was never meant to be the first, it happened somewhat randomly. But in true generative fashion, it ended up becoming the inaugural project. Erick, the founder of Art Blocks, used his own artwork to demonstrate how the platform worked. That decision led to Squiggles being officially listed as Art Blocks Project #0, marking the beginning of on-chain generative art on the platform.

Each Chromie Squiggle consists of a colorful, wavy line whose characteristics, such as color gradient, segment length, and overall shape, are determined by a seed input: a unique hexadecimal hash string generated at the time of minting, resulting in a wide range of visual outcomes. Despite their algorithmic complexity, each Squiggle appears simple, playful, and instantly recognizable. As Snowfro once described:

“Simple and easily identifiable, each Squiggle embodies the soul of the Art Blocks platform. Consider each my personal signature as an artist, developer, and tinkerer.”

Chromie Squiggles come in several visual types, Normal, Bold, Fuzzy, Slinky, Ribbed, and Pipe, each defined by distinct aesthetic qualities like line thickness and shape. In addition to these types, some Squiggles feature specific color behaviors, determined by three variables: color spread, steps between, and segment count. These influence how colors are distributed along the Squiggle’s path. Perfect Spectrum Squiggles, which display all 256 hues exactly once, are among the rarest color outcomes. Full Spectrum Squiggles come within 1% of this perfect result, while HyperRainbows, characterized by an extremely small color spread, produce dense and vivid color transitions. Both type and color behavior play key roles in how collectors assess uniqueness and rarity within the Chromie Squiggle collection. In some cases, rare combinations of type and color traits produce especially prized pieces, such as the Ghost Squiggle.

Chromie Squiggle #9896, Source: Sotheby’s

Chromie Squiggles, while distinctly contemporary in appearance, share a strong visual connection with post-war abstraction. Their subtle color transitions recall the optical explorations of Bauhaus artist Josef Albers in his Homage to the Square series, where he investigated how color perception shifts based on proximity and sequence. The focus on pattern, repetition, and perceptual motion also reflects the Op Art and Kinetic Art movements, particularly in the works of Bridget Riley and Victor Vasarely.

Since its release, Chromie Squiggles has become a key entry point for leading generative art collectors. With 10,000 tokens in the series, it is one of the most widely known and traded generative collections. The project has been featured in exhibitions, collaborations, and charitable auctions, and it is now part of major institutional collections such as LACMA.

Chromie Squiggles are also part of private collections such as Curated, Jediwolf, VinceVanDough, Cozomo de’ Medici, and many others.

Homage to the Square, 1959 by Josef Albers, Source: The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation

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