Day: October 27, 2022

Innovations in portraiture in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Innovations in Portraiture: Cayla (YumiYukimura)

Innovations in Portraiture is the name of a new gallery in Second Life which celebrated its formal opening on October 15th, 2022.

The gallery is the joint work of Cayla (YumiYukimura) and Addie (adeleberry408), and is intended to act as a showcase for their respective art. Despite featuring the word “portraiture” within the title, the gallery covers a far broader spectrum of art than portraiture itself.

Innovations in Portraiture: Addie (adeleberry408)

Addie is a relative newcomer to the Second Life art world, her work focusing on Second Life landscapes. Within the gallery she offers Scenes of a Virtual World, a collection of 18 images captured from around Second Life which share a raw beauty that is more than likely recognised by anyone who has become caught in the world of potentials offered by Second Life photography.

These are images very much “as-seen” by the the camera’s eye, reliant on only EEP settings and the artist’s viewpoint, and sans post-processing. Hence my use of the term “raw”; it’s not in any way negatively, but rather to emphasise the honesty contained within these images that – in an age where everything captured in-world is so often post-processed and enhanced – is genuinely refreshing, open and attractive.

Innovations in Portraiture: Cayla (YumiYukimura)

In the physical world, Cayla is photographer and graphics artist. In particular, she specialises in what might be referred to as hybrid art – marking her current spread of work at the gallery the second encounter I’ve had with the format in recent weeks (see also: A gallery of dreams in Second Life), although Cayla’s work offers a new dimension to the format.

Her art starts with AI images prompted by a descriptive and sensory vocabulary. While multiple images may be produced, Cayla selects one for further processing through Adobe Photoshop to produce either a standalone image, or a possible backdrop for use with her avatar portraiture. This combination of AI generated image and avatar photography adds an additional layer to Cayla’s hybrid work.

Innovations in Portraiture: Cayla (YumiYukimura)

Within the ground level of the gallery, Cayla presents a remarkable selection of highly sensuous flower paintings, generated through AI which are, to say the least, utterly stunning. They are bracketed by a series of character portraits on the ground floor of the gallery, and a richly engaging series built around the theme of elves – a subject always close to my heart.

Two very different artists linked by a common love of art and expression, Addie and Cayla offer a lot to see and appreciate (I do recommend Cayla’s essay on AI art as well, available through an easel in the gallery), and a look forward to future visits and seeing more of their work.

Innovations in Portraiture: Cayla (YumiYukimura)

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A touch of artistic self-promotion in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Exhibition poster

I’m taking time out from regular art reviews to engage in an irregular bit of self-promotion. Opening at the Kondor Art Garden, a part of the the Kondor Art Centre, on Thursday, October 27th, 2022, is an exhibition of art entitled Masters of Landscape Photography.

The exhibition features the work of two individuals, Vanessa Jane – an accomplished Second Life photographer-artist – and moi, and is itself one is a series of exhibitions utilising the title and featuring pairs of artists to take place at the Art Garden.

I’m frankly – and genuinely – flattered to be asked to exhibit alongside Vanessa, who is is an artist in the physical world (and holds and arts degree), and is thus able to bring the eye, training and sensibilities of her physical world artistry to Second Life. This is clearly and fully demonstrated in  the selection of pieces she presents within the Kondor Art Garden, all of which demonstrate she is fully deserving of the title afforded the exhibition. Through her work, she has been one of a number of talented individuals who has – albeit indirectly – helped me to improve my abilities with the SL camera, although I still have a lot to learn.

Kondor Art Garden: Vanessa Jane

The exhibition of our work opens at noon SLT today, Thursday October 27th, 2022, with music provided by the talented DJ Tulsa Sapphire, who will be spinning a mix from the 80s, together with taking requests from those who attend the opening. I very much hope that in reading this, you’ll opt to hop along and join us for the party, or that you’ll find the time in the course of the next month to pay the exhibit a visit.

My sincere thanks to Hermes Kondor, owner and curator of the Kondor Art Centre for both extending an invitation to exhibit at the Garden, and for encouraging me to do so.

Kondor Art Centre: c’est moi!

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