The Masks We Wear

Had a wonderful day in Second Life on Sunday! Started off with a lecture/discussion by my fellow avatar Emile Sands on the topic of masks and how they relate to the concept of avatars in a virtual world. It was fascinating. Afterwards we had a formal masquerade ball at a park across the street from my gallery where the lecture was. A Second Life jeweler made 8 custom masks for the event that were free to everyone coming to the event. We had a great crowd that stayed all 3 hours and best of all... I sold a LOT of paintings!

I have made a lot of serious contacts in Second Life in relation to my work, but it's also so much fun just being able to fantasize. I live in a very "casual" environment, and have neither the time nor inclination to dress formally. But in Second Life.... it's a hoot!

Another avatar friend of mine in Second Life, Wynd Ling, who owns a sim devoted to creative design in a virtual world has written about the ball on her blog. Check it out here!

Sign up!

I am now working on 2 newsletters.... one for real, honest to goodness LIFE and one for my virtual life. Why the two? Well, if you sign on to the first one, you'll get updates and musings about my exhibitions, workshops, projects and whatever. If you sign up for the Second Life one you'll get updates about where I'm exhibiting in the virtual world. For any of you sl'ers out there, my avatar name is Littleone Aries. Look me up!

If you go to the homepage on my website, you'll see where you can sign up from there. You can unsubscribe at any time so not to worry about me following you in to eternity!

Rockin' the Kasbah

Hey! Check this out! I'm tickled to be featured in this blog. That's me.... Littleone Aries....my Second Life personna.

New news! Yay!

Greetings from the tropics! Took a little time off from blogging but I'm back to share a bit of news. (after a gentle prod from my friend, website designer and marketing guru Philippe Pascal).

First and foremost I'm really excited about now having a mailing list that you can sign on to for updates of workshops, exhibitions and newly completed projects. Just go to the home page on my website and sign on to be kept up to date on my activities. You can unsubcribe at any time.

And speaking of workshops, I started my "How to Paint Like an Artist" Creative Watermedia Workshop yesterday here at my TreeHouse Studio in the mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. The goal of the class is to teach my students how take paintings beyond technical mastery and in to the realm of artistic mastery. There's a difference, trust me. I'm enjoying students from both here in Puerto Rico and from the Virgin Islands. These are great days spent making art while perched on a little mountaintop overlooking the northeast coast of the island. Need a break from painting? Just look up and out over the sea. Inspiration returns quickly.

Lastly, my friend from Second Life, Carla Jarnhilde, a Swede from the international community that IS Second Life, posted the nicest blog entry about my work. I just wanted to share it with you. Her words truly touched me. It's her July 3rd entry. When you've been working at the easel as long as I have, it's wonderful to know that what you do impacts other people positively. I'm very grateful she took the time to write this.

Life is good.

In and out and about

One of the things I love best about the virtual world Second Life is the people I meet from around the globe and the opportunities that arise from our paths crossing. A friend I made in world, named Juanita Duharo, is an Australian who owns a book publishing company in SL. We met when her company sponsored a virtual book design competition with the University of Western Australia, who also has a presence in world. She was kind enough to visit my recent exhibition of paintings "The Ceremony Trees" at the Angel of the Mysts gallery. She then wrote a little bit about it in her blog, Virtual Treeline. When things like this happen, I realize the cycle is complete. I brought my paintings in to Second Life to exhibit, someone from the other side of the planet saw it and wrote about it in her blog, bringing the exhibition back out in to the real world via a blog site and now people on the other side of the world have met me. It's not just a game, my friends!

The Ceremony Trees

Living as I do in a studio/home perched on the crest of a small mountain in eastern Puerto Rico, with the luxurious foliage of El Yunque's Caribbean National Forest surrounding me on 3 sides and a vista of the northeast coast of the island on the other, I have come to have an intimate relationship with the vegetation that embraces me every day. When looking and touching the majestic trees that I see at treetop level from my easel, I have come to understand that there is indeed a grand scheme to things. Nature has become my bible, my handbook on how to live my life. It tells me to understand, respect and support the connections that bind all together. Whether influenced by the movement and organic textures that inform my abstract work or by the radiant light coming from the late day sun that draws me in to the mystery of shadows and light in my representational work, my painting takes on the quality of ceremony.... a ritual of connection.... a celebration of life.

Today in my virtual world, Second Life, I am having an exhibition of paintings that is a collection of work that shows both my realistic interpretation of the trees that inhabit my world and my abstract interpretation of these same trees. My avatar's name is Littleone Aries and the Gallery is The Angel of the Mysts Art Gallery. There will be real time live music by the Seattle musician Edward Kyomoon and the event starts at 2 PM Pacific Coast Time. This would be a fabulous introduction in to the wonders of virtual reality. I hope to meet you there.

Do Not Forget Haiti

Haiti... there by the grace of God go we. We are all connected. Please.... they are helpless. Send help.

A Bigger, Better Me!!!

Here I sit on my little mountain top in the Caribbean with a whole new world opened before me. I have entered in to the virtual world of Second Life and having done so, allowed myself the opportunity to show my work and teach my work to a global market. My exhibitions and workshops are attended by people from around the globe! Does this blow me away? You betcha!!!!

It's an amazing adventure and I'll be using this blog to keep you posted on my activities. For those of you already wandering the worlds of Second Life (www.secondlife.com) my avatar's name is Littleone Aries. Look me up and come visit my 2 virtual galleries for an up close look at my paintings! I'll meet you there and we'll talk!