Posted by Bettina Tizzy
I've been shouting from the roof tops in Second Life® for at least a month now about Mescaline Tammas' set of delicate, dusty and seriously elegant Windlight presets. If you enjoy photography or just wandering around in a haze of beauty, these are a must. I was astonished just now to discover that his post on Flickr (with links and instructions to download and install them) has only had 783 views.
Ah well. I guess I'll have to keep one of Second Life's best secrets to myself. 
Windlight makes it possible for you to adjust and customize sky, water and atmospheric lighting effects in-world, so while the person next to you may be seeing everything from a nighttime lens, you can be enjoying your world in the comfy haze of London's dawn, or within a dusty Western patina.
Oh, I know this has nothing to do with Second Life, but just look at this animated film clip Mescaline created. Talent, eh?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Mescaline Tammas' sunglasses for Second Life
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Heads up: Ariel Brearly's lush imagery soaring
Posted by Bettina Tizzy
I've been watching Brit Ariel Brearly's Flickr stream for many months and with growing affection, but something has happened in the last three or four weeks that has catapulted her photography onto an entirely new level of exotic, sumptuous inventiveness.
By working snapshots taken in Second Life® with Photoshop and coupling them with the odd texture gathered here and there, this sometimes cyborg, sometimes elf is producing story-telling imagery that is rich with symbolism and visual metaphors. Feast your eyes on this selection of photographs she's posted just in the past month and see if you agree.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Vanfarel Kupfer - R.I.P.
I've just learned that Vanfarel Kupfer, a french artist who's work I admired, was killed in a car accident last week. Vanfarel described himself as "createur de textures Alpha." 
Our deepest condolences go out to all his friends and families in both his lives, pixelated and real.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Self-hypnosis and Bryn Oh's "Steamgarden"
The moment I saw this video, I thought of Bryn Oh and her clockwork sculptures. The next moment, I found myself gazing in a semi-hypnotic state. And the next moment, I thought surely I had self-hypnotized myself. Having trouble getting to sleep? Want to command yourself to do something you've been procrastinating on? Watch this!
As seen on Gizmodo via Brad Litwin via Boing Boing
But back to Bryn... Her "Steamgarden" installation at the Garden of NPIRL Delights (teleport directly from here), is inspired by the third panel of the triptych "The Garden of Earthly Delights" by Bosch - depicting Hell - and represents her view on the industrial dehumanization of society.
As Bryn put it, "the intention was to create a mood of disquiet and anxiety mixed with elements of beauty."
In Real Life, Bryn is a professional oil painter living in Toronto, Canada.
In Second Life®, she has already made quite a name for herself, exhibiting her thoughtful creations throughout the grid. Her work still shows up (and delights the finders) in sandboxes, but you can see her current installations at the Museum of Natural History (teleport directly from here), the Swedish Resource Centre, Primtings (teleport directly from here), The Great Exhibition, SLMoCA (teleport directly from here), and of course, the Garden of NPIRL Delights. 
She is also a resident artist at Caerleon Island (teleport directly from here), an important artist collective featuring the works of many other artists I admire, in addition to several of Bryn's important pieces and a fantastic underground installation she created.
Just look at the detail on the plaque of clockwork sculpture. The tiny bug is animated!
The "motor" of the clockwork piece is fired by the hard work of several insects.
Inside, a music box... You can open and close the wings.
Overview of Bryn Oh's "Steamgarden"
