Tag: Art 2024

I recently received a series of invites to visit the Michiel Bechir Gallery in Second Life and witness the July 2026 / summer exhibition there, which features four artist-photographers, three of whom present images from Second life, and the fourth photographs taken in the physical worlds and scaled for presentation in-world. Of the four, two follow clearly-stated themes, whilst the remaining two appear more free-form, albeit with undertows of emotions themes.

Through My Eyes by Lo Coeur, is a personal catalogue of her journeys through Second Life – journeys she undertakes with a positive outlook which is reflected in the bright, and in some cases suitably saturated, colours found within many of the pieces presented. Lo additionally uses a mix of styles and tone with which to present moods within several of the pieces (take, Light, Lonely, and Sky on the Water for example), whilst the use of saturation can both enhance the mood of a piece (Misty Mountain)  and encourage focus (Passion, for example).

Rich and inviting, these are pieces that help reveal the magic of exploring SL.

Each photograph in this gallery tells a story. Not just of places and things, but of feelings, of life. Of the quiet beauty that surrounds us every day, if we stop to look. … We chose these photos not because they are perfect, but because they are honest. They capture the world as it is: messy, beautiful, fragile, and resilient. They invite you to pause. To reflect. To feel.

Rebeka Demjórus Tƶimişce (RebekaNLady) introducing her exhibition

Thus Rebeka introduces a collection of 17 photographs captured in the real world which are as rich in colour as they are in subject matter. Their sweeping range encompasses riverside views, woodlands and parks, macro studies of flowering plants, reflections on water rich in reeds or the natural detritus of nature accumulating in shallows – and more. How we respond to them – the feelings or emotions they might cause is, obviously, entirely personal and not something to be ascribed here. All I will say is that all of them do hold the eye and present outlooks on life that might easily be missed if they are looked at too quickly, with the two offered purely in monochrome perhaps conveying a deeper sense of personal message than the others.

There is no introduction for the collection of 14 pieces presented by Karma Nirvana – and one simply is not required. These are pieces which speak quietly but firmly, each with a distinctive voice, of the beauty and wonder of Second Life.

I confess that I’m not sure if I’ve witnessed Karma’s work in the past, but if that is the case then it is to my loss. These are pieces captured in some of Second Life’s most familiar public regions – Loch Tredach, The Far Away, Grand Harbor Isle and so on – which may to some be instantly recognisable, but here are given new depth and meaning thanks to Karma’s use of subject, focus, angle, cropping and post-processing. Whilst no over-arching theme may have been intended here, each piece is in and of itself deeply emotive.

In Reflections, photographer Michiel Bechir invites visitors into a world where surfaces, shadows and mirrored light reveal more than they conceal. Each image captures a moment in which reality folds back onto itself – water becomes memory, glass becomes emotion and architecture becomes a quiet echo of the avatar observing it.

– The introduction to Michiel Bechir’s collection Reflections

And so through a series of 12 images, Michiel takes us on a journey across Second Life, each piece offering a singular view that is subtly split through the use (most often) by reflection, encouraging us to look as much below – so to speak (or in the foreground in most cases)  as what might be taken as the primary subject within it. These are pieces where the play of light on water, of the rippling reflections and refractions of the world above are, together with lighting and tone, the drivers of our emotional responses to each image. Relying most particularly on the use of EEP settings more than post-processing, these are works all waiting to tell a story to the ears that are ready to hear.

Four excellent and engaging exhibitions sitting under a single roof.

SLurl Details

• Michiel Bechir Gallery (Embrace, rated Adult)

Now open at the Serena Arts Centre and Plaza is an ensemble art exhibition with something of a seasonal taste, given this time of year tends to be the time of stories, tales and magical fables, whilst also being suited to any time of the year.

Fairy Tales or the Magical Power of Dream Worlds brings together BelleAllure, Captainofmysoul, Dantelios, JanaOrchid, Mystic Audion, Sheba Blitz, Raven Cedarbridge, Barret Darkfold, Evelyn Irelund, Hermes Kondor, Pagan Lane, Magda Schmidtzau, AmandaT Tamatzui, Vita Theas and Pask Wasp, with Christian Carter providing a marvellous homage to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Each artist has been invited to submit two images on the subject of fairy tales and dreams, with the organisers describing the exhibition thus:

From past to present, fairy tales have inspired visual, decorative and performing arts. From theatre to opera, ballet, painting, sculpture, textile and cinema. Inspired by the tales in the saga, every artist fed and improved the next generation of stories with their own unique touch. Let’s embark together on a journey to dream worlds.

– Introduction to Fairy Tales or the Magical Power of Dream Worlds

The art itself encompasses multiple genres and formats: original art uploaded to Second Life; photography captured from within Second Life, digital art created with AI assistance, avatar-centric pieces, abstract art, and more.

This results in a richly diverse selection of art, and an excellent way for those perhaps new to art in Second Life to witness an engaging cross-section of artistic expression from around the globe. All have something to say in an of themselves and the over-arching theme, but I confess to being drawn to Vita Theas’ pairing of images, which come with a folktale and poem respectively (both penned by Vita). The story is that of Elder Leaf and the Ice Warrior, the other a poem of the sea, life and cycles.  Alongside of Vita’s pieces I came close to falling in love with Pask Wasp’s beautiful interpretations of two classic tales: Tom Thumb and Sleeping Beauty.

All told, an engaging exhibition and worth taking time to see.

SLurl Details

• Serena Arts Centre and Plaza (Serena Hub, rated Moderate)

Currently open at the Michiel Bechir Gallery in Second Life over the 2024 end-of year holidays through into the New Year, is a seasonal exhibition of art and photography featuring displays by four photographers and artists, together with a small art gift market.

The four featured artists are: gallery owner Michiel Bechir, together with curator Maggie Reno, both of whom have displays on the ground floor of the gallery; with Sophie (Ishtar7Inanna) and yours truly occupying the two upper floor halls. The individual collections on display range in number from 10 to 14 images, with the majority of the picture featuring wintertime landscapes, into which indoor images celebrating the season and avatar studies have been mixed.

I truly embrace the beauty and comfort of winter and December! The season seems to bring to me a sense of peace, joy, and connection. The imagery of the colours, smells, the sound of rain and the warmth of home captures a cosy, reflective atmosphere.

It’s wonderful how the contrast of snowy landscapes and seasonal colours can make even the simplest detail feel special. 

– Maggie Reno, introducing her images

With her images, Maggie reflects her comments on the season by presenting a combination of outdoor and indoor images. The former, with their snowy landscapes almost monochrome in tone, thanks to the snow and skies, in which sudden bursts of rich colour – particularly a seasonal red – burst through; thus they encourage us to experience both the physical coldness of crisp winter days and the emotional warmth Maggie references. The indoor images, meanwhile, speak to winter comforts of family, celebration, love and contentment.

Each of my works captures something different, yet together they forma kaleidoscope – a reflection of how I see the world. 

These pieces are stories of life told as it is: filled with joy and sorrow, love and loneliness, but always illuminated by a glimmer of hope for something better. 

– Sophie, on her selection of images entitled Kaleidoscope

Sophie’s exhibit is perhaps the most broad in terms of content, featuring winter seasonal images mixed with those presenting a mix of warmer scenes and autumnal-looking settings. All are evocative and attractive, as are the avatar studies also included in this 14-piece collection.

Step into the serene beauty of winter through the lens of Michiel Bechir. This captivating collection of 12 photographs explores the quiet magic of the season, showcasing both breath-taking landscapes and intimate portraits of of people amidst the winter’s embrace.

– The introduction to Michiel Bechir’s collection Winter in Focus

Rich in tone and content, Michiel’s pieces largely focus on landscapes and settings. Each offers something of a story of the season within its frame: embarking on a winter holiday, possibly at a special retreat; the beckoning peace of the country land drifted in snow; the beauty of frosted, denuded trees seemingly on parade; the promise of a warm fire within the stout walls of comfortable cabin after a long walk through a snow-blanketed landscape, and more.

For my part, I’ve simply tried to express the sheer beauty of places I’ve visited over the winter months across the last decade. Each is a place I’ve especially appreciated and which has been lovingly created for us to enjoy. I hope they encourage you in your explorations of Second Life.

Outside of the gallery and around the ice rink, is a set of 10 cabins. Nine offer a gift of an image from an artist – Raven Arcana, Tegan Tenby, TaniaAltAlbatros, Jamina Moon, Emma Jane, Sophie (Ishtar7Inanna), Hannah Starlight, Prins Evergarden and Charlotte Belladonna. The tenth offers Christmas greetings from the Gallery’s team.

SLurl Details

• Michiel Bechir Gallery (Embrace, rated Adult)

Alex Bader is a name in Second Life synonymous with some of the best landscaping kits and texture sets available for use in-world (his work also being available to other platforms as well). For my part, he is one of the two landscape and plant creators who are pretty much my go-to names in Second Life when it comes to landscaping, either at home or on behalf of friends (the other being Cube Republic).

However, what many among Alex’s friends and customers may not know – and I count myself as being in both categories – is that Alex is a skilled and high-regarded graphics artist and landscape painter in the physical world. As a graphics artist, his work has won international design awards and his clients have included the Scottish Ballet, Glasgow School of Art, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow Art Fair, Glasgow Jazz Festival and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

From the above list of clients, it is probably obvious that Alex hails from Scotland, where he became inspired by his father’s watercolour landscapes and love of the Scottish countryside. This stirred his own interest in and passion for both the Scottish countryside and expressing its beauty in art through both photography and painting, as well as contributing to his involvement in 3D graphics design.

I spend a lot of time enjoying the landscape, whether walking the dog through forest and on beaches or cycling in the hills and woodland of Scotland. So it’s almost inevitable that I feel the need to communicate the impact this has on me. Whether through photography, design or painting – the result is always the same process of observation, discovery and expression.

– Alex Bader, discussing his passion for art

As an artist, Alex has seen his images and paintings exhibited across Scotland, each piece finely crafted and exquisitely capturing scenes and places in all of their allure and elegance. Whilst his father worked in watercolours, Alex has come to prefer oils for his art, painting out of his studio rather than in the field, using reference images and sketches of the location he intends to reproduce on canvas. His work also ranges form expressive realism, rich in detail and beautifully representative of a subject, through to more abstracted landscapes.

In painting, my main aim is to convey the rich textural detail of the landscape using loose, expressive brushwork while remaining true to the colour and values of nature. Through this combination, I hope to engage the audience on multiple levels – to draw the viewer in to the scene with a real sense of place while exciting the eye artistically.

– Alex Bader, discussing his passion for art

All of this is now available for Second Life residents to appreciate for themselves, as Alex has opened an in-world gallery where limited edition digital copies of his physical world landscape art can be admired and purchased. Situated in one of Alex’s own building designs – The White Loft Skybox Interior Space (I should mention I am also a fan of Alex’s buildings, owning both his Beach House and Forest Cabin, both of which I regard as superb) – the gallery is a clean, no-nonsense space perfect for displaying art.

Pictures are displayed framed and sized to a realistic scale for home display in-world, with each piece limited to just 10 copies. As a particular piece is sold out, I understand Alex plans to replace it with another on the same limited edition basis. Given that each image is limited in number, purchases are not made through the displayed copy of a painting; instead, payment is made by clicking on one of white sales cubes located under each painting. As purchases are made, cubes turn from white to red and reduce in size, making it very easy to see how many copies of a given painting remain available.

Nor are people limited to just having Alex’s paintings in-world; the original oil paintings can also be purchased in the physical world as a part of a cross-over exhibition”. All of the originals are available via a dedicated part of the Studio Skye website,  also called Landscapes by Alex. As with the limited digital copies, each painting is individually priced – and this price includes international shipping costs (all painting sold unframed for ease of shipping).

Whether seen in-world or on-line, Alex’s paintings are a delight to behold, and will grace any home, physical or virtual, so do please be sure to hop along and see for yourself.

Related Links

• Landscapes by Alex in-world store (Skye Elgol, rated General)
• Landscapes by Alex on-line
• Landscapes by Alex physical world gallery shop

Now open at the main gallery at Monocle Man, is an exhibition of Second Life landscape photographic art by Vanessa Jane (VanessaJane66). While Vanessa does not limit her photography SL landscapes, it is this aspect of her work that I particularly admire, so I appreciate any opportunity to view and potentially review her exhibitions.

Entitled The Fading Year, the exhibition at The Monocle Man features images of the latter half of the year, with the autumn months located in the lobby area of the gallery and continuing up the stairs to the smaller of the two exhibition rooms, while the main galleried hall is devoted to regions caught in the midst of winter.

Thus we have fields of fall’s gold (to play slightly on words), streets where leaves skitter in the breeze across cobbles or are pinned to the surfaces of roads by the rain, and crops await their harvesting; all separated by a short step from foggy winter mornings, trails blankets by snow, trees dusted by frost and lodges overlooking frozen lakes.

Presented in a large format and available for sale, these are pieces perfectly capturing autumn and winter and all that might be considered romantic about them. Each piece is cropped and framed to near-perfection (with some simply sublime in their framing – like The Horse through the Trees), and very much suitable for hanging in any Second Life home. Some of the regions in which they were taken will likely be familiar to Second Life travellers, other perhaps less so; however, whether the location itself is recognised or not doesn’t really matter; just enjoy the beauty of each piece.

An engaging and seasonal exhibition.

SLurl Details

Monocle Man Gallery (Club Hub, rated Adult)