Tag: Art 2018

Open now on the upper floor of the Visions of Beauty Gallery 2 is an exhibition of physical world art by Kayly Iali, featuring pieces from her sketchbook as well as paintings. Untitled, so far as I could tell, the exhibition includes 11 pen-and-ink architectural sketches, together with a selection of what appear to be pen-and-watercolour paintings, to offer a total of 28 images (including what might be regarded as the “title” image to be appreciated.

I’ve long admired the skill of those who can draw or paint – I lack any such abilities in either sphere – and I also have a love of architecture, so this exhibition really appeals to me. The pen-and-ink drawing, showing specific elements of buildings, coupled with the angle from which they have been captured, are marvellous exercises in art and perspective. They present not just the form of their building subject, but also its very nature; there is a wonderful beauty in the aspects Kayly has chosen to capture, the lines, materials, angles, that each of the buildings see offer here seems to be very much alive.

The breath of life is very much in evidence in the paintings facing the sketches from across the gallery space. These comprise a range of subjects, from people through to architecture by way of nature. Most of these – perhaps because of their use of colour – offer not some much standalone images, as might be said of the pen-and-ink sketches, but vignettes; scenes of broader stories caught within their  frames. Just what are Heather and Lucy sketching? What is the raptor trainer telling us about the bird perched on his glove? Where will the story of the woman nursing her child take us?

Capped by a set of four painted architectural pieces that form a natural link between paintings and sketches (which particularly work if visitors follow the tendency to turn to the right at the top of the stairs to the display space), this is a genuinely delightful exhibit. My congratulations, also, to Kayly on her selection to be part of the 2018 (?) Crocker/Kingsley Art Competition – one of 75 artists to be selected out of 1,200 applicants!

When visiting Kayly’s work, do take time as well to enjoy the exhibition of digital geometric art by Giselle Seeker on the ground floor of the gallery building, and more of Sisi Biedermann’s wildlife and fantasy art, some of which I wrote about recently, and which lies on the mid-level of the gallery building.

SLurl Details

• Visions of Beauty Art Complex Gallery 2 (Whinlatter, rated: Moderate)

Now open at the Diomita Plaza Gallery / R&D Gallery is an exhibition by LuAnne Anatine (LeeLu Anatine) entitled Whimsy and Fantasy, which opened on July 16th, 2018.

An artist / illustrator in the physical world, LuAnne focuses on fantasy and nature art as her core themes, and she has brought her art into Second Life for a broader audience to appreciate and enjoy – and I am, for one, pleased that she has.  On display are 18 pieces of her work, all of which are available for purchase at a very modest price, which perfectly exemplify her expressions of both fantasy and nature.

These really are delightful pieces, each an individual study, rather than a scene or setting. Everyone of them is captivating to the eye, with most rich in colour, adding to their natural depth and beauty.

Some of the pieces, while individual studies, suggest they are part of a broader narrative, enticing the eye and imagination to consider what the story might be. Others, such as the charming and attractive Colours of Winter (right) simply stand on their own, inviting appreciation purely in their own right, without the need for thoughts of wider story.

What is also special about this exhibition is the fact the LuAnne provides insight into how she produces her art.

My method of painting is a mix of traditional and digital, which is painted in Photoshop and Corel Painter. The line work is drawn for each painting, then is scanned into Photoshop, where it is painted digitally in a traditional manner using a Wacom Cintiq painting and drawing tablet.

– LuAnne Anatine describing her technique

We often talk in terms of virtual environments like Second life presenting artists with a means by which they might reach much broader audiences their work might otherwise attract, but it is also fair to say the reverse is also true.

By visiting exhibitions like Whimsy and Fantasy, we are given an opportunity to discover and enjoy the work of artists and talents whom we might otherwise never get to appreciate in the physical world. Hence why I tend to find exhibitions like this one a very valid field of virtual world art and expression, and always encourage others to take the time to visit.

“Art is an incredible joy for me,” LuAnne states. “It’s my link to the universal river that connects us all.” By displaying and offering her art in-world, she presents us with the opportunity to connect with her as well.

SLurl Details

• Diomita Plaza Gallery (Gigli Waves, rated: Moderate)

When thinking about art is Second Life, the mind perhaps tends to focus on thoughts of paintings and photographs and sculptures and 3D models. It’s rare that why immediately think of the written word as a form of art in SL, despite the extensive use of the spoken word in readings and performance pieces like plays and musicals.

So it was with a degree of pleasure I found myself at the Lin C Art Gallery, which is – through until the 10th of August, 2018 – hosting an exhibition of the poems of Tim Timaru.

Occupying two levels within the gallery, Tim’s poems are presented framed within images that help define the mood and tone of the written word. Most of these images have been taken from the physical world, but some have come from Second Life.  In terms of subject matter, many of the poems are focused on a subject close to many a poet’s heart: love and relationships (and loss). Others are perhaps more philosophical in nature, questioning or seeking to challenge our perspective. All cause the grey cells to cogitate as the eye appreciates the accompanying images.

Most of the pieces here stand as a perfect fusion of image and words giving rise to a response from within us. But some reveal just how liberating the medium of Second Life might be for a poet as much as a photographer, painter or builder. Words are, by their nature, static. Once arranged and written, their metre and measure generally points towards a single interpretation. But within Second Life, the poet has a certain freedom: words unchanged can be presented side-by-side, but with different images to underpin them, rendering their interpretation dynamic.

Take The Deck and The Deck 2, in this exhibition, for example. Both are the same poem, but where the image of one presents a couple walking hand-in-hand up a crystal-like staircase leading to a cabin floating idyllically against a night sky, the second offers images of a coastal setting behind a wind-blown sky coloured by a sunset. Thus, with the first image, we’re encouraged to think of the poem in terms of togetherness and what is and what will be; poem and image are together, uplifting. However the second leads us in a different direction. Here, perhaps, is not promise, but regret; no looking forward to what is now beginning and will grow, but what has passed and what was – and will never be again.

With playful tickles of humour, considered reflections on life and love, echoes of Eliot and even Shakespeare (in form if not in words), this is an enchanting collection of poems and images; an absolute delight for any lover of the written word.

SLurl Details

• Lin C Art Gallery (Hana Aloha, rated: Moderate)

Starz Art Corner is a Mainland boutique art gallery operated and curated by StarZ (StarZ33 McCullough). at the time of my visit, it was hosting four exhibitions: the three lower floor display areas offering works by DJ Silky (Sandralee Palianta), Baub Alred (Baub Clarity), and Sisi Biedermann respectively; the upper floor devoted to a special and personal display of art by StarZ herself.

I’ve always enjoyed Sisi’s art within Second Life; her paintings are always engaging, rich in colour and pleasing to the eye. At Starz Art Corner she presents what is probably my favourite among her many exhibitions: Wild Animals in Art. It’s an exhibit that presents exactly what it says on the introductory poster: wild animals as the subject of art. It does so in the most endearing and eye-catching of ways: the animals presented against – or as part of, in some cases – tiled mosaics of the most vibrant colours.

In viewing these paintings, it’s tempting to use the phrase, “lions and foxes and bears, oh my!” (in difference to the fact there’s no painting of a tiger here), but this runs the risk of trivialising the sheer beauty of the pieces on offer, which fully deserve to be seen first-hand. They are truly marvellous pictures in which the animals and birds come across as very much alive even when – as with the wolves and the elephant – seemingly a part of the mosaic background.

Flanking Sisi to one side is Baub Alred, a digital artist who uses physical world people as the inspiration for his art, which can tend to focus on ” the area of magic, mythos, & the macabre”.

For Starz, he presents some 13 pieces which definitely – thanks to the frequent inclusion of a little ghost, as well as the appearance the odd skull and foggy backdrop – have a decidedly Halloween feel to them. These are again marvellous pieces, beautifully executed, each with a sense of fun that is often finely juxtaposed with a more serious leaning title.

To the other side of Sisi’s exhibition is DJ Silky, who presents 19 pieces of 2D part and one 3D element – a large vase with an animated texture. There is a rich variety of styles and subject here: with five monochrome pen-and-ink pictures face off against coloured painting comprising acrylics on canvas, vector paintings, house paint on plywood and a set of very unique 2D representations of scenes painted inside wooden wine boxes.

There is a richness and depth to all of these pieces that is again incredible and which definitely holds the eye; the monochrome drawings and two vector painting in particular captivating me.

Dark Times is offered at the title for StarZ’s exhibition on the upper floor of the gallery. It’s a deeply personal exhibition with a series of dark themes:  verbal abuse, depression and alcoholism – but it is also about happiness and survival, as StarZ notes. As such, she offer the pieces within the exhibition as both a means of reflecting on her own dark times, and also to offer those who are facing their own struggles and demons a sign that life can move beyond what might seem to be the most insurmountable barriers and horrifying depths of pain and depression.

The dark sounding theme of this exhibition contrasts strongly with the rich use of bold and primal colours in many of the images presented. However, colour can often be a means to define moods, emotions, feelings – love, anger, hurt, pain, resentment – that the depth of colour in these images is entirely appropriate, both in terms of giving voice to those emotions and responses felt by the artist and, conversely, as a means to demonstrate that even in our darkest moments light – as exemplified by colour – can prevail.

Abstract and expressive, Dark Times is a powerful display of art, one that hold a person within a personal mix of emotions and responses which can in turn further draw them deeper into the substance of this exhibit.

Individually and collectively, these four exhibitions make for an engaging and provocative visit without the visitor being necessarily overwhelmed by any one of them. All of which makes time spend at Starz Art Corner very worthwhile.

SLurl Details

• Starz Art Corner (Draconis, rated: Moderate)