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Friday, December 30, 2011

The Art of Machinima

The art of Machinima (pronounced ma-She-na-ma) is the art of making videos in a virtual world.  There has been some famous movie makers who have played around with Second Life Machinima such as the creators of CSI:  NY, which turned out to be quite the let down, for the Second Life fans and players, as it was only a 60-second clip along with a very corny story line, however, there are people in Second Life who are passionate about movie making in a virtual world.

The Machinima Film Studio
There is a huge movie studio on Charmed Island, called The Machinima Film Studios. The landmark takes you to a beautiful forest with picturesque bridges and mountains and streams.  At first you don't even see the mountains as the forest has several levels, the forest floor with the pretty flowers, then the scrubs and small trees are nestled in between these huge sky-scraping trees and then suddenly you look and see the snow-capped mountains!

It's a photographer's paradise!  After you take all the pictures that you can, you teleport to the main studio which has sets from a Bandstand to the Wild West, horror to fairyland.

Even after viewing these sets, I wanted to know how to go about taking a video.  I went to the Second Life wiki and Torley Linden did not disappoint.  She has a library of videos for the Machinima beginner.  She gives you tips and tricks to make your videos wonderfully convincing!
Italian set

There are groups in Second Life who shoot Second Life reality TV clips!  They are very funny!  One is set in a trailer park there is mystery and intrigue around every corner!

Whatever you wish to do with your Machinima clips, remember that like with everything in Second Life there are copyright laws that need to be respected, other then that have fun making your virtual films!  

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Highlight Tour of Second Life Art Galleries...Part 2

Cadeling Gardens, Second Life
I am back on the gallery tour and my first stop was to view Indulgence and the Designz Gallery and the post-modern art of Leigh Quartz.  The artwork here is a fine example of mixed media.

It takes a lot for me to say that I think a new fractal artist can compete with my friend Spiral Silverstar, however, I have discovered that Milly Sharple's fractal art is as passionate as Spiral's, but of course, Milly has her own style, but the important part is that she is passionate about her artwork!  She display's her artwork on a corner wall with lovely furniture along with urns that match the artwork!  This is a must see on the Gallery tour. Additionally, Milly's gallery is surrounded by a lovely beach setting with the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the beach! A big two thumbs up on the low lag at this gallery!

Adapt or Perish, Originalia
I skipped ahead of my HUD tour to the Originalia, Adapt or Perish and it's a lovely garden with poetry about the Goddess throughout this garden are magical creatures, enchanting trees with thumbprints on them, which reminds us that the Goddess made us all unique!

The Goddess made light and dark; as you descend into Chaos, remember that if we don't start treating Mother Earth with respect she will unleash devastation on us all as punishment for our greed! A must see on this gallery tour!  Two thumbs up!

My next stop on the regular Gallery Tour is The Art Gallery at the Retreat, Luminoso, which features the 3D artwork of Feathers Boa.  My favorite piece of hers at this Gallery is "Phasmatis Ex Machina 3D."  It is on the first floor and it draws you; from afar the face looks like a Roman centurion, but on closer inspection is a human male slowing being eaten away by technology!

The room on the left as you enter the gallery features wonderful abstract art and statuary.  This type of artwork can be interpreted in 100 different ways because we are each unique and depending on our mood at the moment, can make the interpretations quite different!  My favorite piece in this section is "Oceans of Light" and it does take scripted/interactive art  to new heights!

The room on the right of the landing spot has dynamic artwork!  My favorite piece here is the center sculpture, "Chaos #5 Artist Chris Hill ww."  This gallery is not to be missed!  It's relatively lag free!

My last stop in this section of the Highlight Tour is Trill's Art Studio, Artropolis, she is Gwen Penner in Real Life and is a Graphic Artist and Illustrator.  I love finding unique artwork in Second Life and her art is a wonderful example of that!

Nirvana?
Be sure to teleport to the second level where some of Trill's bigger pieces are they are wonderful and not to be missed!  After the second floor, be sure to use the ladders to climb up to view the artwork inspired by Far Eastern influence of India and China.  Touch the artwork to get the names of the art, it helps with the flow of the work as you view!  The last level leads you to a door dare you go through?

Author's Note:  The reason that I go on and on about passionate fractal art is because fractal art is part mathematical equations and I have seen fractal art that I can only describe as precision fractals because they look like someone added 1+1=2, precise fractal math, but no passion!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Linden Endowment for the Arts

Linden Labs have endowed the arts in Second Life (SL), called (you guessed it!) Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA).  The artists who have displayed their art in the LEA Sandbox Self-Curation Gallery and won the admiration of the LEA board, which voted on their work, then the administrator approaches that artiste, and they are offered a quarter sim for three months!

This patronage by Linden Labs has opened up a whole new aspect to the art in SL!  I happened to be In-World this afternoon when Tyrehl Byk's announcement came over the Art and Artist Network that his "Catharsis" was open for viewing and it would only be open for 24 minutes!  This is an absolute must see!

When you are In-World, search LEA under places you will find many sims and they are named LEA6, LEA 8, etc.  A description is on the teleport page and if it appeals to you definitely go and check it out!

I have added the LEA blog to my blog roll!  Enjoy the new and innovative Second Life art!

Picture Perfect Second Life

I mentioned at the end of my post "Highlight Tour" article, that I had a personal project screaming to be done! I am traveling through Second Life (SL) looking for picture perfect SL pictures.  That means that the pictures have not been touched up by PhotoShop or any other software that can touch up photos, but came from my camera just like you seen them on Flickr.  

A Sky Elf Blending!
All picture perfect pictures will be featured on Flickr, which will be the first for Elven Enchantment Art Review!

The rejected pictures will be available for viewing on my Facebook (FB) photo albums or decorating my articles here!  (As always there are links to all my FB pictures at the bottom of my blog!)

This will be an ongoing project so you will want to join my in-world group or follow me on Twitter so that you can keep up to date with my photography project!

Some of the sims that I visit may be art sims and if they are worthy of being listed in my Highlight of Art Galleries, then you will find them there!

Otherwise, you can email for details on the places you wish to visit in SL from viewing the Flickr pcitures!  Eventually, the photos on Flickr will be available to purchase via the SL's Market Place, however, if you absolutely must have a picture before any one else... email please!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Goodbye to an Era of Second Life Art

Time in Second Life (SL) goes by very fast and art galleries and museums come and go very quickly, however, some art galleries and museums have staying power, and it is very sad to see them close their doors.  For whatever reason, sometimes RL interrupts SL lives or this recession makes financial hard ships on the owners of the properties.

Proof I was there in the last days!  So sad!
The ZRM Gallery is closing it's doors on November 12th.  This gallery is home to some famous artiste's such as Serenity Questi, whose name I have heard in the SL art community for many years.  The ZRM Gallery has been in SL for four years.

Serenity Questi is a fractal artiste and after viewing her artwork, I like it!  It is not the same as Spiral's, but still has a draw to the imagination!  It triggers a flicker in your peripheral vision, as if something is darting by, but you can't quite see it or decide just what it is you saw!

Merranda Ginssberg, Pamela Moonkill,  Fuschia Nightfire, Dacob Paine, Harter Fall, among others also make this gallery home.  Below some of the art, on the first floor, are teleport (TP) buttons so you can TP to the floor that that particular artiste is showing on.

All the artwork here in this gallery is quality art and it's a shame that this gallery is closing it's doors!  Come by before the end of an era in SL galleries!

Highlight Tour of Second Life Art Galleries...Part 1

Relaxing enjoying SL art!
I had such a great time exploring the Halloween sims, that I have decided to compile a Highlight Tour of Second Life Art Galleries.  I am using the Gallery Tour HUD and the sub-titled:  Galleries.

The first stop was a bust, but worth it as the second stop was the Dreamscapes Art Gallery.  This gallery deals only in Second Life artwork by Carlotta Caewlin.  You can find furniture with art in too!  The scenes range from spooky to serene and peaceful!  A must visit!

A fantastic experience is Primtings!  The artiste's take a real life painting and design a 3d "prim painting!"  It's fantastic!  I remember a similar sim when I first entered SL, but the name of the sim was different.  This is a fun experience and puts a new twist on "making art come alive."

Lesson in Anoobtomy, Rembrandt
The artiste's give a sample of the original artwork next to the 3d Primtings!  Some of the Primtings allow you to be part of the picture!

Be sure to visit all the floors!  A must see stop on your art gallery tour!

The Toy's Ary Gallery is an eclectic grouping of Real Life (RL) and Second Life (SL) artwork.

It is set in a castle-like structure in the sky.  You walk up a smokey clear sidewalk and you can see the sky below you.  You enter the gallery's first level and there are lovely paintings on display.

On Top of the "Toy Art Gallery"
As you walk up the spiral stairs to the next levels, stay in the middle of the walkway  as the railing and column are not solid as you would think and you could fall through it.  The photos on the third level urge you to touch them to find out more about them, so I did as they compelled me, and found out where the photos were shot and how they were prepared before they were hung in the gallery!  

The Grass Gnome is my favorite by far!  This is a must see art gallery!  (My only suggestion for this gallery would be to add a teleporter!)

At Nuance the artiste combines SL/RL art with uplifting poems.  The poems make you think, feel the art, allowing it to sink into your psyche and dwell in your soul!  Art should change the beholder, here at Nuance the artiste lifts up your spirit and encourages you to fly again!  It's been so long since my soul has flown!

Avalon Art District
The Avalon Art District is set on a very laggy sim and some of the sim is under construction.  The artwork available for viewing are paintings utilizing modern art methods, statuary, and interesting lights!

The flooring on the levels above the first floor are oval and the corners are empty and you can lag and fall through.

On display is a big book of art called the 77 Million Paintings, the SL version AngryBeth Shortbread, concept by Brian Eno; the Real Life premiere in San Francisco will run concurrently in Second Life.

The second floor has modern and contemporary art along with SL artwork!  A quiet spot to take in some peaceful artwork!

Note from the Author:  Visiting these galleries will take awhile and I have a new project that is jumping out of my skin!  So I will try to visit several galleries each month!  Watch out for updates on my next project!



Friday, October 28, 2011

3D Art

Juggling the Solar System!
It's always exciting to see new art and the 3D artwork that is now in Second Life (SL) is incredible mix of graphics and scripting!  

The University of Western Australia in SL is hosting 3D art and they have a little competition going on, you the people of SL can vote for your favorite piece.  My absolute favorite piece is by an interactive 3D where you hop on a poseball and suddenly you are juggling the solar system!  There is 3D Halloween art to big bugs!

The University is hoping you will come by tonight and see the art and cast your vote!  The votes will be tallied and announced on Sunday, October 30th!

Some art is abstract, interpretative, interactive, and some that makes absolutely no sense, except to the artiste, some are gentle and others harsh, but there is something for every taste!  A must visit is to the 3D interactive of "My World," by Secret Rage.  Excellent and thought provoking!  

There is also dark and sad, happy and grotesque, but as in life not everything is peaches and cream.  There are honest pieces and deceptive ones, but this is a MUST see art sim!  Be patient as the sim is laggy because of so many active scripts, it is worth the frustration!

My friend Spiral has several pieces entered!  I recognized his work even before I saw his name on the voting boxes!  His "Drawn to the Dream" is magnificent! (And it is one that I must have in my collection of SL art!)

There are 99 wonderful artiste's exhibiting on this sim!  This is a MUST see!

Monday, October 24, 2011

1000+ Avatar Project - Art by Gracie Kendal

Second Life (SL) is a center for distance learning, a coming together for like-minded people who represent themselves with an Avatar.  Real Life (RL) people use SL for many reasons, to blow off steam, meet new people, fulfill fantasies and it all comes down to their Avatar.

The Avatar of Atlantis Jewell, October 23, 2011
Why do you look the way you do in SL?  I know personally that I took some character's out of my creative writings and made a prequel to my writings and made my Avatar a Blue Sky Elf... after all I reasoned,  I am human in Real Life and have spent many years wishing I was of another race or at the very least someone else!  I certainly couldn't imagine anyone wanting to be human in their Second Life!  

Gracie Kendal is an artiste in Real Life and in Second Life and she is works on her art too.  Her project explores online anonymity, which turned into a documentation of Second Life Avatars. I participated in the project and am very excited about seeing the published works in SL and RL!

She explains it better then I:  "What started out as a set of 100 portraits to help illustrate the idea of online anonymity, has turned into a sort of documentation of avatars in SL. There are so many questions I have been asking myself and ideas I have been pondering throughout this whole process, especially on the idea of online identity.”

“Like many of my other projects, I started out with one idea: to take portraits of avatars facing away from me. That was it, pure and simple. I had the idea that I wanted them to be unrecognizable, their faces hidden, just another level of anonymity in SL vs. RL. I plan on printing some if not all of these portraits out in RL for an eventual show in a gallery as well as publishing a book.”

Front view, Atlantis Jewell
“Our online identity has become a way of life for millions of people around the world. Not just in Second Life, but on many internet sights you go to. When you look on Facebook or Twitter, how many post pictures of their children or pets? Pictures of places they have visited, cartoon characters they love, logos of their business, landscapes, art, and anything else they find from their lives that they want to represent their identity online.”

"This is our avatar. I write about the avatar in my thesis."

"I think it’s important to begin with an explanation of what avatars and Second Life are; Sean Egen explains that ‘Avatar’ derives from the Sanskrit word Avatara, which literally translates as ‘descent,’ specifically, a deliberate descent by a god into the land of mortals. In Hinduism, an avatar is the bodily manifestation of immortal beings… Many who use avatars today are literally approaching it from the point of view that their avatar represents their ‘incarnation’ into the internet.” In contemporary culture, an avatar is our virtual representation.

"Most people are familiar with avatars through video games.  In World of Warcraft(TM), for example, players create avatars then customize their appearance. People also use avatars as icons in instant messaging applications, social networking websites like Facebook(TM) and Twitter(TM) and through their email programs. Avatars are also represented in film and other forms of media. Max Headroom (1986) is an early manifestation of an avatar. The British virtual band Gorillaz (2006) is made up of cartoon figures representing its real life band members. Movies such as Tron (1982), The Lawnmower Man (1992), The Matrix (1999) and Avatar (2009) give examples within the plots of alternate realities in which the person has an alter ego or other persona: an avatar."

"Besides the practical reasons for having an avatar, there are many psychological reasons. Because avatars offer anonymity, people use them as a way to escape reality. In his book I, Avatar, Mark Stephen Meadows discusses how people use avatars as masks. “We are more inclined to reveal ourselves when we use our avatars. We’re more inclined to reveal what we want, dislike, and think. But in a world where information is more important than physical proximity, we are not as safe as we might assume… After all, the word persona originally meant, in ancient Greek, ‘mask.’ Not as in a thing that hides your face, but one that shows what is truly underneath.”

"SL offers people the freedom to explore changing identity dynamics. Experimentation is welcome.  It is a safe environment which allows unlimited freedom to express oneself and consider boundaries/barriers that aren’t readily accepted in the physical world. “Computer screens are becoming the new location for our fantasies… The immateriality of cyberspace dissolves not only space and time, but our identities as well.  For some this is a frightening prospect, for others perhaps the beginnings of a new empowerment.”

“The portraits I am taking have become a documentation of the lives of hundreds of people who to me are fearless. These people (yes I say people, because no matter how we represent ourselves online, we are all people on the other side of the computer) put themselves out there into the brave new world of virtual environments as explorers, searching for anything and everything. They are amazing, creative, soulful people who I am so honored to have in my project."

"Each portrait represents a different personality, a singular life. Each person has a story to tell, a life to live. Does it matter if we know what these stories are? Does it matter if we know who is on the other side of the computer?"

Close up of Atlantis Jewell
From my personal experience, you do indeed reveal more of yourself then you would ever dream of to a complete stranger that you just met all because you feel secure behind your avatar.

Sometimes you are more honest because you are introspective of your Real Life because Second Life allows you to take a step back from RL and can objectively see things that the "noise" in RL sometimes prevents!

Many SLers have avatars called Alts or alternative identities.  I have about five or six Alts, but play exclusively with my Atlantis Jewell identity!  SLers make new identities for many different reasons, to have affairs, to start over, to evade undesirable "friends", to explore childhood again, to name a few.

I have one for creating "human" clothing so the dimensions of my avatar matches other avies.  I also have a Drow, mermaid, demon/vampire, and I have had fun exploring with all of them and I can't remember all the names of my alts!  What is your online face?  Why did you choose your avatar?  For every avie in SL, I believe there is a story to be told.  

Gracie Kendal is telling that story!  I urge you to go and see her on the Coyote sim, "Environment for Creative Minds."

Our avies are our ultimate works of art, they represent who we are at a primal level!  I found my shape first and had it professionally tweaked and then I found my hair, but it took me six months to find a skin maker to do my skin and a couple of redos to finish it, and then magic happened!


Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Best of Halloween in Second Life

Darkness Falls @Pandemonium, Second Life
Creepy.  Spooky.  Scary.  These are what you look for when you want to be scared out of your wits, but can you really get creeped out, after all you are behind a computer!!  Darkness Falls @Pandemonium gave me goosebumps and chills up and down my spine.

The howling wind, moaning cries, and little gnome children playing hide and seek and the lighting effects are truly scary.  A bonus for me was that it hit the creep factor of my basement of the house where I grew up in in Real Life...a truly creepy place!

Enjoy all my creepy pictures on my Facebook album!  This blogger gives this sim two thumbs up!

Island of Fear Haunted Mansion

A good scare preys on our phobias!  This haunted mansion for me was some creepy fun! The wind howling around the mansion; poltergeist girl watching the telly and floating around the house, rats, spiders and clowns! Floating beds and man eating plants!  Blood everywhere and special effects as you sit in the chairs!

And monsters head, skulls, and trapdoors to bemuse and confuse.  This adventurer gives this mansion two thumbs up!

Grimm Shores
With wolves howling and raining brimstone, Grimm Shores is a fun and spooky place.  There is an insane asylum, a haunted house and a spooky boat ride!  The mountains look like they might gush with lava flows at any moment!  

Skulls float in the water indicating that it is too hot to jump into, but it looks so cool!  There is a treasure hunt for you to complete and fun gifts to find!  Enjoy taking special Halloween pictures with your friends!  This is a must visit on your list of haunted sims, I give it two thumbs up!

Who Killed Pixeleen?  Taunt, Second Life
Murder and mayhem is the order of the day on this sim.  Don't think that your HUD isn't working properly because you have to find the clues and the story pages on the sim!  It's a mystery to solve!  Surrounded by fabulous October colors and dark scary skulls and the grim reaper!  Regardless if you solve the mystery or not, the sim is a spooky and grim place to explore!

Along the way you find Halloween gifts from the sim's sponsors.  Bring your friends, solve the mystery and be a "meddling kid!"

Siren Haunted Trail

This haunted trail/maze was the first one that I visited to actually rez for me.  Spiders, skeletons, and ghosts come out to play.  Fun picture taking opportunities to be had here!  Land in Stonehenge and enjoy the maze!
HelloHallows 20XX

When you land here and the land spot rezzes, you will think there is nothing scary to see here, I dare you to click the Halloween pumpkin and see where you go!  A fun, spooky sim where anything can happen!  Most enjoyable!

Sherwood Haunted Forest

This place is truly spooky!  There is nothing that I fear and hate more in Real Life then fog! Imagine my pulse racing when you can barely see through this haunted forest!  This sim is mature and there are some poseballs for all those ghouls who want to "do it" in a cemetery!  
This adventurer rates this spot... SPOOKY!

The Haunted Forest
There is an almost mystical quality about this haunted forest almost as if you were expecting the druids to arise from their sleep and chase the spiders, spirits away and lay to rest the skeletons!

There is a haunted swamp and pumpkin carousel hidden in the forest!

Bloodmoon Haunted Motel
Horror, Grim Reaper, Ghosts, then the most fearful... choose a door if you dare!  What is behind them?  You must come and find out!  Definitely a scare is in store for you!

Looking down the long hallway with even more closed doors with horrible conclusions, this adventurer got the ebbie jeebies and left to see who much scarier the cemetery would be!

With crows calling to one another that prey was in sight and the werewolves howling and the grim reaper following me, it's definitely a spooky place to be!

I felt a little like Little Red Riding Hood as I ambled through the forest!  Grab a friend when you visit here!

I rate this spot SPOOKY!

Halloween Trivia Hunt from AUL Music Gardens
This sim is lag free which was a wonderful thing!  If you love treasure hunts and trivia this is the place for you! All the trivia refers to some aspect of Halloween.  The gifts given are excellent!  Bring your friends and enjoy some Halloween fun!

Spookyville:  Welcome to my Nightmare 2011
Parking in the parking lot are ghosts and their trucks and cars and the grim reaper with his carriage of death!  An insane asylum, haunted house, and cemetery invoke all the creepiness of Halloween!

Arcane Delights
Arcane Delights lives up to its name as it was a delightful discovery of Second Life art combined with the spookiness of Halloween.  This discovery reminded me of my own museum and art gallery!  Well done!

There is a contest going on at the moment of In-World untouched photos only and they are on display from October 24-31st and the winner will be announced on October 28th!  So you have an amazing SL photo that you want to share... do contact belladonna Enchanted!

Beware that the drawbridge is down for a reason... don't go outside.... CREEPY!

A must see for Second Life art lovers!


A Note from Atlantis Jewell:  Many of you will be wondering why I included a Best Of list of sims celebrating Halloween!  One of the arts in Second Life is Sim building, it's difficult as the textures have to just right as do the castles, trees or that dying flower.  


We take for granted the sims that we explore and travel through; the artiste's of the sims are unsung and I felt needed a spotlight!  I hope that you have a wonderful and safe Halloween and dare to be scared!







Saturday, October 15, 2011

Photographic Arts

Learning to take pictures in Second Life (SL) is difficult to master as the avatars tend to move either where your AO puts it or arbitrarily according to where your cursor on your PC is!  However the pictures turn out, it is fun to take them, share them, and post them in blogs, Flickr, or wherever your picture taking creativity takes you.

Early Days
As with any other art form in SL there are those photographers that are one cut above the others, either because they excel at PhotoShop or they have the patience to wade through the lag to take that perfect picture.  I remember my first picture, it was amateurish at best, and so to PhotoShop I went.  

Up to that point I had never done anything in PhotoShop, but I had some videos to watch and I got extremely lucky!  I was very proud of my first doctored picture, however, having no real talent with PhotoShop for a long time, I began looking for someone with the talent to take pictures of my avie.  It took me six months to find a skin maker who transformed my idea of Atlantis into the Elf I am today.  

After that I visited a friend of mine, Roxi Richez who is an absolute wonder at Second Life pictures combined with PhotoShop and I was thrilled with the results.  My favorite picture that she took of me, is of course, my profile picture, which appears in this blog and on my many other profiles pictures.

When I first started taking pictures, I would take them, share them, then doctor them in PhotoShop, and then hang them in Elven Enchantment Museum and Art Gallery, honoring my wives, friends and associates.  There were romantic pictures, noobie pictures, and gruesome pictures all shown in my museum at different times.  I found an astonding amount of gruesome pictures to show off in the Museum for the month of October!

The Grove at Halloween
Taking "the" shot in Second Life is just as hard if not harder to do then in Real Life, but once you have "the" shot it was worth the aggravation that you went through to get it.  I remember taking this picture, it was Halloween and I took hundreds of pictures for this one shot of lightening striking  during a thunderstorm on the grounds outside of my Museum.

Scenery pictures can be difficult to take as you have to have the correct graphics resolutions on your computer.  Some of the SL pictures that I have seen taken of Second Life, you would swear they are really from First Life.  

Some of my favorite pictures are romantic ones with my sweeties or settings where I "accidentally" got "the" shot!  

At the Four Seasons Plaza
Then there are those crazy SL photos you took because you couldn't believe you were "ruthed" or you were not rezzed properly and you turned into a pretzel!  As photographer interacting with a software to take my photos sometimes I see things abnormal things, but I take the picture to see if they are worth keeping and sometimes, I am surprised!

When I took the picture at the right, which was at the Four Season Plaza, my vision was blurring everything; my avie's torso, kept disappearing, and I saw myself walk around in a wig and a skirt; I couldn't see the buildings then when I sat down to take this picture my "vision" turned odd and I snapped the above picture, which I didn't think would turn out, but I like it!

Whether it's your 1st or 1000th picture in Second Life our collage of photographs, bring to mind of things past, enjoyable moments, and hopefully warm our hearts with happiness and smiles.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Art to Wear

Artwork takes on a new form in Second Life with the ability to purchase clothing, which in of themselves is artwork, but this artiste takes artwork one step further... a painting transformed into a dress, evening wear, and night wear!

Chrysanthemums, Pierre Renior (1841-1919) painted circa. 1881/82
For example, Renoir painted a painting called, Chrysanthemums painted circa. 1881/82.  The painting is just beautiful!  Now, Thera Taurog takes this painting and makes clothing with it!

Additionally, she takes paintings by Dali, Rembrandt, and Georgia O'Keefe, to name a few, and turns them into beautiful works of art to wear!

Thera Taurog's shop is set in an absolutely beautiful build of the Four Season's Plaza, which is beautifully done in white marble, has beautiful stone carvings, artwork, and statuary gracing grounds and is a totally understated  and elegant. 

The clothing we wear in Second Life is an form of art all by itself.  Most clothiers use PhotoShop to make their clothing and upload it to Second Life... I have tried making clothes and it's hard... I have also made prim clothing and that's just as hard... even with a machine!

So when I see beautiful artwork combined with the art of making clothing!  I am stunned and delighted by the results.  It's a must see to purchase and wear!

Dress:  by Thera Taurog

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Fractal Art

As I was deciding on what next to write about, I saw an advert in the Destination Guide for a fractal art gallery and ernestly I hoped, that it would be my friend Spiral Silverstar's Gallery.  It was not, and what a disappointment that gallery was, no passion that I have associated with fractal artwork since I met Spiral back in November 2007, he was the second artiste to have a live gallery showing at my Museum!

I immediately wondered if Spiral was still in Second Life, sure enough, he changed his name to The Spiral and has a gallery full of passionate fractal artwork!

What is fractal artwork?  Is the use of math and shapes lined up to be symmetrical and flowing in a design that captures your imagination.  To quote Spiral Silverstar, "Simply put, fractals are shapes which show similar features at different sizes. Much as a very close inspection of a rock can show similar features to an aerial view of a mountain, fractal shapes are characterized by this property of self-similarity."  (Elven Enchantment Museum and Art Gallery Blog, November 2007, used with permission.)

I am absolutely delighted to rediscover his artwork!  In my opinion it is still the best artwork in Second Life!  And his gallery features the art on the walls, but in the middle of the gallery are tall trees, magical flowers, and fractal sculptures.  A couch is on one side of the gallery so you can sit and chat with friends while enjoying the ambiance.

A new add to his gallery since I last saw him, is his scripted/morphing fractals that move in the picture frame.  Sorry, but the artwork here is not quite scripted art and not morphing art either, but a pleasing combination of the two!

And surprisingly, the gallery is lag free!  Many Second Lifer's know exactly what I mean... most gallery's lag like crazy!  Well done ... Sprial!

Lastly, Spiral is a fractal artiste in Real Life too.  His work has won many awards over the years.  Go and enjoy them as he features these in his gallery as well!  Congrats to Spiral!

In the opinion of this blogger, The Spiral Art Gallery is NOT to be missed!

Twisted Fairy Tales

Once Upon a Time...
Chapter One

Do you remember the tales of our childhood?  Take a look at the them, Twisted!  Ask the Mirror on the Wall whose the Fairest of them all?  

You will think you are sitting down, but be warned you will be Snow White!  Tour the Seven Dwarf's Diamond Mine, and take a peek at their treasure!

Get a spot of ice skating in and dance with your friends!

Chapter Two!

When you land in Chapter Two you are not quite sure what to expect as its dark, but you see a glimmer of light ahead and you move in to look and it's a boat!  A great place to take some pictures with a waterfall behind you!

You may not have seen, as I didn't not, but there is zip line over the waterfalls!  Be sure to climb the "rope" in front of the boat!  Enjoy discovering the tower, which will be sure to make you laugh as only you can in Second Life! 

This part of the world is meant to be viewed at midnight, believe me I checked my settings to see how it would look at another time of day, but it's built to be viewed at night!

It took me a minute to remember my stories while I climbing another vine... I was headed to Jack's home via the beanstalk!  You land on a picnic blanket with giant food, be careful or you might get squashed like a bug!

Whew, you escaped!  Brave the waterfall and dry off in a cozy cave complete with a rug with pose balls and enjoy your sweetie!  After you are done romping around with your babes, take a shower in the outdoor pool!  Then dance the night away and enjoy your fairy friends!  (No pun intended!)

Chapter Three

Watch out!  You're in a cave!  Beware!  It looks like you have landed in the middle of hell, but you see gold on the ground, hmm, a buried city?  Maybe it's Atlantis!  Not!

You have dropped into an enchanted forest could it be Alice in Hell, I mean Wonderland?  Enter into the forest and you don't find a witch, but a dance floor!  Walking back into the main chamber and allowing my eyes to adjust, I realize that I am hotter then you know what and spy a vein of flowing lava!

This chamber hides a dragons treasure!  Be sure to leave a tip as lots of these areas operate on shoestring budget!  I hope you enjoyed your twisted fairy tales as much as I did!  Amarande is a a fun spot to explore!

Fairy Tale Land

I love the enchanted lands on Second Life and this is my first time writing about the unique appearance of such a placed called Cerridwen's Cauldron Main Gallery.  Yes, they have magical artwork for sale in the midst of an enchanted forest!

The main feature is the Tree of Life in the Middle of the forest, from this point they have huge trees growing up towards the sky and nestled in the limbs of the trees are homes, spots to rest and chat; look closely out into space and enjoy the floating art gallery in the sky!

If you dare to walk on the forest floor you will find poisonous mushroom spewing their spores into the air and the grass glows with otherworldly magic!

Look closely at the wood it's magically sculpted into dragons holding a fortuneteller's globes and there eyes glow blue, green, and red.
There are plants with blue veins indicating magical qualities... this Gallery is a piece of art in itself and the artwork is lovely.

The artwork feature beings of Otherworlds!  Enjoy a romantic day with your sweetie being enchanted!