Latin Music Night @ Exposure (August 26 from 7 to 8 pm SLT)

I cordially invite you to join us at Exposure Art Gallery for the closing of my joint show with Tricia Aferdita. Tricia and I have created an exhibit featuring my real life photographs and her fabulous renditions of those photographs in paint!

We are excited to welcome Miss Gabrielle Riel of Radio Riel to host our event and to play the best salsa, mambo, bossa nova and other latin music for your listening and dancing enjoyment.

Join us for a fun-filled hour of music and camaraderie in the best Avalon tradition.

Join us at Exposure (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tabula%20rasa/135/20/27) on Wednesday, August 26th from 7 to 8 pm slt.

Just because I can...

...is the best answer I can give you for this little design project. Plenty to do, so it isn't that. Sometimes I am just overcome with the need to do something completely mindless...well maybe not mindless...how about frivolous.

But design is fun! So I design.

Plurk...come join the insanity and have yerself a dancin' banana!

*eyebrow* on the grid

The grid sure can offer up some rich fodder for self-amusement...and being the sharing kind, I've decided to share some of the more interesting moments with you the good reader. So for my first *eyebrow on the grid*, I offer you a two for one special!

Babble On 5
I don't know about you, but I find stores in Second Life to be very interesting places to bear witness to the virtual interaction of others. Most of the best *eyebrow* moments visit you simply by being within that magic 19m.

Today's episode is all about the babbler...those little pieces of virtual technology designed and utilized with the best of intentions, but I fear fall far short of facilitating conversation between people who speak different languages. I have no doubt that they help to a certain extent, but not when you, your babbler and your friend already speak the same language!

So I stand in this particular store where a fellow walks by with friend in tow...chattering away in open chat in perfectly good English...soon to be followed by a careful (and exact) translation INTO English by his babbler. I couldn't resist wondering out loud exactly what was being translated, all the while pleased to have TWO lines of text run up my screen for every statement issued.

My dear fellow...I'm sure that valuable attachment point could be used for something much more valuable then your English-to-English babbler...say...oh...I don't know...an evil titler? Ironically I have the perfect one to give you when it offers up the chance...

What's in a Name?
Apparently the sickly smell of rotting and decaying flesh. What's that smell, I wondered, as I continued to shop in the aforementioned store. I glance left...I glance right...I look forward...I look bac...MOTHER OF GOD...you picked Necrophilian for a first name? Niiiiice.

Me thinks you might have limited your options right from Orientation Island. You sir...FAIL!

A rose is a rose...or is it?

Primgraph Magazine is proud to announce their sponsorship of The Caledon Rose-Growing Competition!

To celebrate the launch of our summer issue, we are holding the competition in the grounds of The Primgraph Press in Caledon Glengarry.

This competition (we hope the first of an annual event) is being staged in order to find the best roses in the Steamlands and beyond! In other words, it is open to ALL merchants, residents and rose growers everywhere.

Complete details are available on the Primgraph Aetheric Log.

Shirtless for Breast Cancer

One of the great things about Second Life, at least for me, is the tremendous number of wonderful people I get to meet from all across the grid. I am particularly fortunate that my work with Prim Perfect and The Primgraph have not only led me to some of the most interesting places in the metaverse, but to also meet so many people in their element. Many whom I am proud to call friends.

This is particularly true in the various steampunk, Victorian and historical locales where I have found the most incredible places with a real sense of community.

As a result, I was proud to participate in last year's Shirtless for Breast Cancer fundraising project initiated by the Consulate of Europa Wulfenbach. I was tasked with designing a Thinc book featuring breast cancer awareness information, along with topless photographs of avatars in support of the non-profit organization breastcancer.org. The book, along with a male and female calendars raised over $22,000L for this organization.

Breastcancer.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing the most reliable, complete, and up-to-date information about breast cancer. All medical information on the organization's web site and in their printed materials is carefully reviewed by a Professional Advisory Board consisting of over 60 practicing medical professionals from around the world.

October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the US, and this year it is celebrating its 25th anniversary. A new set of calendars and book are now in the planning stages. A call for volunteers has been sent and I am so pleased that my good friends in Avalon jumped to the call when I advised them of the project. They have gotten right into the spirit and submitted tastefully topless photographs of their avatars to the project.

Both male and female volunteers are needed, so why not take this opportunity to get creative and support a great cause! I invite you to contact Frau Annechen Lowey in-world if you have any questions. Below is the call for volunteers as distributed by the Consulate. I encourage you to capture an image that defines what means the most to you in real life and in Second Life...my shot is above. If you require assistance with capturing your image, please do not hesitate to contact me.

The shots not selected for the calendars will be included in the 2010 book, and your inclusion in either depends on the submission fitting the technical requirements:

1) Submissions should be 2048 x 2048 square FULL PERMISSIONS PNGs. These may be e-mailed to consulate.lackey@gmail.com

2) Please keep the composition TASTEFUL - Art, not smut, please.

3) No Minors. Diminutive adults, fine - but we wish to stay legal with this. Legal-age avatars only for values of the American legal system (18 years old or older), no exceptions, not even for time travellers.

4) Submissions are to be sent to Annechen Lowey BEFORE 1800 SLT on 1 September 2009.

LATE Submissions will not be considered.

Now that's shirtless!

The latest big thing on Second Life? Must be the Giant Odalisque...talk about going shirtless! So this sculpture is now appearing at the Black Swan (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Swan/220/108/2006).

A bit of mystery surrounding this work...the realism of which borders on kinda edge of kinda freaky. A closer inspection says that the creator was someone called 3D Soup...but owned by RightAsRain Rimbaud of Rezzable fame.

55 prims and for only $15,000L it can be yours to drop in the middle of your livingroom.

Vintage Second Life Postcards

I have always loved linen postcards.Those wonderful textured postcards with high contrast, vibrant colours and romantic imagery...like the National Printing Office in Washington, DC or the Federal Courthouse in Cleveland, Ohio...*swoon*!

As I began work photography for The Primgraph No. 7, I was struck by an interesting idea. It came from seeing a proposed article to be written by Miss Ceejay Writer, entitled One Woman's Experience: A Holiday at the Victoria Seaside. I thought how neat it would be to have vintage postcards to accompany the article!

Granted, linen postcards were in their heyday from approximately 1930 to 1945. However, I was still struck by both their obvious vintage feel AND the underlying thought that images from Second Life would be a very interesting subjects to be given this type of treatment. The high contrast gives them their true vintage feel...numbers and titles added for extra "authenticity."

So what began as a few creations for inclusion in The Primgraph has turned into a growing collection of virtual linen postcards. For some of my postcard creations, I invite you to view my vintage postcard set on Flickr.

Gracie Kendal at Exposure Art Gallery...

I am extremely excited to have the incredibly talented artist Gracie Kendal showing in the art loft at Exposure Art Gallery. Those who know Gracie will attest to her creativity, her wonderful personality and her joie de vivre! Incredibly talented to boot!

"As an artist, I have become fascinated with emerging online social environments, specifically the Web 2.0 virtual reality world of Second Life. Within Second Life I created a virtual representation of myself in order to connect with other artists, art enthusiasts and creative people from around the world", says Gracie.

I invite you to come and immerse yourself in the exciting and vibrant art of Gracie at Exposure!

Find out more about Gracie and see about acquiring some of her work in real life! Visit her web site at http://www.kristineschomaker.net.

Exposure Art Gallery is located in the heart of the thriving arts community of Avalon on the Tabula Rasa sim (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tabula%20rasa/135/20/27).

For more information about Avalon, please visit the community ning at http://avalontown.ning.com/.

Prim Perfect 19 on news stands...

August has also seen the release of issue 19 of Prim Perfect magazine. We visited the fabulous region of Hosoi for this month`s feature articles.

Hosoi (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Japan%20Kanto/93/176/31) is comprised of four sims which include an Edo-period Japanese village. The sweeping vistas and attention to detail make the region one my highest recommendations for a serious exploration. Some of the most beautiful images I have yet captured in world are from Hosoi...look for them on Flickr (and in issue 19) over the next little while.

This issue marks two very important points in my affiliation with Prim Perfect...one is the opportunity to have my work featured on the cover and the second was the article which I worked on with Miss Viv Trafalgar...The Way of Hosoi.

While the writing of an article is typically a solitary exercise; generally with little direct interaction between the author and the photographer...this article was a little different. Viv and I walked the sim together, following the paths of Hosoi...I capturing images as Viv composed. All the while, we discussed what we were seeing and experiencing. It was a very interesting and rewarding experience and I send out my sincere thanks to Viv for asking me to join her in the creation of this article.

We both hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did pulling it together.

The full issue is available online at http://en.calameo.com/read/00000423498fa545f9454.

Open Poetry Night in Avalon

Join us at the Speaker's Circle in Avalon Town for our regular, monthly open poetry night. All are welcome to come and listen or to read themselves.

Have a favourite poet/poem...written something yourself you would like to share? Our open poetry nights are a relaxed and convivial place listen and share.

The event is from 7 to 8 pm SLT tonight!

Speaker's Circle is located in the heart of the thriving arts community of Avalon. Join us at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ars%20Lunga/54/106/2.

For more information about Avalon, visit our ning at http://avalontown.ning.com/

We hope to see you there!