Art in Second Life 2023 (6) Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir

23 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life, Exploring sims in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

Art in Second Life 2023 (6) Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir

I got an invitation from Jaz (jessamine2108) to the opening of a new exhibition at the Third Eye Gallery: “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir. I couldn’t attend the opening event but I went there a day before.

The exhibition consists of 10 pictures by Michiel Bechir. Michiel wrote about the exhibition: “A walking meditation helps us feel less distracted by thoughts and allows us to enjoy our stroll more. This exhibition is dedicated to this theme. I will show different locations on the Mindful Cove sim. The works have hardly been edited as I want to show the scenery in its most natural way.”

Impressions of “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir @ Third Eye Gallery (1)

Michiel has started his long virtual journey into Second Life as a photographer in 2009. Michiel enjoys seeing new places, meeting new people from all over the world and expierencing the creativity in Second Life (just like I do!). Michiel discovered the possiblities of different tools to improve his pictures. By editing them he also tries to add a personal touch and feeling.
Michiel owns and curates an own gallery, the Michiel Bechir Gallery. He also has a gallery with a selection of pictures at Art Park. Furthermore you can also see more of his work on his flickr page.

The featured pictures show the beauty of natural almost untouched nature that you can experience in Second Life – and Michiel’s passion for it.

Impressions of “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir @ Third Eye Gallery (2)

I had never heard about “Mindful Cove“, although it must be a sim that exists already for many years. Inspired by my visit to “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir I went exploring Mindful Cove myself.
Mindful Cove is a full region owned by a group founded by Avalon Birke who is in Second Life already since 2006. From the landmark profile I took the description of it: “Mindful Cove exists to provide both an entry point into Second Life, and an ongoing community region for newcomers and long-time residents alike, based on the core principle that SL can be an excellent place to engage in activities that support emotional and mental well-being.”
And in Avalon Birke’s profile I found the information: “After 14 years of volunteer service in SL, I have semi-retired – and Mindful Cove is now in the very capable hands of my friend Coughran Mayo.”

Impressions of “Mindful Cove” (1)

I started my own walking meditation and took a few pictures of this beautiful place myself. I can tell it is really worth a visit and offers beautiful views and the possibility ot take a short trip into nature, to blind out everyday life for and to get to positive thoughts. A very well made place!

Impressions of “Mindful Cove” (2)

Third Eye is Jaz (jessamine2108)’s home and gallery – a place that is designed to showcase art, particles, inspire stories, and offer a quiet place to relax and rejuvenate. Jaz says: “It is the culmination of my many dreams – to create a place that nurtures and helps the growth of all types of creative endeavors – be it words, pictures, or particles.“

I enjoyed my visit to the Third Eye Gallery and to “Mindful Exploration” by Michiel Bechir as well as my short trip to “Mindful Cove“. Thank you Jaz for enabling the exhibition “Mindful Exploration”. Thank you Michiel for your artwork – and for inspiring me to make a short trip to “Mindful Cove” myself.

Landmark to Third Eye and to Mindful Exploration by Michiel Bechir
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Ravenglass/13/165/1002
Michiel Bechir’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39613053@N03/
The Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/26/226/2502
Michiel Bechir’s gallery at Art Park
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fermat/148/36/53
Landmark to Mindful Cove
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Mindful%20Cove/180/175/27

Art in Second Life 2022 (103) Michiel Bechir Gallery December 2022

17 Dec 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

 

I got an invitation from Michiel Bechir to see the latest exhibition at his “Michiel Bechir Gallery“, that had been opened yesterday, December 16th. It features the art of Maggie Runo, Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore) and Michiel Bechir himself. Michiel, Tresore, Maggie and MsToya (Mstoya Bailey), who was the dj for the opening event, also build the team, that is running the gallery.


On the ground floor of the gallery are two exhibitions rooms, a third exhibition space is on the 2nd floor. Michiel, Maggie and Tresore Prada have a similiar approach in creating her art. All take pictures in Second Life and process them carefully. And all pictures shown in this December exhibtion have a touch of the current season, a touch of Winter and Christmas.

Impressions of Michiel Bechir Gallery December 2022 – Maggie Runo

The exhibition room on the left shows the pictures of Maggie Runo, an artist that I haven’t covered in this blog so far. Maggie is in Second Life since 2007.  You can find more of her art at her flickr account. 

The room on the right side features Michiel Bechir’s art. Michiel has started his long virtual journey into Second Life as a photographer in 2009. Michiel enjoys seeing new places, meeting new people from all over the world and expierencing the creativity in Second Life (just like I do!). Michiel discovered the possiblities of different tools to improve his pictures. By editing them he also tries to add a personal touch and feeling.

Impressions of Michiel Bechir Gallery December 2022 – Michiel Bechir

The 2nd floor shows the art of Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore). Tresore is in SL since 2011. She writes about herself “I love SL because it allows me to explore, discover new parts of myself, be creative, connect and experience others. It enriches my life. I have found in photography and visual arts the perfect outlet for creativity.”  For the December exhibition Tresore presents a selection of her art, that clearly is related to the season. More of her art can be seen at her flickr account.

Impressions of Michiel Bechir Gallery December 2022 – Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore)

The December exhibition is a real Christmas exhibition, full of the magic that Christmas develops also in Second Life. Thank you Michiel and the whole team (Maggie Runo, Tresore Prada (tresore) and MsToya (Mstoya Bailey) for providing the space for the arts and for your personal art. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/26/226/2502
Maggie Runo’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/maggie_runo/
Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore) flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149003763@N08/

Art in Second Life 2022 (95) Cloud Galleries

30 Nov 2022 2 Comments

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I got an invitation from Owl Dragonash for the opening of a new multi gallery space – the Cloud Galleries  – in the skies above the NovaOwl Gallery.

Cloud Gallery – over view / Grand opening poster

The platform in the skies provides space for 10 seperate, identical gallery buildings. Each artist has one of these gallery buildings. There is a board in front of every gallery building. Most of them contain a landmark and a notecard about the artist. Owl Dragonash also provides a website with a list of the participating artists as well with information about upcoming events. Cloud Galleries are located in Novatron and are part of Corsica South Coasters.

Impressions of Cloud Galleries (1)

The participating artist are:
elan (Ineffable Mote)
Michiel Bechir
Anna Maria (Annamaria Lysette)
Prins (skylog)
Suzen Juel (Juel Resistance)
Pau (Paula Sieberi)
KayLy (kayly iali)
Jaminda Moon (jaminda)
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)
Owl Dragonash

Impressions of Cloud Galleries (2)

There’s a lot to discover at Cloud Galleries as these 10 artists cover a broad range of art from portraits to pictures of animals, from abstract colourful pictures to pictures of landscapes in Second Life. I personally discovered several artists who are new for me.

Impressions of Cloud Galleries (3)

Corsica South Coasters is an international community on the mainland continent of Corsica. The Cloud Galleries are on Novatron, in the skies above the NovaOwl Gallery. For events at Novatrom have a look at the website Novatron. Owl (Owl Dragonash) is the general manager of the NovaOwl Gallery. and I assume also manages the the Cloud Galleries. Uli Jansma will be the dj for the opening event today at 12 PM SLT (9 PM Central Europe Time).
Thank you Owl and Uli. And many thanks to the participating artists. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Cloud Galleries
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Novatron/34/98/3848
Cloud Galleries website
https://throughowlseye.com/cloud-galleries/
Landmark to NovaOwl Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Novatron/131/102/23

Art in Second Life 2022 (93) Art walk Paris Eiffel – Thus Yootz

23 Nov 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

Michiel Bechir sent me an inviation to an exhibition at Art Walk~~ Paris Eiffel ~~ Paris 1900. It features pictures from Thus Yootz. Thus’ pictures are arranged outdoor around a court.

Impressions of Thus Yootz pictures at Art Walk~~ Paris Eiffel ~~ Paris 1900 (1)

It’s the second time I came across Thus Yootz. I first saw her at in 2020 (read: Art in Second Life 2020 (63) Third Eye Gallery October 2020 – Poppy & Thus Yootz).
Thus is in Second Life since 2008 and has many different passions here. She plans and organizes weddings (see her website here), she designs sims and gardens (have a look here). She creates trees and plants and sells them on the marketplace in her store Thus Magic. And of course she has a passion for photography. Her pictures can also be found on her flickr account and on a new flickr account.

Impressions of Thus Yootz pictures at Art Walk~~ Paris Eiffel ~~ Paris 1900 (2)

Thus is from Greece and studied the arts. She has taken part in many group art exhibitions in Greece. Her pictures might be pictures taken in Second Life originally, or at least parts of it. Thus uses them to create something new from it, she adds texts of colour effects, the uses several layers in her pictures. This way you can discover new details every time you look at them.

Impressions of Thus Yootz pictures at Art Walk~~ Paris Eiffel ~~ Paris 1900 (3)

The exhibition at Art Walk Paris is curated by Michile Bechir. I visit his “Michiel Bechir Gallery” regularly.
Thank you Michiel for enabling this exhibition, thank you Thus for your art … and thank you to all who were involved in realising this exhibition. I enjoyed my art walk.

Landmark to Art Walk~~ Paris Eiffel ~~ Paris 1900
and to Thus Yootz exhibition
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paris%20Eiffel/89/231/22
Thus Yootz’ SL wedding website
http://thusspake111.wix.com/lucid-dream-weddings
Thus Yootz’s demo sim
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bristol%20dAlliez/118/90/22
Thus Yootz’s store “Thus Magic” on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/89831
Thus Yootz’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/154858142@N07/
Thus Yootz new flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/65476505@N07
Landmark to Michile Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/30/228/2502

Art in Second Life 2022 (77) Michiel Bechir Gallery September 2022

06 Sep 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , , , ,

I got an invitation from Michiel Bechir to see the latest exhibition at his “Michiel Bechir Gallery“, that had been opened on September 3rd, 2022. It features the art of Raisa Reimse (raisareimse), Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) and Scylla Rhiadra. I hadn’t yet came across any of these three artists so far.

The gallery itself has been renewed. Michiel wrote: “The outside gallery, lobby and rooms have been redesigned by Maggie Runo, who has been recently added to our team (which consists of Tresore Prada (tresore), MsToya (Mstoya Bailey) and me)“

The main gallery building hasnt’ changed. On the ground floor are two exhibitions rooms, a third exhibition space is on the 2nd floor. I first visited Raisa Reimse’s exhibition.

Raisa takes her pictures in Second Life. I think that the pictures are a little bit processed to achieve perfectness. Raisa has an eye for the right view, for capturing the beauty of landscapes and nature in Second Life. She’s not restricted on landscape only though but also takes pictures of animals, art, portraits and even objects like a small plane in the skies.

Raisa is in Second Life since 2018. She has a flickr account, a store on the marketplace and she has her personal gallery “Raisa Reimse Photography“.

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) takes her raw pictures also in Second Life, yet she’s focused more on objects or strange buildings or fantasy places. Her artwork is broad and she also has beautiful landscapes as a motif. Vanessa also processes her pictures to give them the touch, the light and the expression she desires to see. Right along the window are 3 pictures in almost black and white, where colour is only used to hightlight an element.

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) is in Second Life since 2014, but she joined Sl with another avatar already in 2009. You can grab a biography in her exhibition room at the Michiel Bechir Gallery. Vanessa wrote about herself:
“2D and 3D Artist in SL. I have done various forms of Art and Crafts for many years in RL and have an Art degree.
In my SL 2D Art I strive for ‘painterly realism’ and have a passion for capturing the elusive light and life in a scene, which brings a unique atmosphere. I bring my real life training as an artist to my aesthetic sensibility in the images I create in SL. When I get the chance I also enjoy opportunities to do 3D art using tortured prims.
After a break from SL Art I am back mixing my SL photography with creating in a new medium, Digital Paintings using Rebelle 5 Pro. This is enabling me to paint as I would using real life media but also to play using the best that digital art packages can offer.“

Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) has also a flickr acoout.
She has exhibited her artwork at many places and galleries already. A list of exhibitions can be found in the biography notecard as well as published reviews of them. In the Kultivate Magazine June 21 she gave an interview.

Scylla Rhiadra’s exhibition is on the second floor of Michiel Bechir Gallery. Her exhibition deals with shadows. Shadows can attract the eye of the spectator, it can lead the view to a certain detail or a shadow can hide a detail so that the spectator has to add it in mind according to imagination. The text at the entrance of the sxhibition expresses this perfectly: “No mystery so ompelling as that obscured by the dark”
All pictures are from 2022 and they are all titled. You find the title next to the pictures. The title gives you a hint about the artists thoughts.

Scylla Rhiadra is in Second Life since 2008. She’s from Canada and decribes ehrself in her profile as “Reborn oldster. Feminist activist, leftist, reasonably active forumite, retired SL bookseller, interested in literature, history, art, and people”
Scylla also has a flickr account.

Another great exhibition. Thank you Michiel and the whole team (Maggie Runo, Tresore Prada (tresore) and MsToya (Mstoya Bailey) for providing the space for the arts and many thanks to the artists of course. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/30/228/2502
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/193534621@N03/
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s store on the marketplace
https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/241744
Raisa Reimse (raisareimse)’s gallery “Raisa Reimse Photography”
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Triumphal/126/132/3401
Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/188095651@N07/?
Vanessa Jane (vanessajane66) Interview about her work in Kultivate Magazine June 21
https://issuu.com/kultivatemagazine/docs/kultivate_magazine_-_june2021
Scylla Rhiadra’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/gp/144085527@N07/939jJ1

Art in Second Life 2022 (29) Michiel Bechir Gallery in March/April 2022

16 Mar 2022 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , ,

I got an invitation to the opening of a new exhibition at the Michiel Bechir Gallery featuring the artwork from Joanna Kitten (joaannna), Cynthia Deere and Madoka Kawabata.

The Michiel Bechir Gallery consists of two large exhibition rooms on the ground floor and one exhibition room on the 2nd floor.

The room on the left side shows the art of Cynthia Deere. Cynthia has decorated her room for the upcoming Spring. The ground is a meadow, there are places to sit, a path and a picknick place that has been occupied by rabbits. The scenery radiates quite some happiness.
Same is true for Cynthia’s Second Life photographs. They show nice landscapes in the colours of Spring and Summer. Each of the pictures is processed with love for the detail, thus creating artwork from a SL photograph.


I have never seen Cynthia Deere’s artwork before. Cynthia is in Second Life since 2006. In her profile she says about herself: “Teacher, techie and gadget junkie who came to Second Life many moons ago and never found my way home. I am simply here to unwind and relax.”
You can see more of her art at her flickr account.

The room on the right side is dedicated to Joanna Kitten aka. Kitten (joaannna). Kitten is in Second Life since December 2019. On the table close to the big window is a small baord where you can grab a notecard with more information about Kitten:
“Kitten was first drawn to second life photography in 2020 initially by seeing the results produced by entrants in a photography competition at the sim where she works. All her pictures are taken inworld and are only a little edited afterwards.
Her big love is landscape photography and she travels the grid in search of the perfect shot her pictures revealing her love of nature, the sea, exotic ruins as well as parasols and umbrella’s. Her pictures look to showcase the myriad ways in which light makes a picture, the gaudy autumn colours, reflections, the play of light on the water and towering cloudscapes.”
I can’t express it any better.

Kitten (joaannna) has a flickr page and she is also the owner of the Ammonite Photography & Gallery.

Madoka Kawabata is a friend of mine, not very close but we talk every once in a while, had one short play together as far as I remember and we’re both watching each other at deviant Art. Hence I know a bit of her art. Most of her pictures are taken inworld and are a bit processed. She loves gloomy scenes and a retro or vintage look for her pictures. But I never saw any exhibition of her in Second Life. Her art is featured on the second floor of Michiel Bechir Gallery.

There’s an esel with a picture of Madoka and you can grab a notecard bout Madoka there:
“My long life in Second Life began in 2005. All along I took photos, but it was only about 3 years ago that I finally began spending more time and effort on SL photography.
Ansel Adams said “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” By which, as I understand it, he would take his large format black and white negatives in the field, then in the darkroom use dodging and burning techniques to lighter or darken different areas on the final print. Although sometimes I upload a photo directly from what Black Dragon or Firestorm produced, more often I use Photoshop to make it into something of my own. I’m certainly no Ansel Adams, though!
I owe so much to content creators in SL, both the builders that create a sim build, and to those building the objects used, who are sometimes the same people!
Enjoy this exhibition! My thanks go to Michiel Belchir, who offered me this chance, my first in-world photo exhibition.“

Madoka has an account on flickr and you can find her on deviant Art.

Another great exhibition. Thank you Michiel for providing the space for the arts and many thanks to the artists. I enjoyed my visit. The exhibition will be avalable until April 15th.

Landmark to Michiel Bechir Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/30/228/2502
Cynthia Deere’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/cgarrety/albums
Kitten (joaannna)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/substratum_kitten/
Kitten (joaannna)’s Ammonite Photography & Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Manor%20Suites/64/141/602
Madoka Kawabata’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/madokakawabata/
Madoka Kawabata on deviant Art
https://www.deviantart.com/madokakawabata

Art in Second Life 2021 (115) Michiel Bechir Galleries in December 2021

04 Dec 2021 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

I visited the current exhibtion at Michiel Bechir Galleries that features the art of 4 female artists, three of them unbeknownst to me so far: Evie Heights (Eve Pearl), Mya Audebarn, Serenitee Bliss and Rose (rosehanry). With just a few exceptions the exhibtion shows female portraits – 4 artists, 4 different styles and interpretations.

My visit started right outside of the gallery where the artwork of Evie Heights is showcased on esels. The seven pictures are all showing female portrait pictures, all with a different layout. While on the first glance there are 7 different females, actually all pictures show one and the same person thus proving how different we perceive a face depending on how it is showcased.
I couldn’t find Evie Heigths as an username and asked Michiel Bechir about her. Evie Heights is Evie (Eve Pearl) and I saw her artwork 2 months ago at The 22 art space (read here). Evie is in Second Life for 13 years. You can fin more of her art on her flickr page.

On the ground floor of the gallery you find 2 rooms. The room on the left side features the art of Serenitee Brunswick (Serenitee Bliss). Although most of Serenitee’s pictures show female faces, she places them into different backgrounds. The whole presentation provides a happy and romantic atmosphere, maybe also enhanced by the floor design and the wall paper. Above the entrance is a statement of Serenitee about her art:
“Welcome to my little world of creation. I’v been in Second Life a long while and have experienced many things. Photography has become my number one love. Creating images that tell stories or bring about emotions is very fulfilling. My style go from one end of the spectrum to another. You’ll see abstracts, whimsical, fairy tale, fantasy, heartbreak, eroticism, sensuality, landscapes and just about everything else.”
You can find more of Serenitee’s artwork on her flickr page.

The room on the right side is decorated winterly and snowflakes fall down on the floor out of the nothing. The room features the artwork of Mya Audebarn. Mya is in Second Life since 2009. I couldn’t find much about her, just that she speaks Portugese. Mya has a flickr page and writes there about herself:
“I’m Mya … I don’t introduce myself as a photographer, I don’t have any techniques … I’m someone who uses emotions and feelings … Each photo has some feeling and when someone appreciates or perceives it, I feel really happy. If I can touch hearts, I will feel fulfilled … ”
And yes, her portraits tell a story, they are mysterious and romantic.

On the second floor you find a classic gallery room with the portrait artwork of Rose (rosehanry). The portraits are all with a simple white background, most just show the face, no hair, glasses or jewelery, nothing that distract from the face itself. Rose wrote about this collection of portraits:
“This portraits show the different moods we usual show behind the pc/laptop when we use our avatar… is a minimalist work for the receptor focus on the mood or expression and make in his mind a story and go beyond that face in the portrait.”
More of her art can be found on her flickr page.

Thank you Michiel Bechir for another great exhibition featuring artists who I haven’t come across so far. It’s great to see this variety of portraits, style and ways of presentation. Thank you for providing the space for the arts at Michiel Bechir Galleries and for curating your galleries. Many thanks also to the participating artists. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Michiel Bechir Galleries at Embrace
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Embrace/30/228/2503
Evie (Eve Pearl)’s flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/163063355@N08/
Mya Audebarn’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mya_audebarn/
Serenitee Bliss’ flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/serenitee/
Rose (rosehanry)’s flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosehanry

Art in Second Life (79) Sandi Benelli at La Maison des Artistes

26 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , ,

Michiel Bechir invited me to his newest place for the arts: La Maison des Artistes, an art café at the new French sim Le Village de Charente.

The current exhibition features a selection of pictures by Sandi Benelli, an artist I came across just once so far. Sandra Benelli’s pictures were showcased at Temprus – My Secret Garden in the “Art in the park” exhibtion in 2017 (read here).

Sandi Benelli is in Second Life since 2007. She’s one of those who found her RL love in the virtual environment of Second Life. Your can see her art also at her flickr account.
Sandi takes pictures of lovely spots in Second Life. I recognized some of them as I have been to these placces myself and even blogged about them. I think Sandi does process her pictures a little bit, but basically, these are pictures taken in Second Life, with the eye of an artist for the right angle and environment.

Impressions of Sandi Benelli at La Maison des Artistes (1) – Imago (upper left) / Walsh County (lower left)

The selection compromises 10 pictures and shows the little paradises we can see and create in Second Life. Sandi’s style reminded me of Michiel Bechir’s own style as Michel also takes his pictures directly in Second Life.

Impressions of Sandi Benelli at La Maison des Artistes (2) – Bella’s Lullaby (upper right) / Auld Lang Syne (lower right) / Nelipot (upper left) / Soul2Soul (lower left)

La Maison des Artistes is a small, nice space for the arts owned and curated by Michiel Bechir. Thank you Sandi for your pictures, and thank you Michel for providing the space for the arts.

Landmark to the art café “La Maison des Artistes”
France – le Village de Charente – Galerie
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Haks/69/74/23
Sandi Benelli’s flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandibenelli/

Art in Second Life 2020 (50) Michiel’s Art café and gallery at Little Paris

12 Aug 2020 Leave a comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , ,

I got an invitation from Michiel Bechir to attend an opening party for a new exhibition at his Art café and gallery at a sim named “Little Paris”.

On July 29th, I had the opportunity to visit the Art café and gallery. The Art café and gallery fits perfectly into the environment. It is a 3 story city building, the ground floor is occupied by the café, a place to sit and talk that is nicely decortated.

The Art café and gallery at Little Paris

The pictures at the wall in the café are from Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore). Tresore Prada (tresore) is in SL since 2011. She writes about herself “I love SL because it allows me to explore, discover new parts of myself, be creative, connect and experience others. It enriches my life. I have found in photography and visual arts the perfect outlet for creativity.”

Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore) at The Art café and gallery at Little Paris

As far as I understood, the 2nd floor exhibtion changes. Right now the art of Star (gossamerstar) is showcased there. Her pictures have one common theme – fantasy. Star (gossamerstar) is Canadian and in Second Life since 2013. Star had a few exhibtions before. The art presented at th Art café and gallery show young fairy-like women surrounded by flowers painted in pale colours.

Star (gossamerstar) at The Art café and gallery at Little Paris

And on the third floor under the roof, Michiel has exhibited a few of his own pictures. Michiel Bechir is quite a while in Second Life already (since 2007).
Michiel likes traveling in Secnd Life and takes his pictures within Second Life. With the options offered by several photo tools he improves the pictures, makes them more colourful, highlights the beauty of the original picture and adds a personal touch and feeling.

Michiel Bechir at The Art café and gallery at Little Paris

And that’s it about my visit to Michiel’s Art café and gallery at “Little Paris”, a nice small gallery, a place to enjoy a conversation and a place to look at artful pictures. Thank you Michiel.

Landmark to Art café and gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Vanilla%20Sky/16/112/1057
Tresore Prada Hawkins (tresore) flickr

Mediterraneo

Star (gossamerstar) flickr

Fish Tales

Art in Second Life 2020 (44) Third Eye Gallery – Jaz and Michiel Bechir

26 Jul 2020 1 Comment

by diomitamaurer in Art in Second Life Tags: , , , , , ,

I got an invitation to the opening of a new gallery: Third Eye Gallery. I couldn’t attend the opening event but I went there a few days later. For the opening Third Eye Gallery features the collection “Virtual Cities” by Michiel Bechir and “The Awakening” by Jaz (jessamine2108).

Third Eye is Jaz (jessamine2108)’s home and gallery – a place that is designed to showcase art, particles, inspire stories, and offer a quiet place to relax and rejuvenate. Jaz says: “It is the culmination of my many dreams – to create a place that nurtures and helps the growth of all types of creative endeavors – be it words, pictures, or particles.“

Third Eye Gallery featuring Jaz (jessamine2108)’s art (1)

Jaz has been doing photography in SL since 2018: “It would be more than appropriate to say that Milla (Ladmilla) introduced me to the nuances in the art. While I still have much to learn, I am enjoying every minute of it. Special thanks to Eta (Etamae Resident) for making me look at the amazing possibilities of SL and to Harry Cover (impossibleisnotfrench Resident) for giving me an opportunity and courage to branch out on my own and to be able to collaborate and experiment with mesh with him.”

Third Eye Gallery featuring Jaz (jessamine2108)’s art (2)

Jaz selected “The Awakening” as the title of the collection at Third Eye Gallery. The series is about her changing perception of SL – to the possibilities and to be able to see beyond the surface and showcases the way I now perceive SL. I recognized at least one place that I visited myself: Kohlmannskuppe, a place installed by Serene Footmann. Jaz made a “postcard from the past” from the picture she took at that place – nice work!

Michiel has started his long virtual journey into Second Life as a photographer in 2009. Michiel enjoys seeing new places, meeting new people from all over the world and expierencing the creativity in Second Life (just like I do!). Michiel discovered the possiblities of different tools to improve his pictures. By editing them he also tries to add a personal touch and feeling.

Third Eye Gallery featuring Michiel Bechir’s art (1)

Michiel named the collection of picture showcased at Third Eye Gallery “Virtual Cities”. It shows the the virtual versions of the urban living in its different forms. Included in this exposition are works from his entire period as a photographer in Second Life (2009-2020).

Third Eye Gallery featuring Michiel Bechir’s art (2)

Thank you Jaz for this gallery and for the opening exhibtion. I enjoyed my visit.

Landmark to Third Eye Gallery
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Midnight%20Sanctum/145/226/1101

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