James Penfold, an artist who goes by the name Penny, returned to his East London home from a short vacation to discover that his laptop and hard drive, which contained hundreds of his artworks, had been stolen. Penny, who is known for creating intricate collages using finely cut stencils, often makes computer composites to plan out his designs. As a result, many of his works in progress, as well as completed pieces, were lost when his computer was stolen. These included plans for upcoming self-funded shows in London, an unreleased generative NFT project, and a commissioned portrait of Batman.
Penfold expressed his devastation in an Instagram post, stating that his work had not been properly backed up to the cloud, and he had lost a significant amount of his artwork. He added that he could barely imagine the extent of his loss. According to Artnet News, Penny has offered a million pounds for the safe return of his files and laptop. Although the hard drive may not be of value to anyone else, it is priceless to him and his family. He feels like a part of him has been stolen.
To rebuild his library of works, Penny is reaching out to his network of collectors and followers, asking them to send images and files of art he has sold or given away in the past. He is keeping his spirits up despite the setback and has pointed out the irony of the situation, given that his work often depicts people committing theft.