Save the Date & Win $5000L!!!
Come and celebrate the release of From Second Life to Florence with the Avatrait artists and fans!
Contest:
Time to brush up on that Second Life art knowledge! Come dressed as your favorite piece of Second Life art and compete for the chance to win a free copy of the book as well as $5000L cash! Second place will receive a free copy of the book! Get creative. Be imaginative. Let your freak flag fly! And be prepared to let us know which piece of art you are dressed up as, cause, you know… we’d like to know. :P
Event Details:
Saturday, January 3rd, 2009
3PM – 7PM SLT
Code Red Lounge
DJs: Azufr3 Catteneo and special guest DJ
A special thank you to all the artists of Avatrait for helping make this book a reality. Thank you to CodeBastard Redgrave for allowing us the use of her sim for what is sure to be one KICK ASS party! Thank you to Azu for agreeing to DJ, and thank you to all of the Avatrait staff and board, without which we wouldn’t even have this party to throw. XD
Save the date! And I’ll see ya there. ;)
Avatrait Opening!
We will be opening a new Gallery on our own dedicated Sim for Avatrait. Prad Prathivi and Corbett Howard have been working very hard on this new build and surrounding buildings that will house our training facility, Machinima theater, and artist store.
This show is dedicated to the artist of the gallery, the trip that Avatrait Gallery made to Florence and the book that was a result of that effort. We want to thank all of the artist and the patrons for their efforts and their support over the last year and a half.
We are pleased to announce the DJ for the after party: Ketsy (Jhuzen Ketsugo). I’ve danced to her creative tuneage at Vain gallery and we are privledged that she could make it for our opening. Also we have aquired for your viewing pleasure the talented Mariann McCann to shoot off an awesome array of fireworks. This is an opening not to be missed!
So put down those after Thanksgiving shopping bags…take a break from the relatives and come party with some of the best sl artist on the grid!!
Photo by Ryker Beck.
Bringing Second Life Art to the Real World
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.
Southsea Exhibition: The Will to Live
“The Will to Live” — Taken and Uploaded by Prad Prathivi
Yet another photo contest! XD
As someone who has officially adopted this place as her own personal sanctuary, I would like to fully encourage everyone to check out Prad Prathivi’s new exhibit on the ground level of Amodica (SLURL). Once you TP in, you should see a teleporter that will take you to the ground level of the sim, where you can see this breath taking exhibit in all of its glory. The next ChouChou, perhaps?
The exhibit concept is very simple… a barren wasteland of withered tree stumps and cracked sand, yet in the center, a symbol of hope… the single, solitary, flourishing tree. The concept, and the build, struck such a chord in me in its beautiful simplicity — what can I say. For me, it immediately invokes a feeling of calming peace and hope.
But never mind me,… on to the photo contest!
From Prad Prathivi’s Flickr page:
The New Exhibition at the ground of Southsea is open!
I’ve been feeling very good this past month, and there’s been a strong feeling of hope.
I felt this strongly from a recent photograph by Joshua Morane. I took influence from this in creating the exhibition at the base of the Southsea sim, which is now open for everyone to enjoy.
This month, we’ll be running a competition for the best photograph taken from this Southsea exhibition. Joshua has very generously donated L$5000 as a prize, and Amodica will be matching that in gift vouchers to spend on our wide range of clothing and modern furniture in store.
Be sure to submit your entries to the Second Life ® – Southsea group! Closing date is 1st August 2008!
slurl.com/secondlife/Southsea/124/134/24
We look forward to seeing your artwork! =)
Even if you don’t enter the contest, be sure to visit this build while it lasts… when and if it does disappear one day, I know I for one will be incredibly heartbroken. I’ve grown quite attached to it, I must say, as I’m sure you will too. There truly is beauty in simplicity.
SL5B: Alienating the Family Culture
It is with great discontent that I write this blog post today.
My good friend, Stephen Venkman, has been turned away by Linden Labs for his proposed art exhibition at this year’s SL5B celebration. The reason? Portraying Second Life children in his artwork.
Venkman has long been a parent in Second Life, along with his partner (and another terrific friend of mine), Kimberly Mirabeau. Both are respectable, well established artists in the community. Venkman continuously provides his Flickr stream viewers with cherished glimpses into his Second Life, which includes his four children.
The following images are just some of what were submitted by Venkman to be shown in his exhibition at SL5B (more can be seen on his Flickr stream):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/485783560/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/1196854938/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/2370931063/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/2371325102/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenvenkman/2370404377/
I see nothing wrong with any of these. As a matter of fact, I see a sweet, honest, genuine portrayal of family life in Second Life. It is because of Venkman’s wonderful family and his fantastic stream of family imagery that I was inspired to build my own family. I now have a beautiful daughter (Kylei Benoir) and a fantastic fiancee (Belmakor Pintens), without which my Second Life just would no longer feel complete.
I sincerely and whole-heartedly feel that Venkman’s family photos should be allowed in SL5B. In a world where bestiality, slavery, BDSM, rape, and murder are all entirely possible, to disallow wholesome photos of a parent and child is simply repulsive.
Thankfully, other friends of mine, Shoshana Epsilon, Sue Stonebender and Baron Grayson are all backing Stephen, 100%, as are all of us, his friends and family.
Shoshana Epsilon has donated her space in the SL5B exhibition to protest the alienation of child avatar with adult avatar portraits. Details may be read here, and for those of you who don’t wish to click an extra link, the details are as follows:
I want to donate my display to a protest. If you have any clean and wholesome family-type RL pictures that YOU OWN ALL RIGHTS TO, please send them to me in-world. I will heavily moderate the pictures, so not all pictures will be allowed. I expect good quality art pictures that are wholesome. Credits will be given to the photographer.
Sue Stonebender and Baron Grayson have submitted a call to action to the Tryst group, and are accepting action from anyone willing to submit it. Full details may be read here, but the action request itself is as follows:
ACTION REQUESTED:
Create a notecard to show your support for fellow Tryst member, Stephen Venkman, to be sent to Linden Lab as part of a petition by Sue Stonebender. Your notecard should include:
1) Notecard Title: supports Stephen Venkman’s family exhibit at SL5B
2) Notecard Permissions: Modify – no / Copy – yes / Transfer – yes
3) Notecard contents: an optional message to Linden Lab in support of Stephen Venkman’s “Family” exhibitSend your notecard to Sue Stonebender before the end of the day, Thursday, June 12th, 2008.
REASON FOR REQUESTED ACTION:
Linden Lab will not permit the display of any pictures depicting child and adult avatars in the same shot to be displayed in exhibits at the SL5B celebration, and is therefore refusing to permit Stephen Venkman to display several of the pictures in his exhibit celebrating “Family” in the Second Life online community.
I would greatly appreciate anyone willing to take action on this issue to do so. Of all the things that could be excluded from the SL5B art exhibitions, Venkman’s wholesome, beautiful, and CULTURAL display of family in Second Life is most certainly not one of them.
Thank you for reading, and for those of you who choose to do so: thank you for taking action.
How It’s Done
So I had a spark of inspiration tonight and decided that it might be fun to make a video of me working a picture up, a simple picture, from beginning to end. Be warned… it’s VERY fast, but pretty fun to watch! Interested in seeing it? Check out the video here… or watch it below!
Codie’s Boudoir Rouge
My dear friend CodeBastard Redgrave, an exquisite photographer and brilliant scripter, has started a series that she has aptly named “Boudoir Rouge”. Comprised of many of SL’s elite business women and creators — those behind the scenes, known but not necessarily in the spotlight — it is a sexy and tasteful series, magically composed of beauty and crimson.
Among the names that Codie has managed to capture are Ana Lutetia, Dakota Buck, Callie Cline, Roslin Petion, Shockwave Plasma, Gwyneth Llewelyn, and of course… yours truly:
If you haven’t seen this beautiful compilation of sass and womanly vigor, I highly recommend checking out Codie’s Flickr page and taking it in. Besides, who doesn’t like women in sexy lingerie? ;)
Codie is the creator of the Machinima Cam, SL’s first Machinima camera HUD. Check it out at OnRez!
Kimberly Mirabeau: Avatrait Gallery Opening
My good friend and shopping-partner-in-crime, Kimberly Mirabeau, will be featured as Artist of the Month for Febuary, having what will surely be an exquisite opening at the Avatrait Gallery (SLURL) this weekend, featuring original works of art from her brilliant and stylish mind.
Kimberly, who has been a Second Life resident for over two years now, will be in attendance at the opening, which will be taking place at 5PM SLT on Saturday, February 2nd, 2008. If you have the time, I’d highly recommend joining in on the fun — brush elbows with some of the best photographers in SL, listen to some kickin’ tunes, watch the fireworks, and party like a rock star at what will surely be one of the best events of the year! Don’t miss out! Be there or be square!
To have a taste of just a smidgen of the beauty Kimberly is capable of creating, check out her Flickr page. And don’t miss your chance to meet her live and in the pixel-flesh!
SL Art 101: An Introduction
As many of you know, I am heavy into the Second Life art scene and participate regularly in various artistic events (photography contests, gallery openings, the SL Artists Network, etc). Recently, my good friend Track Hax, owner of the Avatrait Gallery in Second Life presented me with what I can only consider the opportunity of a lifetime: the ability to teach a free introductory art class for residents.
Words can’t even EXPRESS how excited I am about this.
The official press release (thanks, Eschatos!) is as follows:
Avatrait Gallery is very pleased to announce the start of
a new series of in-world Art classes, beginning this
month with celebrated Second Life designer, artist and
photographer Ryker Beck who will be leading “S.L. Art 101:
An Introduction” on Wednesday, January 23rd, at 6pm SLT.Ms. Beck, a Second Life resident with a special interest
in in-world fashion,photography, and art, has been blogging
her experiences at http://rykerbeck.com,where she has also
relocated her popular graphic and scripting tutorial series.
She is a writer for ASpiRE! Magazine, and has recently
launched her own in-world jewelry design business, Beck’s
Fine Jewelry.This will be the official launch of Avatrait’s in-world
classes. Ryker Beck will be teaching the modules of how
to create art in Second Life, but there will also be
classes on Art History, Art Appreciation, and other topics
of art and in-world photography interest, on Wednesday
evenings (with machinima re-plays on Thursday afternoons)
every month as part of the new Avatrait activity calendar.The Avatrait Gallery
(http://slurl.com/secondlife/Simuality/41/213/35)
features Second Life’s most outstanding artists, one of
whose works are featured every month, with exclusive
collectible one-of-a-kind framed images available in-world,
and high quality framed prints available through the
Avatrait web site (http://Avatrait.com) for real-world
display.
This certainly does promise to be a class to remember. With my lesson plan already mapped out, and development underway, I am busy at work preparing for what I hope will be one of the best introductory classes in Second Life. I sincerely hope all of you can come, and I can’t wait to see you all there!
PS: If you have any special requests for something you’d perhaps like to see, please don’t hesitate to let me know… I might be able to squeeze a few juicy tidbits in. And if you DO attend the event, please don’t forget to ask questions! This will be a very interactive affair, and I welcome and would LOVE feedback!
Paolo Bade’s “Sex and the Virtual Landscape”
I am sure most of us, by now, have heard the name Paolo Bade. I had the pleasure of meeting him (early) this morning at AvaTrait’s Meet the Artist gathering, which Venkman so kindly invited me to! Paolo is an incredibly talented photographer, and his exhibition “Sex and the Virtual Landscape” is one that truly should not be missed by any means. I fully encourage anyone, if you have not seen it yet, to head on over to AvaTrait and see the exhibition while it still exists. There is also a photo contest involving the sets that Paolo has built and you, the SL photographer.
Further information from Stephen Venkman:
Here is your chance to show us what you can do with the sets created for “tribute” to Helmut Newton. Paolo along with Avatrait will be holding a photo contest starting December 2nd @ 4 am PST. All you need to do is come through the exhibit and take some photo’s using the set’s created for his exhibit. All images need to be received by December 9th by 6 pm SLT in order to qualify and only one photo for avatar name. Please send photo images to Paolo Bade @ paolobade@gmail.com with the following information:
- Mail Subject: Avatrait Contest
- avatar name
- title you named the photo
- a brief comment to your photoWe will then post all images up for the public to vote on during the following week. On Sunday the 16th we will then tally the votes and a quialified jury will choose the winner among the 3 most voted photos. Winner will receive a unique, unpublished photo of the Newton series.
