New Primagery Series - Poseidon

This series takes me back to my roots using the twisted torus and the sphere but with new emphasis on line. The sculpture does not rotate so that the viewer can peer into it like I do to take the snapshots. A full sized sculpture is also available with a particle script which inspired the title. I hope to show it sometime soon but liked this cozy little setup here at PiRats for the smaller one. Sales have been super slow lately as the economy is down but we persevere. My work is still evolving but in more subtle ways. My next experiment will be to explore ways to evoke the look and feel of stained or leaded glass in a new chandelier series. This show opened on Tuesday and runs through July 18.

Visit: http://slurl.com/secondlife/PiRats%20Art%20Network/85/92/63

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE ARTISTS!

Masiko Preis

Masiko helped me last December when I had nowhere to go and no place to show my art. I met Special Jewell, Penelope Parx, and several other people that I call my friends at her gallery. I put some work up around the pool area and there were lots of events to go to and the place was active. I miss Masiko and her dedication to the founding principles of Ujima Coop. Ujima is Colllective Work and Responsibility. Founded by Masiko Preis, Ujima Village is an artist cooperative surrounded by waterfalls and trees.. downhill from Imani Village, both home to artists and entertainers working with 4Flavaz Ent Outdoor gallery and event space for 4Flavaz Entertainment, and the Kuumba Arts Collective. Features an outdoor swimming pool and a uniquely shaped outdoor gallery space for painting and sculpture. Visit: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Milehouse/70/177/45

One Passes

I must see more of this person's work. I might never make another piece of art again in Second Life. My friend Sophie Yates has created a great video tribute to him/her here.

If this video disappears (again)..find it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U7ewmEr3yc

Giorgio Morandi - Natura morta

Still Life .....the quintessential painters realm that can be so predictable..isn't. They are remarkable in that they are of unremarkable things. Each composition seems tranquil and subtle. I hope to see his work sometime and become mesmorized or better yet...create my own such mesmorizing pieces. The brown hues and soft shapes are stunningly minimalist.

Karuna - Healing Quest Starts Thursday, June 4, 2009

Beginning this weekend, the beautiful host island site of Karuna will be featuring my art. (None of the work is for sale) Jenaia Morane asked me awhile ago to participate in this worthy cause and now it has finally come to fruition. Karuna is a non-profit sim that promotes AIDS/HIV awareness where stories are shared in music, literature, and art.

My work lines a path along the riverbank to the Community Center where some of my sculptures are displayed. On the roof of the Community Center a temporary art gallery has been set up and three of my Limited Edition Primagery sets are shown. Inside the Center, more 2D images are exhibited. The work shown comprises a selection from a body of work that I have produced from November to January, with the exception of the sculptures displayed in the garden which are very recent.

To Learn more about Karuna:

http://www.karunasl.info/Information/2008/10/04/project-team/

December 1, 2008 - World AIDS Day, was the first and most recent event at Karuna. Jenaia is set on taking Karuna to the next level as the new Project Administrator. She is also the creator of The Virtual World Story Project on Storybook Island. http://www.daysofoursecondlives.com/

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Karuna/60/106/26

Cascadia Artwalk Opened

I'm glad I finally have an LM to this spot...I had to dive from a nightclub in the sky and then swim over...and all the while carrying a sculpture and that was over a month ago. I want to change it out to my newest Stronger Dance and make some room on my Profile Picks to promote the site. My picks are full..the latest being an installation called "Cancerland" which I just went through recently. I can't really say I enjoyed it...but it was moving. So......am thinking that my blog will have to become an extension of my picks. Sometimes exhibitions go on alot longer than expected and the picks get full quick. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Enetai%20Bay/193/200/24

Giving this some creative thought considering the previous blog.

Patrons of the Arts in Second Life

I just read Larry Johnson's contribution to NPIRL Bettina Tizzy's blog and was a little overwhelmed with guilt over what is perceived to be a blatant disregard by artists for the hosting sim that displays the artwork. http://npirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-artists-and-their-patrons.html

In addition to my Profile picks which is limited to ten, I have this blog which probably no one ever reads. Its like my personal journal. I've closed my Flickr account and my Twitter account to keep me focused on my RL work which is my mainstay of employment. I do not make a living on SL and spend roughly 3 hours a day there. When I'm not making art, I am with friends or someone special, supporting the artwork of others, or collaborating with others in their endeavors.

It is my dream to participate in Burning Life or have an installation of my own someday, if only briefly, documented by pictures. Its my dream to showcase my art to a variety of people in Second Life that appreciate the vast and untapped possibilities of this virtual world. I've found the educational community a vital part of my fan club. Art enhances our Second Lives....its a melting pot of ideas...intellectual, visual, and stimulating to the senses.

I'm also a patron of the arts, having spent a fortune filling up my inventory with artist works. I don't even have an SL home to display them. I feel taken for granted too...and would like to hear some thanks once and awhile when I purchase something and perhaps an inkind purchase of my art. Not everyone "gets" it. I tend to promote a mutual back scratching kind of relationship with other artists and content creators and need to extend this out to the hosting sim, as well, when they have offered to display my work for free. When I make a sale, I try to immediately contact the purchaser and extend my heartfelt thanks for their support. I nurture my customers and need to do the same for other patrons. I'm doing rather well so am spreading the wealth a couple dollars at a time so that other artists in the SL community continue to be engaged in the virtual art experience.

Soooo.......Thank you NMC for enriching the lives of the Second Life Community and crossing over to the realm of real life. Thank you for the exposure at the Aho Museum. I haven't had a chance to experience all that your campus provides but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate your patronage. If I had more Profile Picks, I'd certainly be promoting more sites.

P.S.: On the NMC website there is a directory of posts for "Art". The most recent post is September 2008. When I first heard that I might be exhibiting my work at the Aho Museum I read the single post about it here: http://sl.nmc.org/2008/01/24/aho/

A Matter of Scale

This artist has captured what is possible in Second Life. A reverse of large scale sculptures in RL artworld...this artist makes ordinary seem out of this world.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bousserez/sets/72157594266762278/with/220867840/

On the other spectrum we have a sculptor who plays with scale and the human figure in another interesting way.

While I don't work with the figure in my art or anything representational, scale plays an integral part in presentation. When small, there is an intimate relationship with the viewer--its accessible and something you can place in your home. On a large scale it is unreal and spectacular and more subject to what is happening in the environment.

Waves and the Sea

Unbelievable captures of a natural event that I found on a Cool Picture site. The shapes and colors and translucency attract me as well as the negative space. I try to capture depth in my pictures but it is often difficult, given the medium. Then again, I haven't tried to take pictures while my sculptures are sitting on water with something in the background. I should try that sometime but then it would be more like a photograph and less like a painting. I am jealous of photographers that can take pics in SL with Basic Shaders on. I crash or end up with seams. Its amazing that I get any quality shots at all.