The art of Grazietta Blauvelt in Second Life

“When I put on paper or canvas a thought, a dream or something real, seen with my  eyes or perceived by my imagination, my concern is not that the others understand,” Grazietta Blauvelt (Grazietta Cazenove) says of her art. “But that [by] looking at those traits and those colours. they are able to get excited and to give a personal interpretation of what catches their eye from my paintings.”

I was recently able to experience this first hand, having received a landmark to the Ocean Inside Me Gallery, where Grazietta displays her work. I cannot in all honesty remember who passed the information on to me – my apologies to whomever it was; parts of the holiday season have become a bit of a blur so much was going on. But I offer my thanks, as it made for an enjoyable visit.

The gallery sits within a watery location, a set of round stepping-stones crossing the water from the landing point to the entrance. These bordered on one side by a 3D work by Gwen Ferox (violetile), and a story framed by a series of Grazietta’s paintings. Both reflect Grazietta’s love of narrative and in people allowing their imagination free rein.

Occupying the multiple rooms of the gallery’s two floors, Grazietta’s art spans a broad spectrum of formats: crayon, oil, watercolour, digital and pencil, with many encompassing two formats – oil and digital, oil and pencil, etc. The subject matter ranges from landscapes to portraiture to abstract, with many – most? – of the pieces exhibiting a bold use of colour and / or strong contrasts in their content – I found myself being constantly drawn back to Volando (“Flying” – seen to the left of the middle image in this article), for example such is the magnificent contract between what appeared to be a digitally post-processed photograph and an oil painted butterfly in full vibrant colour.

This are pieces filled with stories, ideas, imaginings and more,  as richly diverse as the styles used in their creation, all set within an environment which encourages one to linger. This is not only because of the comfortable chairs and opportunities to sit down found within the various rooms, but because Grazietta has extended her art into the very structure of the building, by re-texturing walls and stairways with some of her art.

All of the art is available for purchase, and a guest book is available for those wishing to leave a comment.

SLurl Details

• Ocean Inside Me Gallery (Meridian Bay, rated: Moderate)