Announcements at Enchanted of Elven Realm!

I've recently been updating and adding some new additions to our lovely art gallery over Enchanted of Elven Realm (slurl.com/secondlife/Elven%20Realm/126/125/245/ ). I've just added 7 new wonderful artists to our already fantastic collection of talent. All of them are true fantasy artists and produce exceptional work continuously. Please stop by the gallery to see their works and some other new updates too :)

A WORTHY CAUSE

In celebration of our new gallery artists and updates, I'd like to announce a couple things going on. First, any and all donations given to the sim or gallery from now until October 4 will go to a children's charity called, First Book. The organization helps children in need by giving them access to books so they can also listen to wonderful bedtime stories and create lifetime memories like other children. Thank you in advance for your donations for this cause :)

FEATURE ARTWORK DISPLAY

Please be sure and stop by the gallery and see our Feature Artwork display at the landing point, along with all the new pictures in the main gallery. The pictures at the landing point are one or two pieces chosen from most artists’ works within the gallery representing the Storybook theme and concentrate on fairy tales and reading in general. It’s wonderful to see all these together in one place!

PHOTO CONTEST

We are also incorporating a photo contest to go along with the Storybook theme, so use your imaginations, dress up your avie, and have fun! Here are the guidelines:

1. You have until Wednesday, September 26 to submit all pictures.

2. Pictures can be taken at any sim or setting as long as it's a storybook theme.

3. You may submit 2 pictures.

4. Pictures can be submitted to Natalie Montagne in game as a texture or photo in a notecard in the Flickr group link: http://www.flickr.com/groups/2092071@N23/. If you submit in game, please be sure and put your avie's full name on the submission.

5. No nudity allowed

Prizes will be based on originality, creativity, and staying within the theme. They are as follows:

First Place - 5000L
Second Place - 3000L
Third Place - 1000L

Please message Natalie Montagne either here or in game if you have any questions. Good luck and have fun!

Fantasy Art Focus: Shoshisn Shilova (aka: Serg Sonnino)

Guardian of the Forest (taken at Enchanted of Elven Realm)

It's been a while since I've done a blog focusing on one of the many talented Second Life fantasy artists, so thought I would dedicate this blog to a wonderful artist who also happens to be a good friend of mine. His name in Second Life is Shoshisn Shilova, but he also goes by Serg Sonnino on flickr.com. I'd like to start with a quote he truly lives by and I believe is one reason he is such an exceptional artist...

This is the real secret of the arts: always be a beginner. Then we can really learn something.

In the beginner's mind there is no thought, "I have attained something." If you keep your original mind, the precepts will keep themselves. ~ Shunryu Suzuki

Shoshisn's work isn't only fantasy, but he does have quite a bit of fantasy art in his collection. His works are very unique and more of a contemporary, fractal style art. He also seems to favor artwork from nature and includes special people in his life as an integral part of many of his works. He is a graphic designer and photographer by trade in real life, so has brought this wonderful talent here to Second Life for everyone to enjoy :) Shoshisn just recently opened a brand new gallery called, Mother Earth Gallery. This is a must see and has all of his many works displayed including photographs and sculptures he has created in game. I will leave the URL below along with his Flickr stream link. I think the best way to describe and sum up Shoshisn's amazing talent is the fact he can take any simple picture from Second Life and turn it into a true masterpiece! He just has an eye for turning the basic or mundane into spectacular artwork. Now THAT'S talent!

Shoshisn's Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoshisn/

Mother Earth Gallery SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Evening%20Star/236/112/29

MRD: Must See Gallery

Merlin's Flickr stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/merlin_renfold/

Urban, eclectic, stylish, grunge, and shabby chic are just a few words that come to mind after visiting Merlin Renfold's amazing gallery of artwork in Second Life. The overall setting and look of the gallery go perfectly with the art he displays. I teleported to the gallery location and landed close to the front door. Before I entered, I had to take in the scene surrounding me. Off in the distance were the beautiful lights of the big city. As my eyes moved from this to the land immediately around me, I saw a spotlight moving to and fro, an old-fashioned car out in the grass that had obviously not worked in ages, pieces of trash on the ground here and there, and a big trash bin in the corner. I looked directly in front of me and saw the large brick building that housed the MRD (Merlin Renfold Designs) gallery. Straight above me was the MRD logo sign, and stairs right below that. I proceeded to enter the gallery.

Please be sure and click each picture below to see it much larger, thus seeing the full effect :)

Upon entering, I could see the overall ambiance was perfect and went well with Merlin's many different styles of art. Other than the artwork, the gallery was a little on the dark side, which made the city lights outside glow through the windows with just the right amount of light. To the right was an old-fashioned projector that showed an old black and white cartoon up on the wall. Straight in front of me was a working, caged freight elevator. The floors were of dark wood and the walls a stained cream brick texture with rust effect. The only thing that was bright and colorful, which I know was the intention, was Merlin's exceptional art. All his different styles and themes of art contrasted so well with the entire ambiance of the gallery. It really looked great the way he had everything laid out just right along with the colors and style of the entire gallery.

Old film projector...and notice the city lights shining through the windows

Standing in the center of the upper floor with Merlin...notice how well his artwork contrasts with the entire ambiance of the gallery...great plan!

More city lights and notice the ceiling windows with a blue glow and discolored panes

"As for my style and art, I tend to just make it. I often listen to people and work out a plan in my head. You know, to keep it simple and offer choices"...Merlin Renfold

A mix of Merlin's artwork... I tried to choose a variety so you could see how unique and different each piece is in its own special way

Merlin has always loved art and been a creative, artistic person at a very young age. When he left school, he had achieved a grade A in Art and was actually the only student that had progressed as far as B. Computers and graphic design didn't come into the mix until later in life and Second Life had a major part in this. He said the many people he met and worked with in game were important factors during the learning process for this kind of art, and they are the ones that truly helped him meet his dreams and goals. Step inSide furniture store, which got its name from Yasmin Little (also Merlin's personal designer of MRD), was Merlin's first dream that was recognized, a business where he could put his creativity and imagination to work. The store is still in business and currently owned by Merlin's first business partner, Lany Jun. She's the one who designed Merlin's couches for the sitting area at MRD. Merlin would work on his ideas at a sandbox alot of the time and he said this is where he found his work grew and he was able to come up with new ideas. He also enjoyed the sandbox because he loves helping others and found it rewarding to help new players in Second Life develop their basic skills. In a way, this is how I met Merlin and how we became friends. He complimented one of my pictures in Flickr and asked ME how I achieved the effect (which was in the program). I was honored he would even ask me, as I felt his work was much better than mine. I always remember him saying we are all at a learning stage of some point and can learn from one another. It's so true, he's helped me a great deal with advice and tips on my pictures, and in the process, has become a wonderful friend. Overall, Merlin finds making pictures and owning the gallery both his forte, after all, nothing beats receiving a compliment from a customer for a job well done!

Enter the Forest of Light 'n Dark Photo Contest!

FOREST OF LIGHT 'N DARK PHOTO CONTEST
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We are celebrating the opening of the new Fantasy Kaleidosope Gallery with a fun photo contest! Please submit a picture you took at either Enchanted (light) or Bewitched (dark), or you can submit one from each! We will be giving away prizes for each sim individually. They are:

FIRST PLACE: 5000L
SECOND PLACE: 3000L
THIRD PLACE: 1000L

Yes, that's right, you have the opportunity to win up to 10,000L if you enter pictures from both sims :) The winners will also be displayed in the gallery entrance for a while, then moved into the gallery as art on exhibit.
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You may submit as many pictures as you'd like. We are not judging based on how well your pictures are edited or processed, because we realize not everyone has the means to do that. We are looking more for originality, most magical, and most interesting.

Please submit the pictures either here in SL in a notecard labelled "Photo Contest Entry" as the title to Natalie Montagne (Nat Enchanted) OR to the Flickr Enchanted and Bewitched group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/enchantedelvenrealm/

Please be sure and label ALL entries "Photo Contest Entry" as the title either way you submit them. Also, don't forget to list your avie's full name. You may put a title or description with the photo if you'd like.
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We will accept contest submissions from now until Sunday, May 8. We will take a day or two to decide and announce the winners on Wednesday, May 11.

Please let Natalie Montagne know if you have any questions. Otherwise, enjoy!!

Official Fantasy Kaleidoscope Gallery Opening!

ka·lei·do·scope [kuh-lahy-duh-skohp] A continually changing pattern of shapes and colors.  /kəˈlaɪdəˌskoʊp/ Show Spelle

First, I'd like to apologize for being rather quiet for a while! There's been alot of excitement going on at Enchanted and the new sim, Bewitched, as you can imagine. Along with the addition of the new haunted sim, and with the help of Andrek Lowell, I was also working on a gallery exhibiting Second Life artists' work above Enchanted. I had mentioned this in a past blog, but have never officially introduced it as being open. Well, this is the official announcement of the opening of the Fantasy Kaleidoscope Gallery above Enchanted! Andrek has done a beautiful job seeing that it blends well with the forest below, all the way from the scenery to the frames around the pictures. In keeping with its purpose, the gallery is truly its own piece of art! It is something that will always be in the works and continuously updated, as we have new art we want to recognize all the time. That is the main purpose of the gallery, to show off/exhibit fantasy art created within game and to give it the recognition it deserves. For a while I was recognizing a piece of art from Enchanted and a piece from the Finest of Fantasy Art group in Flickr each week. After I left it on the sim for that week, I'd move and place it in the gallery. I still plan to do something similar, but instead of just two pieces of work each time, it will be a variety each time and go along with a particular theme. For example, this week I will recognize art having to do with the theme, "Light and Dark". We are having a photo contest with this theme, so thought it would be perfect. I will display the artwork within the theme at the entrance to the gallery each time and depending on the event or what is going on, it could be displayed for a while, not necessarily just a week. In order to visit the gallery, please use the tp door at the landing point entrance to Enchanted.

There will be a post following this one explaining a photo contest meant to kick off the gallery opening, so please be sure and watch for this and enter the contest! I've posted some pictures from within the gallery in keeping with the light and dark theme, but please come by and visit, you'll be glad you did!

Teleport landing point

Nat standing in front of one of the gallery sections

Closeup of the frames used for this natural setting

Beautiful bridges and walkways to each section of the gallery

One of the four sections of the gallery, each with its own central fantasy statue

Another gallery area

Gallery lit up at night