Friday, January 31, 2014

Big Sun

On the Edge of the World

Ages ago, Torley Linden made a ton of Windlights and released the to the wild, and Firestorm picked them up and made them part of their browser, a real gift to the grid. One set of those windlights are called BIG SUN, and they are exactly what they say - Windlights with enormous, bright, overpowering suns. They are particularly difficult windlights to photograph, though if one can manage it the effect is stunning, because of how extreme the light is, and how enormous the sun is. When I realized I had another empty sim to play with, this one with a stone texture on the ground which looked fantastic through the water, I simply couldn't resist another round of playing with a BIG SUN windlight - this one a favorite of mine due to the stunning shades of purple and blue visible outside of the blindingly white sun. I also pulled out my mirror water setting, though I ended up tinting it a greyish color to heighten the effect of the gray stone as much as I could while enjoying flawless reflections. This was a very difficult set to pick and choose through; I loved so many of these images and felt like each of them highlighted different aspects of the lighting, shadows, sky, and cloud textures.

Me in My Shadow

Because the main focus was on the lighting and reflections, all of the images I took were distance shots rather than fashion shots. Usually, I try to do a variety of shots that mostly focus on my looks where the setting is important, but not central. This is partly an artifact of the face that I started out focused on my sartorial choices, and partly a response to the increasing number of blogpost I do where I'm reviewing clothes. It was odd to take a major step back from my usual Head Shot, Portrait, Full Look, Shoe Shot, Long Distance cycle because the focus had shifted so much toward the setting itself, in all of it's bareness. I had fun figuring out ways to combine light, shadow, and reflection all into a single image - my full presence hinted at but not fully realized. Once I got started it was meditative; turn, pose, find the light I want, adjust the angle, shoot. There is a total focus which sometimes kicks in when one is fully engaged in what one is doing, and I found that focus during these shots. They are the very definition of a derivative work, everything created by others with myself as the mere photographer, but I am very glad I had Torley's BIG SUN Windlights to inspire me.

Me and My Shadow

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cherry
Bow: katat0nik, Dolly Vines
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Jewelry: EarthStones, Butterfly
Nails: A:S:S, Precious 2
Dress: Schadenfreude, Into the Woods
Shoes: G Field, Lace Up Boots "Gina"

Pose: Olive Juice

Location: LEA11
Light Settings: TOR, BIG SUN Awwwwwwyeah
Water Settings: Mirror Water

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Artsy Sunshine

Sheltered Gold

I ended up taking advantage of the two unworked LEA sims for some water pictures I often don't get a chance to - enormous water settings. I love playing with reflections, and now I get to see how reflections and shadows work together to make a complete image. I also ended up making a monochromatic look - all in shades of yellow - which was rather fun. I was inspired by this dress from Lark which had been on sale for a twenty four hour window I missed (damn you, time), but which was still more than lovely at it's full price. The second I saw this bright, clear yellow I knew which I wanted; I'm not an enormous yellow fan in general, but this one was so bright and astonishing that I simply couldn't resist. I also really liked the shape - a casual and loose shift with and angled hem. It's very simplicity is what makes the bright color work; anything more ornate would be overpowering. I paired it with jewelry from Virtual Impressions, though in this case the included yellow wasn't quite bright enough to match, and so I ended up tinting it. I was aiming for something as simple as the dress, and these floating pearls fit the bill beautifully. My one wish would have been for a bracelet to add to the set, something simple but dripping; I tried filling in a few things from my inventory, but nothing quite worked, so in the end I went bare. I did move the hoop earrings out to the tips of my ears, though, which is something I often do when my hair, in this case a loose cut from Wasabi Pills, covers the earlobe.

Warm Gold

My boots are another recent release, this time from SLink, and are yet another style for her high heels. I simply adore the cutouts, and I keep my fingers crossed that we might have lace in our future - tall boots with lace detailing down the side are one of my favorites. The styling of this pair reminded me vaguely of the strappy shoes worn in Roman times, and I thought they took a casual look and elevated it a little higher into bold garden party. My cosmetics are a lips and eyeshadow combo - unusual for me - and are from Beautiful Freak. I love the pastel color of it, especially on the lips. It rides a little high on my lower lip, which lead to this lovely fade form yellow to pink which I found terribly charming. My nails are an amazing new release from A:S:S which mimic different gemstones, which makes me unbearably happy in a way I find difficult to describe. The second I saw these on Flickr I was going to the store and seeking them out; semiprecious stones are so gloriously gorgeous. I was trying for deliberately artsy and emotional pictures this time, in honor of this being an LEA sim even if there wasn't an actual artist in residence, and the all time best poses for artsy is Flowey. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what emotions I was going for - serene? Casual? (Ironically) Reflective?

Golden Daydreams

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills,
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Cosmetics: Beautiful Freak, Frozen Makeover
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Jewelry: Virtual Impressions, Daniella
Nails: A:S:S, Precious 2
Dress: Lark, Savannah Dress
Shoes: SLink, Quinn

Poses: Flowey

Location: LEA10
Light Settings: Lo Light 04
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday Meme: Brand New Interview

Beautiful Ro-chan

Deoridhe Quandry: So, did you have any thoughts on what you wanted to ask me. 8D

Rowan Dryke: Sure. :) How many questions...What are the rules of this meme?

Deoridhe Quandry giggles. "I'll quote it to you."

Rowan Dryke: fankoo

Deoridhe Quandry: Strawberry Singhs's Meme Instructions: Get someone else to interview you and then post the question and answers on your own blog. You can ask a friend, lover, another blogger (you can interview each other) or a fake husband like I did. Don’t forget to leave a link to your interview in the comments so we can all come and read it.

Deoridhe Quandry: So... you can ask anything you'd like, or think the internet at large Deserves To Know.

Rowan Dryke: Okay. In an environment where the users have nearly total artistic control over how they present themselves, what do you find to be the most problematic aspect of what you see?

Deoridhe Quandry: Ooooh, that's a good one. I think what troubles me the most is the extent to which social pressure still holds sway. It is, in may ways, less than offline in some pretty significant ways - the jobs here are much less important, for example - but it feels like in many ways we play out the same prejudices here that show up offline. From one perspective that's understandable; we made this world and we're all prejudiced in a variety of ways. From another perspective, though, I sort of hoped more people would break out of the limitations they were raised in and really explore what it's like to be themselves, and to be other people. That being said, I think we get an image of how appearance is rarefied in the social hierarchies which sometimes develop, especially when there are people who wish to be influential but who struggle to influence others and feel jealous of those who influence others but don't seem to have tried to do so.

Rowan Dryke: How has this played out in the development of your own avatar over time?

Deoridhe Quandry: I'm really an idealized image of myself... with wings. Its interesting because each platform where I've been free to express myself through an avatar's appearance, I've become attached to some aspect of it - on Gaia Online it was my Mini Angel Wings and my Rainbow Halo, and here it is my wings and ears - but other things remain consistent throughout. I'm always white. I'm always primarily blond. Where rainbow eyes aren't available, I have blue eyes. These are all sort of central to who I think of as "me" in a way I can't easily express in words, but which are probably part self-identification, and part internalized privilege and prejudice. I have alts who are of different ethnicities, but they are always alts.

Rowan Dryke: How do you handle the problematic aspects of things you love? Keep in mind you're talking to a gay man wearing a form that pretty much sums up all the worst tropes 'moe' culture has infected on the world. ;)

Deoridhe Quandry laughs. "And I love you for it."

Deoridhe Quandry: What I have settled on, by and large, is continuing examination of what it really means for the political to be personal. This has become a means by which to condemn women for the choices we make in self expression, work, behavior in the home, relationships, etc... but its initial coining was as a way of expressing that people often act in accordance with a political reality for political means, and thus we shouldn't judge peoples' personal choices because they are influenced by the environment within which we all live. Whether I am modest or sexy, any appearance I have is open for criticism not because of anything inherently wrong in my choices, but rather because the political reality is that female appearances are more open for critique and debate than male ones - and a valid political response is to refuse to interrogate some of the things I love because I love them.

Deoridhe Quandry: Cuteness, Lolita, the entire culture around that began (and in many ways continues) as a rebellion against hyper-sexualization. Yes, it carries threads of infantalization, but so do a lot of other "modest" choices. Even the modest choice of wearing ugly, unflattering clothing and having a deliberately unattractive appearance opens one up to critique - look at the enormous amount of flack that the squinty eyed, wide hipped brigade gets.

Deoridhe Quandry: So while I might spend some time critiquing my own choices because I've been socialized to do so, I am far more interested in critiquing things of much wider influence on the actual things holding women back - like our being only seventeen percent of any cast in the media and this likely influencing why women's advancement in visible roles in non-fictional contexts has also stopped at around seventeen percent. That is far more important than whether I wear a bow in my hair or like to get tied up, or even whether I giggle and wriggle a lot. Bows, sparkles, giggling - those all make me happy and rejuvenate me to go out and try to make the world a better place, and as far as I'm concerned that makes them above reproach.

Afternoon in the Sun

Deoridhe Quandry: Ok, essay done. >.> Deoridhe Quandry blushes, giggles, and wriggles all over.

Rowan Dryke: *laughs* That brings me to slightly lighter topics, then. This will be a multi-part. What recharges and renews you outside of the SL environment?

Deoridhe Quandry: Ooooh, um. Cuddling with my cat is a big, big thing. I spend a lot of time petting him, picking him up, harassing him, throwing things that squeak around, etc... and he sleeps with me every night. He's next to me right now, all fluffed out and adorable. I also like being a minor god in a variety of contexts; I spend a lot of my working life feeling very powerless, so in my fantasy games, like Sims or Civilization, I cheat like anything in order to be completely superpowered. I try to be benevolent, but in Civ other civilizations with sometimes attack me, and then I feel perfectly justified in CRUSHING THEM INTO DUST. It's very cathartic. I also love dolls, and I've gotten better at taking care of plants, and I do a decent amount of cooking - though the cooking makes dishes, and dishes are evil.

Rowan Dryke: What kind of dolls do you have? Who are your favorites? <3

Deoridhe Quandry: I have a lot of My Little Ponies, especially Gen One and Gen Three. I've been a lot less pleased with the Gen Four ponies, so haven't gotten as many. I also recently started picking up the Ever After High dolls, which are really fun. I also have a lot of anime dolls. I made Gundam Wing models, and I have Ah My Goddess figurines and nick-knacks from a variety of anime I really like. I also have some pewter figurines kicking around, and I own all of my grandmothers' dolls.

Deoridhe Quandry: I do pony salons sometimes and their hair can get very ...elaborate.

Rowan Dryke: Aww. *tosses out her 'who is best pony' cards. Okay. Gundam wing: Awesome, or totally awesome?

Deoridhe Quandry giggles. "Windy is the best. After her, Rainbow Berry. And Gundam Wing is Totally Awesome. I actually roleplayed it for years - I was Heero and Quatre."

Deoridhe Quandry: Also, we look adorable 8D

Rowan Dryke: Well, you were only partly right. Gundam wing is totally awesome, but the answer for the first was Rarity. Rarity is best pony. No cake for you.

Deoridhe Quandry: Rarity is one of the best in fourth gen, but remember, I am an old school Pony fan. I go back to first gen.

Rowan Dryke: Cake or death?

Deoridhe Quandry: Death.. I mean CAKE 8D

Rowan Dryke: Gaia or SL?

Deoridhe Quandry: Second Life, now, because my attention has moved so far over here. I still like Gaia in theory, but in practice I'm never there.

Rowan Dryke: Braids or pigtails?

Deoridhe Quandry: Pigtails. Offline I have waist length hair, and I put it up in a side ponytail. Oddly, though the internet assures me this style was played out in the eighties, most people don't seem to care.

Reading to Ro-chan


Rowan Dryke: Limited edition or Gacha Rare?

Deoridhe Quandry: Ugh, neither? I've missed a few one day limited editions that made me want to tear my hair out, and I've spent more on trying to get a rare than I'd like to admit...

Rowan Dryke: Mesh or Prims?

Deoridhe Quandry: Oh man, that's hard to say... I love mesh and rigged mesh clothing, though, I sometimes miss the movement of prims, but for photography, clothing being able to bend is huge. I'd have to say mesh, but only by a hair since a good prim outfit will stand the test of time.

Rowan Dryke: Best ice cream?

Deoridhe Quandry: I had a chocolate blood orange on Friday which was bliss incarnate. I tend to return to fruit-and-chocolate or mint-and-chocolate combos in general, but my all time favorite is a brand of mint which isn't made anymore. It has green and red candies, and was more spearminty than pepperminty, and I loved it. I can't find it anymore.

Rowan Dryke: Raptor Jesus vs Frog Thor.

Deoridhe Quandry: Frog Thor, yo.

Deoridhe Quandry: Also, heeeeeeee. Thor as a frog. That is awesome. Comics never disappoint when they bring the wacky.

Rowan Dryke: What's your dream date with Ro-Chan? <3

Deoridhe Quandry: My dream date with Ro-chan would be if we could hang out together, watch anime I'd never seen before, eat little petit fours and macarons, and just enjoy spending time together.

Deoridhe Quandry: Ad probably some games in there, too.

Deoridhe Quandry: Yay games. 8D

Deoridhe Quandry: You have asked a ton of awesome questions. O.O Ro-chan the awesome interviewer.

Rowan Dryke: Hugs or kisses?

Deoridhe Quandry: Hugs. Kisses have to be given more sparingly because of what they represent, but hugs can come from almost anyone.

Rowan Dryke: *hugs tightly* Interview over. :)

Deoridhe Quandry: Awesome interview. 8D You are fantastic - thank you. 8D

Two of Us Together

Credits: 

Deoridhe

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Cherry

Hairbow: katat0nik, Dolly Vine Hair Bow
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyelashes: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Jewelry: Earthstones, Butterfly
Nails: A:S:S, Precious 2
Dress: Schadenfreude, Into the Woods Dress
Shoes: G Field, Lace Up Boots "Gina"


Ro-chan:

Head: Utilizer, M3 - Head
Hair: LaViere, Nadia
Outfit: Bare Rose, Tika
Shoes: Dark Midday Designs, Princess Pumps


Pose: Off-Brand Furniture, Reading Chill

Location: My Front Porch
Light Settings: Meni Light 01

Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The LEA and I

Angles of Light

The Linden Endowment for the Arts are twenty nine sims dedicated to art and administered by a small panel of Second Life Residents. It's whole existence is an oddity. Outside of a few very old communities, and some limited public land, by and large Linden Labs doesn't contribute to the landscape in Second Life - and even where it does there is increasingly limited contact between residents and Linden Lab Employees. There used to be a whole slew of high profile Lindens, all with the last name Linden, who would have public discussion hours with residents on their personal islands - office hours, they were called - but over time that became less and less common, and more and more Lindens left and were not replaced by equally active people, and the connection between Second Life and Linden Labs because the limited, strange thing it is today.

I recently met a someone without the last name Linden who claimed none-the-less to be a Linden, and what mostly tempted me to believe was that he had a last name. Last names were taken out over a year ago, but the rise in people with letters behind their names is a reminder of why the last name system was such a glorious thing. On the internet, names are a commodity; they are a currency and something to be treasured or hoarded depending on ones nature. Long are the stories of people harassing others by squatting on their names, or even just of conflicts as multiple people with the same name attempt to co-exist. It's one of the curious things about Facebook, where it can be nearly impossible to find the person you want to because there are ten, twenty, even fifty other people with the same name - all legal and correct. It's one of the things I found baffling about Google+'s obsession with "real" names, since their definitions seemed more likely to limit peoples' ability to be recognized. In a bunch of the places where I am known as Deoridhe I now show up as Deirdre, and I'm sure it confuses people more than anything, since I am far, far more known as Deoridhe than I am as Deirdre. Names are central to how we know ourselves and others; many are the artists born in Second Life who are using those names now in other places in order to maintain a cohesive identity online, and this is a beautiful thing which far too few people understand, I believe.

I See You

The name of the Linden Endowment for the Arts is what gives it's legitimacy, and yet the reality undercuts that legitimacy in some profound ways, limiting the power of the residents who try to represent Linden Labs and Second Life without themselves being well supported or represented by Linden Labs. The official blog is on Blogpost and unaffiliated with Linden Labs. They are mentioned on the official Second Life Wiki, but it's apparent that the actual committee members have no editing rights, nor are those with editing rights responsive to changes in the committee - Bryn Oh stepped down from the committee in October of last year, and she's still the top name on the Second Life Wiki. In her post she mentions Dancoyote Antonelli was no longer a member of the committee as well; he's second down on the Wiki. As near as I can tell, very active members are not mentioned as well - like I said, Linden Labs' treatment of the LEA offers legitimacy while undercutting it as well. This is not an indication that any of these residents are doing anything wrong, but it is an example of how what we do and thing is shaped by the circumstances we are in, and those circumstances are often in the hands of people we do not know, who do not know us, and who do not care about our concerns.

That being said, I love the LEA as a place to go and see what people have made. I think it's a wonderful resource for people who haven't the resources to purchase a Sim to get a chance to build on one. It's been interesting to see other resources built on it - like the Machinema Open Studio Project which is available for people to make movies or take pictures on a wide variety of "sets" that might not otherwise be found in Second Life, and in a place with rez-rights for everyone, which I have taken advantage of in the past. It can sometimes be challenging for me to take pictures there given different qualities of the artwork, but now that I've accomplished a goal I set almost two years ago - to have a blog post for every LEA sim so that I could track things over time and try to make sense of a very confusing set of sims with very minimal, organized information given - and so I'm asking for your help. I am missing multiple art displays of multiple sims over time. There have been five rounds before this one-month January round (not counting the one-month cube round I'm not trying to capture) and I am missing at least one round for every sim, and most of the information I have is limited to single posts or maybe some pictures. If you have any information, or if you are a creator and would like things added to any of my profiles of an exhibit, please let me know. I doubt I'll be able to cover the current round, since there is less than a week left, but I'm going to do my best with the next set of six months. Any assistance in filling in the past would be greatly appreciated, though, especially in terms of pictures, videos, and artist statements.

Visitors from Elsewhere

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Emily
Hair Beads: EarthStones, Hair Beads Rainbows
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Adore & Abhor, Mono V2 3
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Shreveport Lips
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Atomic Faery, Stained Glass Faery Wings
Hands: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands
Jewelry: EarthStones, Stacked Stones
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Dress: LUZ, Rosemarie watercolors
Panties: katat0nik, Holiday
Shoes: Shoenique, Flower Power Hippy Wedges

Pose: Magnifique

Location: LEA 29: Are there strangers among us?
Light Settings: Sim Default
Water Settings: Sim Default

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, January 20, 2014

Monday Meme: Second Life Helpful Tools Meme

Walking Setup

This is my standard walking setup - you can click through for full sized. Both the chat window and the inventory window can be closed if I'm walking around, but I tend to keep the mini-map and both the Move and Camera Controls open. The fact that the bigger panels no longer go as transparent has been a bit of a pain, but I've adjusted. Since I use Firestorm, I have the bottom panel of buttons, and I keep things in this order: Area Search (particularly useful in large or unorganized stores), Phototools (opens up a panel of controls that are useful for photography), Snapshot (I keep open the complicated one instead of the quick shots so that I can change minor aspects before I photograph something), People (I open this when I'm tracking people on a sim), Places (easy access to recent places I've been), Search (self-explanatory), Map (mostly useful when I get stuck on a no-fly sim), Animation Overider (so I can turn it off for photographs), Quick Prefs (a variety of basic things to change), and Inventory.

Script and Height Measurement

This is my dressing platform. It has a Turn180 Script inside of it, so that when I sit on it I am turned around and posed for fittings. I think I got the script as part of a free script box, and it's full perm, so hit me up inworld if you need one. I rarely take pictures up here, but I change here a lot and part of why it is so enormous is so that I can open boxes across it when I'm in full on inventory management mode. The whole structure is locked into place, but I still accidentally delete stuff semi-regularly. The double rainbow was a gift from my landlord who lets me squat on his land. A while ago I had a whole island set out by him, but the connecting islands were cleared about a half year ago, and when that happened I replaced everything with my own rainbows - the smaller island I change on, and the larger one which is under my two photo balls. Also on my dressing platform are two of my longest lasting tools - one to measure height, and the other to measure script weight. The Weight Scale Script Counter is a free purchase on the Marketplace and is critical before heading off into busy areas. The Avatar Ruler is another free Marketplace purchase, and is useful for checking actual height to the top of the head, instead of the eyes. Both of them are a single prim.

Photo Balls

These are my two photoballs; I made them myself, though the script inside (another free, full perm one) was a gift from Glitterati ages ago and simply allows me to sit. I pose using the pose HUD I'll show below. The balls are hollow, colored on the inside and with a transparent texture on the outside so that no matter which way I angle my camera I'm surrounded. I prefer this to the standard L-shaped pose studio, though it doesn't allow for a lot of background detail. If I'm building a set, I build it on the platform below and move this around to surround if I don't want the sky showing. 

Room for Friends

This shows off my friends and family section of my changing platform - each of these little platforms is like my larger one and placed around the sides if I have visitors who want to change, too. It's also a rather nice effect, looking like loads of little circles floating in the air.

Photography Setup Layered

This is my photography array - focusing on the HUDs which come with Firestorm. Phototools allows for in depth manipulation of windlight settings, light and shadows, depth of field, rendering settings, aids, and camera controls. I also open up a HUD of windlight settings, largely so that I can edit the Est Angle and the time of day. As long as you keep that window open, the settings remain in place and you can take pictures with them.

Photography Setup - Semi Clean

Like Berry, I use the Anypose HUD for setting my eyes and expression. I particularly like it because you can close the HUD to take up less space once you've set your face. When a pose is not cooperating - usually the arms or hand - I use the Animare HUD which allows for independent movement of joints and limbs to "fix" a pose. Finally, there is my PoseAnywhere HUD which I have organized by store. I have been planning on making a separate "sitting" and "floating" sets, but so far haven't as it requires a significant outlay of time. I actually have several versions of the HUD, each one organized alphabetically so I can switch between stores. I tend to use a single store's poses per photoshoot for ease of credits.

I hope that these techniques and tools come in handy for people!

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 52 - Deck the Halls

Full Bright

This is the last twisted color challenge - Deck the Halls - and I think I've come up with something rather delicious to round out the year. I've started playing around a bit with the expressions in Second Life, and it gives a little more life to otherwise doll-like inexpressiveness of my avatar. Up close the expression changes are cartoonishly enormous, but at a distance the hard edges are softened into moods and manner - sly smiles, bored expressions, a moment of laughter. I wish there was a smoother set of expressions - its one of the aspects of the Second Life avatars which is an artifact of how old they are, and the low bar they set for appearance. I keep wondering if down the pike some new avatar meshes are coming out way - after all of the mesh add-ons, the hands and feet I'm displaying in these images, for example, which greatly improve on the basic avatar, but which have seems and additional restrictions which can be challenging.

It's interesting to think about how minimally important the initial creators of Second Life found the avatars - just stand-ins for themselves, often unchanging for years - along with how baffled they were by how much people wanted to recreate the world of cars and houses that exists outside of the virtual world. Second Life is a world of imagination, but imagination is not as unmoored from reality as I think people often believe; we get our inspiration from the world around us, our life experiences, and the things which are important to us. One of the fascinating things about a low-investment thing like Second Life fashion, where high fashion can be purchased for under five dollars, is how varied and interesting peoples' fashion senses are. In a world without accidents, where bodies can be augmented and can fit the most demanding or extreme style of body - from the thinnest, to the most voluptuous, personal style becomes not just the meeting point of bodies and cloth, but also a fully realized dream of what we could be if only we could chose everything.

I'm Waiting~

My dress is from LivGlam, and was - if I recall correctly - part of one of her holiday hunts. She does completely dreamtastic hunts; I think my favorite part is the enormous images of every possible prize, so if one has an inventory the size of mine, one can pick and chose what works without having to pick up and try everything. If one doesn't have an overflowing inventory, though, or one seeks to expand into new areas of style, one can pick up everything and have an awesome working wardrobe right out of the gate. Her store is worth a good look, too; in addition to taking part in half a dozen weekly events, her prices for just her standard clothing are such that there's little guilt in picking up a few "must have" items. In this case, this is outside of my usual style but actually reminds me strongly of a shirt I had - and loved - with the flower-and-animal-print motif. It's subtle enough to not be overpowering, and the rich red color was perfect for Deck the Halls.

The rich, tomato red was echoed in my nails - from the always exemplary Orc Inc - and in my lipstick - from one of my go-to brands, Adore & Abhor. To balance out the black of the bodice (check out that awesome open back, too) I added a necklace I simply couldn't resist picking up from Cyrious, and which came with three other colors bundled with the same style. I love the shape of it, like little faerie wings holding the dust in the vial. My shoes also managed to match, a recent collabor88 purchase from Hucci. From the top they seem like a single lacy style; it isn't until you're diving into the river that you realize the red can be overpowering. The notes of pale, yellowish green are much more subtle; I tinted my amazing wings from Deviance just slightly enough for the green to stand out from the other iridescence, and I pulled on these amazing tights from Cannibelle, with tiny, perfect angel wings on the calves. Both they and the shoes are SLink ready, which is really a blessing in this day and age; one of the major bonuses of SLink is how smoothly they cap a look - so smoothly you hardly notice them. Finally, as I flitted around the grid, it quickly became obvious I was going to flash everyone, tights or no tights, and so my darling katat0nik came to my rescue with a cute set of green panties. You can see them in a shot or two, so I figured they were worth a shout-out even if you weren't really supposed to be able to see them.

Diving In

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Wasabi Pills, Emily
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Adore & Abhor, Mono V2 3
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Shreveport Lips
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Necklace: Cyrious, Fairy Dust Vial
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Dress: Liv Glam, Boutique - You Send Me Flying
Panties: katat0nik, Holiday
Stockings: Cannibelle, Angel Wing Tights
Shoes: Hucci, Kasos

Poses: Flowey

Location: <a href="http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vana/200/100/32">Vana</a>
Light Settings: Phototools, Dead End Sky
Water Settings: TOR, Impure

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Twisted Color Challenge: Week 51: Festive Eve

Deoridhe, dressed in green and gold with red accessories, standing by a low stone wall in front of a house and laughing.

Festive Eve is a combination of a creamy white with a dark, dull green which seems to perfectly reflect the winter season. I accessorized my outfit, holly-like, with bits of bright red here and there. It was an irresistible addition - starting with the lips and hair baubles and ending with these amazing shoes, until I became a sort of Holly Nutcracked Doll. The outfit, which started it all, first; it's a full set from Violent Seduction - complete with the cap, the stockings, and a shirt which can also be removed. The inside skirt is beautifully layered, but the framing around the bodice is not, which means the shoulder straps can disappear from oblique angles; the collar is likewise flat but well textured enough that it isn't obvious from most angles. The stars are wonderfully three dimensional and hook in beautifully with the gold braid up the front, which is similarly three dimensional, and I love the ruffles of the skirt and how natural and curved they are. I especially like the texturing of the skirt - the green is actually diamonds of lighter and darker fabric, and the gold leaf patterns embroidered on it are simple stunning. My hair is also from Violent Seduction, though a completely different genre, and I adore how well the pig tails curl down the front and how soft they look. The size and roundness are simply perfect, and they move extremely well with the head - though of course turned-head poses don't work as well as straight ahead. The red baubles are included, and it's available in a ton of colors, though I went with my signature blond here.

Deoridhe, dressed the same as above, standing in front of a stone house with a wooden window. The stone is covered in vines with flowers.

My masks is a new release from katat0nik for Collobor88, and I simply adore it. This is actually the white-and-blue mask, but I discovered she had faced it very well, and I could tint the jewels separately - which means shiny green gems. katat0nik usually makes her creations no-modify, but I am so glad she didn't this time, because the effect of the green is simply stunning with the rest of my outfit, and I love this mask and how versatile it is dearly. I was also able to very carefully fit the mask to my face so that it looked natural and if it was made for me, instead of the cheeks hanging over the sides excessively, and I love how it was tucked under my hair when I was done. I darkened my eyes with one of Souzou Eien's lucky board prizes so that they would all but vanish, and took my lips from red to candy apple red with a combination of an Essences base with a Mock layer of shiny, gleaming gloss on top. The final bit of bright red comes from these amazing shoes from Lassitude & Ennui - one in a long list of gorgeous shoes they've released lately. These are simply gorgeous - shiny and gleaming leather with a low heel in a classic style. The double row of gold echo the gold stars on my Violent Seduction dress perfectly, and I love the gear detailing which gives it a steampunk edge that I love so much I can hardly express it. I look a perfect Nutcracker, laughing and dancing my way across the grid.

Deoridhe, dressed as above, standing in front of the Goatswood Train station and smiling.

( More pictures here. )

Credits: 

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Violent Seduction, Usagi
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Souzou Eien, Fairy Eyes
Mask: katat0nik, Missing You
Lipstick 1: Essences, Red 01
Lipstick 2: Mock, Lucir Cabaret
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Orc Inc, Rich Darks
Dress, Hat, Stockings: Violent Seduction, Royal Star
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui, Emily steampunk shoes

Poses: Olive Juice

Location: Goatswood

Light Settings: AvatarOpt2 whiter
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Monday, January 13, 2014

Monday Meme: Practical Jokes

I'm not a huge prankster, to be completely honest, and when I do prank I'm usually laughing to hard to remember to photograph it. I went through my "LOL" folder, though, and found a few highlights which go well back in time, all of them around fun times and prankish like things, so I thought I'd share for Strawberry's Prank Meme (honestly, I'm a little jealous she gets pranked as much as she does - it's kinda sweet; her reactions make it worthwhile, of course).

A Billboard with 'BASH was HERE. behold the glory, behold the grace, behold sexification' on it. Deoridhe Quandry, in a Teal Outfit with short teal and black hair is posed on one side gesturing upwards to the words, and a picture of Bash Quandry's offline butt is in the middle.

Early days on Second Life I had a friend who bought a Homestead island for a year and let us all play on it. We all set our homes there, rezzed all sorts of nonsense, and occasionally played pranks. This one was started by Bash Quandry, one of the few cousins I've met on Second Life; he built the bullboard so that we could see it from everywhere on the island. I added the picture of his butt which he had sent to us all no-transfer, and posed myself using some free poses. This was early on in photographe, too, and you can see my shiny freebie clothing as well.

A giant whale floats in the air with a pot of flowers next to it. A small figure of Deoridhe stands on top of the whale's head.

One time when I was clearing old landmarks, I found a whale. I also got kicked out of a few places (and later questioned as to why I was there by someone who was not pleased his home had been a store once), but I'm still glad for all of that because i found this amazing whale falling through the sky endlessly over Second Life, with a small bowl of flowers nearby. I was enormously fond of it, and while it's not a prank per se, let's call it an inside joke hidden on the grid.

Several people stand inside of a nearly clear box filled with a wide variety of textured balls, most of them variations on rainbows. Two of the people are inside larger balls, and one of the three is sitting on top of one of the larger balls.

One of the games I would sometimes play with my friends is building a giant ball pit, decorated with the best in rainbow balls of course, with all of them set to physical. The giant, physical ball is actually my favorite prank for afk people; I have moved people-in-balls all kinds of places, giggling the whole time, and usually they enjoy it too when they get back. I'll have to remember to take pictures next time we take someone afk for a walk in a giant ball - it's rather like being a hampster, really.

Bear, dressed all in black, stands on the slightly-reflective water inside of a ring of giant lollipop flowers.

I also sometimes decorate people, or build them cages. Bear went afk once for hours, and I ended up building a Bear Cage for him. Sadly, I think he logged before he ever saw it. Sadface, sadface. Now... I need to go read everyone else's posts to see what I should be doing in Second Life. Muahahahahahahahhaha.

( More pictures here. )

Sunday, January 12, 2014

New Feet Forward

Expansive

I don't always put my best foot forward.

I want to. I have elaborate plans for how fantastically I could do something, with icing on it, and sparkles, and if people saw them they would applaud my artistry. The realities are often far different, though; so caught up can I be in how perfectly something could be done, that it often won't happen at all, and then I'm left flatfooted and sad.

One of the nice thing about planned photographs, and the blogs written around them, is you can shine them up as much as you like to an idealized world of perfection. Avatars are already distilled humans, the clothing we put on them the concretized dreams of creators selected through the lens of a photographer. The places we stand are likewise, dreams in their idea form - each angle and color selected and places with a consciousness which doesn't exist in the same way outside of virtual worlds.Cleaned up, idealized, removed from the concrete, during times of crisis I can create amber-like approximations of perfections.

Glossy and Dark

I have a few goals for the coming year. Not resolutions - these are neither so precious nor inviolable. I assume I will fail at these goals, not once but many times. I am trying to let go of my illusion that immediate and unchanging Correctness is possible or even desirable, but I'm sure I will fail at that as well. One thing I practice a lot - failing. Another... apologies. The two go hand in hand.

  1. Be Kind. This applies not just to others, where I've always highly valued it, but also to myself. If it is less-than-desirable to go on at length about how someone else is a boil on the butt of the earth, than I don't have justification for saying that about myself.

  2. Be Clear. This is more complicated than it sounds, because it also means not necessarily speaking when I'm not sure what I think - or saying that I'm not sure. It also means smaller, closer to me and the world statements; I have a tendency toward the blithe and the universalized, and it doesn't suit any of us no matter how clever I may feel at the time.

  3. Be Just. In Asatru mythology there are two gods commonly associated with justice. One of them is Tyr One-Handed, who Sacrificed his hand in the jaws of Fenrir to balance out the trickery that the gods played on The Wolf in order to bind him until Ragnorok. His is the Perfect Justice of strict adherence to word, law, and consequence. There is a second god, though, Forseti, who is associated with the Justice of finding peace between people, of building and maintaining community within disparate groups. Both of these forms of Justice are important to me - the strictness of Law and the softness of Reconciliation. 

Wicked Walk

( More pictures here. )

Credits:

Skin: Izzie's, Irene
Hair: Violent Seduction, Usagi
Ears: Illusions, Seelie Ears
Eyes: De La Soul, Rainbow
Eyeshadow: Souzou Eien, Fairy Eyes
Mask: katat0nik, Missing You
Lipstick: Adore & Abhor, Fluff Lips
Eyelashes 1: SLink, Mesh Lashes
Eyelashes 2: Flugeln Brise, 05-A
Wings: Deviance, Sidhe
Hands and Feet: SLink, Rigged Mesh Hands and Feet
Nails: Bliensen + MaiTai, Lace
Dress: Loordes of London, Pinjore
Belt: CoCo, Double Belt
Stockings: Stellar, In Bloom
Shoes: Kokoia, Berlin (Love the Live)

Pose: !bang

Location: Hutchinson Parish
Light Settings: TOR, MIDDAY Cheery Cyan
Water Settings: Glassy

Photographed by Deoridhe Quandry
Post processing: Cropping, only

Thursday, January 9, 2014

LEA 29

An Ascension To The 10th Dimension: Created by Tansee

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/251/39/3951

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:


Old Exhibits: 

Watercolors in the Rain: Created by mollie Tison, Surreal Skytower, Gearboxclock, 5abal, 55aaa Danick, DryadVixxie, darkangl Canis, and Anya Follet.
"This entire sim is loosely based on the real life novel, Watercolors in the Rain, written by David Lavigne. Working for months in conjunction with Mr. Lavigne, we feel we have created a unique and beautiful experience for the Second Life community to not only enjoy, but to interact and be a part of with the games, events and storytelling that have made this sim a true labor of love for all of us."
Dates: January to July 2015
Related Links:


Untitled: Created by Mistero Hifeng
Benvenuto dove nessuno ti vuole bene, dove nessuno ti vuole male... Cammino e Vivo Capovolto -
Mistero Hifeng

[Google Translation]: Welcome where no one loves you, where nobody wants to hurt you... Way and Live Flipped - Mistero Hifeng

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA29/164/200/22

Dates: January to July 2015

Related Links:


Sister Planet: Created by Kimika Yin
A work in progress. Sister Planet is a creation of Venus as a jungle planet as was commonly depicted in fiction. It exists in an alternate universe, circa 1940, in which the H.G.Wells invasion from Mars occured and set history on a difference course.

Dates: August to December 2014


HEARTSEED "pure": Created by Jedda Zenovka

Dates: February to June 2014

Related Links:
  • TBA


Are there strangers among us?: Created by FreeWee Ling
Dates: January 2014
Related Links:
Limina :: Birth of Mecha: Description of Exhibit
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Set to Midnight: Created by typote Beck
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:
  • Image by Simotron Aquila

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

LEA 28

5D: Created by Mandel Solano

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA28/128/128/2

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:


Old Exhibits: 

The Art Farm Coop: Co-operative Art Creation
"The Art Farm vision is inspired by “last semester” (aka LEA AiR LG Round 8) at Medici University. A big philosophic change this time is that we’re not giving out Studios-Homes-Galleries the way MU did. That was great, but it led to a lot of people rezzing galleries and then leaving. At Art Farm it’s all about being present and participating!
Dates: August to December 2015
Related Links:


Entropy II: Created byNaTaS Janus
Upcoming art projects by NaTaS Janus & Fiends.

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA28/140/154/2001

Dates: January to July 2015

Related Links:


The Time Machine: Created by Ais Aeon

Dates: August to December 2014



The Art of SodaGnome Machinima: Created by SodaGnome

Dates: February to June 2014

Related Links:
  • TBA

AetherTrope. Questi&Discovolante, VanMoer, and Ren: A combination of several projects
Dates: January 2014

Cries and Whispers(?): Description of Exhibit
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Pirates Art Gallery: Description of Exhibit
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:
  • No links found

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

LEA 27

The City: Created by Betty Tureaud


The City
a poem by Betty Tureaud
I have packed my suitcase
walk out the door without looking back
Leaving hopelessness and take the bus
to the city
With the hope of a better life
I stand in the dust, waiting for the door to open
on the way to the city
My last money is used for a plane ticket
Hope and uncertainty awaits me in the foreign
I am on my way without looking back

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA27/157/150/1002

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:


Old Exhibits: 

Recursion: Created by FreeWee Ling
FreeWing Ling created a visual representation of recursion.
Dates: January to July 2015
Related Links:

Invisible Machines Doing Important Things: Created by FreeWee Ling
"This installation is inspired by the idea that much of what happens in daily life is hidden from view. We may have a general idea about things, but when we turn on a tap and water runs out, how, specifically, does it get there? We don't know where the food we buy and eat comes from or how it's processed."

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA27/196/55/25

Dates: January to July 2015

Related Links:


Theatrum Instrumentorum: Created by FreeWee Ling
Be not afraid...

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA27/96/126/35

Dates: January to July 2015

Related Links:


Jomsborg - A Viking Ring Fortress: By Blood Eagle.

Viking Ring Fortresses were built by the Vikings during the Viking age, a period from 793 AD to 1066 AD.  Jomsborg is our vision of what it was like for the Vikings during this time period.  Based on history, with myth and fiction mixed in.  Come explore.

Dates: August to December 2014



Flash Mob II: No description
Dates: January 2014

Related Links:

Ocenia Planetary Park: Kimika Ying
Dates: August - December 2013
Related Links:

3D Mandelbrot Fractal Art: Created by Mac Kanashimi
Dates: March - July 2013
Related Links:

Danger in Evolution: Description of Exhibit
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Symbiont Host: Sea Mizin
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:

Monday, January 6, 2014

LEA 26

HERITAGE - Part I: VESTIGES: Created by Gem Preiz
"Vestiges" is an evocation of these witnesses of Past. It is designed as a quest and is inspired by stories of fearless adventurers who explore archeological sites or forsaken strongholds to find there the treasures of disappeared civilisations.
What shall we bequeath to our successors? What future do we prepare for them? The question becomes more and more a concern, after the conference of Paris on the climate, and in the first years of a 21st century which as the formers, begins with deadly confrontations.
Listening to the accompanying music is recommended.

 Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA26/128/128/23

Dates: January to June, 2016

Related Links:


Old Exhibits:  

Sound Mind: Created by bill473
"There are numerous areas with different examples of how sound can be used in SL.  Each area has a sign with a notecard describing how environmental sounds or other sounds have been employed.

In the freebies building on your right you'll find "How-To" packs, each containing a different sound script with instructions on how it's used.  All are free.  There are also other freebies there, so be sure to stop in and pick up the script packs and other freebies!

Study the techniques shown, use the freebie scripts and make your own soundscape!"
Dates: August to December, 2015
Related Links:

Untitled: Created by Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone
This build is still under construction, but you are welcome to visit.
It features collaborative interactive builds done by Madcow Cosmos and Lorin Tone.

May of the builds are interactive musical machines using inworld sound.

Play with the toys!

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA26/134/123/27

Dates: January to July 2015

Related Links:



Pinwheels: Created by Mac Kanashimi

This exhibition shows a fractal landscape with dangerous cliffs, made from identical triangles in different orientations. The landscape changes continuously. There is one long winding path, starting at the platform.

Dates: August - December 2014


Dragon Curves: Created by Mac Kanashimi

"[Overview]
Title: Dragon Curves
Size: 256W, 256D, 1216H (meter)

[About the artwork]
The Dragon Curves exhibit at region LEA26 showcases sim-wide variations of dragon curve art.
The spectacular script-controlled dragon curve landscape changes continuously.
Dragon Curves is Mac Kanashimi's largest work until now.

[Details]
- 3 levels with dragon curves
- each level tiles the plane {1} using 11 dragon curves
- dragon curve shaped as stairway
- stairway slope varies
- 1024 m high, 8 km long dragon curve connects upper and lower level
- 108 km of walkable dragon curves
- 6 safe junctions, including the landing point
- landscape changes continuously on each level
- objects move vertically, resize and change color
- each level has a different path height range
- color derived from box height
- middle level has a different color pattern
- HSL to RGB conversion {2}
- link limit {3} check while building

References:
{1} Dragon curve: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_curve
{2} HSL and HSV: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSL_and_HSV
{3} Linkability rules: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linkability_Rules

[Features]
- 4 Elevators safeguard visitors while changing the landscape at the landing point.
- Emergency button to derez the dragon curves in case of crises.
" [Source: Landing Point Notecard]

Related Links:

Flash Mob I: Created by Secret Rage
Dates: January 2014
Related Links:
  • none found

Resonant Osmosis: Description of Exhibit
Dates: March - July 2013
Related Links:

Danse Macabre: Description of Exhibit
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

The Inspiring Orientation: Arrehn Oberlander
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:

Aequitas: Description of Exhibit
Dates: Before May 2012
Related Links:

Sunday, January 5, 2014

LEA 25

Because Blue: Created by Asimia Heron
"The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls towards the infinite, awakening a desire for the pure and, finally, for the supernatural... The brighter it becomes, the more it loses its sound, until it turns into silent stillness and becomes white." --Wassily Kandinsky

"Because Blue" is a multi-level journey from darkness to light inspired by Kandinsky's observations of the powerful emotional and spiritual properties of the color blue. Visitors traverse five platforms that rise into the air, each with its own theme and affect, constructed and staged using only blue textures and objects. With each successive level, the color lightens until visitors are lifted into that place of silent stillness.

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA25/93/146/21

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:

Old Exhibits: 

Amplituhedron: Created by Misprint Thursday
Dates: January to July 2015
Related Links:


The Sea of Cubic Dreams: Created by ALEGRIA Studio
As bubble universes, each cube represents a dream that float and interact with others . Choose your dream and fly!

Cubes instructions:
1. Approach to a cube
2. Sit on it
3. Touch it and move it
5. Enjoy floating!

Dates: August to December 2014


Sauce: Created by Maya Paris: "Interactive art - Test your Sauce Factor, try your luck at the Modern Love Bureau, get sparky in the Saucy Science lab and take a headlong dive into a sea of plenty more fish&chips."

Dates: February to June 2014


Tales of the Future: Tales of the Future - Sound-Visualisations by Asmita Duranjaya and maikelkay Resident

maikelkayBio: Michael K. Iwoleit was born in Düsseldorf in 1962 and now lives in Wuppertal. He took his A-levels and completed an education as biological technical assistant in 1982. Afterwards he studied philosophy, sociology and German philology for several semesters and worked as a technical assistant at the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf. Since 1989 he is freelance writer, translator, critic, and editor mostly in the field of science fiction and phantastica. Starting in the mid-nineties, he also worked as a copywriter and translator for advertising and IT industry.

In the science fiction field he is best known for his novellas which have won the Deutsche Science Fiction Preis three times and the Kurd Laßwitz Preis two times. Together with Horst Pukallus he was awarded with the Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2000 for the translation of Iain Banks’ Feersum Endjinn. He published four novels and about 30 stories in anthologies and magazines, several of which have been translated into English, Italian, Croatian and Polish. He is co-founder of the German science fiction magazine Nova and co-founder and editor of the international science fiction magazine InterNova that today runs as a webzine. He has translated, among others. works by Cory Doctorow, Sean Williams, Chris Moriarty and David Wingrove.

AsmitaBio: Artist Name:  Asmita Duranjaya

Thanks for your interest. I  hope you will enjoy the sim Space 4 Art:  Here I present you my work: http://giridevi.blogspot.com/ :: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Space%204%20Art/115/111/27Overview and central TP to my own exhibitions, my hosted shows and my art collections http://slurl.com/secondlife/Meisterbastler%20South/93/248/29

Artist's Bio:
I paint, create, construct since my early childhood:

Art has always been a balance for my inner mental condition and a way to handle my feelings and to express myself in a nonverbal way. Making art has always been a kind of mental oxygen for me. Beside surrealism and the genres of portrait and stilllife, I like to create applied art, like book covers, event posters, cards etc. According to my faible for computer work I have more and more specialized in digital painting (tablet pen on an HP tablet laptop) and collage (several graphic software). I enjoy and discover more and more the possibilities, which the virtuality offers for artists to work in 3D.
Dates: January 2014
Related Links:

DaVinci World: Description of Exhibit
Dates: March - July 2013
Related Links:
  • Review by Living in a Modemworld
  • Video by Sniper Siemans

You are the music while the music lasts: Description of Exhibit
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Passages: Created by Pol Jarvinen
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:
  •  Image by Acacia Merlin

Saturday, January 4, 2014

LEA 24

Dystopia: Created by Noke Yuitza
"All we have secrets… Some are nested in a corner of the stomach while others, however, yearn to be discovered and struggling to govern the mouths that hold them."
Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA24/133/143/20

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:

Old Exhibits: 

Borderlands: Created by Lemonodo Oh
... defining a three-dimensional study area of a coastal region in maps and translated it to 64 sq m meshes and flat prims ...

explorations, depictions https://www.flickr.com/photos/tobc/
Dates: January to July 2015
Related Links:


My Space: Created by Betty Tureaud
My Space can be your Space, come and enjoy  flying and falling in colors.
It's an interactive place where you can experience my way of space ;)
The installation music is composed by Ultraviolet Alter.
An art installation by Betty Tureaud.

Dates: August to December 2014

Related Links:

Unnamed: Created by Sound Mind: A variety of displays

Dates: February to June 2014


Unnamed: Created by Emmo Wei - essentially a largely empty, sandy sim with items rezzed here and there.
Dates: January 2014

Mechanical Circus: Description of Exhibit
Dates: March - July 2013
Related Links:

Extract / Insert:Was a collaboration between offline and online people.
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Name of Exhibit: Creators from Caerlon Isle
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:

Friday, January 3, 2014

LEA 23

S: Created by Frankx Lefavre
"advanced lighting on please
Midnight windlight
under construction"
Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA23/127/122/53

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:
  • Announcement by LEA

Old Exhibits: 

Medici University: Created by VB Friends
Medici University is a virtual, free, non-accredited, arts university. Students design their own curriculum and achieve their goals without jumping through academic hoops and without racking up tens of thousands in debt!  http://MediciUniversity.co.uk

From now through 30 June '15 you can work and study at our LEA23 campus. Studios at MU are free, occupy a 16x16m footprint, and come with 150 prims.
Dates: January to July 2015
Related Links:


Light May Reveal Something: Created by Mandel Solano
Set your Viewer High to Ultra and Sun to Midnight

Dates: February to June 2014


INVASION (Tribute to the Greenies Home): Created by Sniper Siemens

Dates: February to June 2014


Pet's Folly: Welcome to my conglomeration !  Thank you to the LEA, LL, AviewTV, and Secret Rage for making these sims available to the community!
Dates: January 2014

Steampunkables: Created by David Fliesen
Dates: August - December 2013
Related Links:

Inside Art: Created by Ginger Lorakeet
Dates: March - July 2013
Related Links:

The Arrival: By Rose Borchovski
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

[Kou!]: Eupainos Ugajin
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links:
  • Images on Pinterist
  • Images by simontronaquilis
  • Images from Verging Second Life Photography

Thursday, January 2, 2014

LEA 22

Funky Junk - 3D immersive art sim: Created by Rusty Steel
"Funky Junk is not quite finished yet but there's already LOTS to see. It's a land where recycling is taken to the extreme. There's tons of fun to be had but - be warned - beware of the plug hole in the lake! Wear your headset and click stuff. Enjoy :)"
Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LEA22/131/178/57

Dates: January to June 2016

Related Links:

Old Exhibits: 

Ce n'est pas encore une peinture: Created by Gracie Kendal
Dates: January to July 2015


Ovis aries: Created by Sowa Mai
Dates: February to June 2014


No Mods No Masters: Created by Free Lan:D
Dates: February to June 2014


Fuschia's Collection showing:
  • Art by SL artists collected over nearly 6 years.
  • Collaborations with other artists.
  • Fuschia's Freebies Junk Shop, freebies from previous projects.
  • Greenies collection
  • Lots of other useless junk
Dates: January 2014
Related Links:

Dazed Entelechy: Created by Seraph Kegel, this exhibit is, in her own words: "This is an attempt into a non linear narrative. There's a story behind, but there's not a direction to take between its beginning or its end. The stages shown, aren't meant on a lineal timeline. They remain  linked with the others, yet without an explicit temporal direction. They could be just frozen frames of ideas going on almost at the same time."
Dates: Sept 2012 - Feb 2013
Related Links:

Huxley, Orwell & Ivory Towers: Artistide Despres
Dates: May - August 2012
Related Links: