The art world in Second Life is remarkably diverse, from sculptors to painters to prim twisters and snapshooters. Everyone with any kind of artistic desire is free to explore and create in this world we all love so much, displaying anything they like - from their real life work, to their Second Life only work. Clothing designers, jewelery crafters, sculptie lovers, digital artists all of you… the art is endless.

As you all know, I am a Second Life art enthusiast! I mean really, why else would I have 3 zillion links to Photoshop tutorials on this site? *cringe* The creative doors that Second Life has opened to me these last two years has been phenomenal, allowing me to create in mediums I would have never even thought of before. From jewelry design to render touch ups (i.e. Second Life snapshots) to sculptie crafting, it has been the creative adventure of a lifetime. And I am always happy to announce new developments in the art community.

The Avatrait Gallery, a spectacular in-world and real-world gallery that focuses only on Second Life art work (and a gallery I am proud to call my alma mater), has released a book titled AVATRAIT: From Second Life to Florence. The 108 page, hard cover book features work from fifty of Second Life’s best known artists such as Stephen Venkman, Kimberly Mirabeau, Prad Prathivi, Keiko Morigi and CodeBastard Redgrave. A description of the book from Lulu’s:

Avatrait is the leading gallery in the virtual world of Second Life, and is dedicated to bringing the art of SL’s top artistic visionaries to a real-world audience. This art has been dubbed “Virtual Impressionism” and in October 2008 this new genre is being welcomed by the global art community at the Festival della Creatività in Florence, Italy, and on-going in the Rinascimento Virtuale exhibit on the art of virtual worlds at the Florence Museum of Natural History. Avatrait is featured at these events, and this volume commemorates this ground-breaking interface of the virtual and real art worlds. Avatrait focuses exclusively on art made in Second Life, and AVATRAIT: From Second Life® to Florence offers a unique view of that world as filtered through the creative eyes of nearly 50 of Second Life’s finest artists. The book also features a Foreword by SL creator Philip Rosedale, an Introduction by Avatrait founder Greg Houston, and an essay on the genre by digital art expert Mario Gerosa.

The book is available for purchase at Lulu’s bookstore for $49.95 USD. Feel free to check out some sample pages here and here.

As a Second Life artist of many kinds, I can’t even begin to express how exciting it is to see this collection of imagery in a tangible book. Something to have on my bookshelf for years to come, look back on in the future, and think, “I was a part of that.” We all want that, right? I can’t think of a better way to commemorate this world we all love. And one day, when it’s all said and done, and Second Life has run its course, I look forward to flipping through the pages of this book… and remembering all of you, the friends I’ve made, the creators I’ve encountered and the inspiration you have all given me… and I’ll smile.

Own a piece of Second Life art history. Check it out now at Lulu’s.