“Every artist writes his own autobiography” ~ Havelock Ellis
Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) was a pioneer in the study of non-normative sexual practices. He is known for his objective study of homosexuality, which did not characterize it as a disease, immoral, or a crime. Ellis believed that “abnormal” expressions of sexuality were congenital and harmless. He advocated for the reform of laws that criminalized homosexual acts. (Source)
I’m back in Minnesota, settling in, and back in my studio. The last few days have mostly been spent reorganizing and participating in a few meetings. I started a new drawing, pictured above, and am learning Armorpaint. It is a free, non-subscription piece of software to texture 3D models that competes with Substance Painter, another software purchased by Adobe and now available by subscription only. Don’t get me wrong, I think Adobe products are great, but the subscription model and their dominance within the design community are unhealthy for visual artists and designers.
My Sketchbooks, Hard Drives, and Blog are my Diaries.
“Painting is just another way of keeping a diary” ~ Pablo Picasso
Six weeks is a long time away from my blog, and hope other artists will want to post on ArtChangeslives(Dot)Com to share their art and experiences of how art has changed their lives.
I put together a collage of images of my work. After working with Blender for a couple of years, uploading some of my Blender 3D objects into Second Life, and earning a couple of grants, I see a path of combining some of my tactile work with my 3D work to produce sort of a hybrid work works for the Metaverse and conventional viewing. Mainly, it involves the viewer, akin to working in a more traditional gallery or exhibition hall.
In grad school (MCAD), I produced several installations, and I was attracted to the participatory nature and how visitors could interact with them. Kara Walker and other artists engaged the visitor by incorporating the viewers’ shadow into the work, creating a relationship to the work that mere viewing does not necessarily achieve.
So, in the past few weeks, I have not created work that has been completed, which I normally post. I was also concerned about posting work that was not completed. I found that it kind of destroys the Ta-da moment. Hmm… I wonder how important that might be.
I am on my way to completing a project in Blender/Second Life. It is a simply built house that will be used in Second Life as a skybox. A skybox is a floating home on a parcel of digital space. The house is pictured in the image below, and you can see the documentation and the progression of the build here: Learning Blender Better. In short, I chose to produce a simple building to learn and become more proficient.
I am finding that blogging is important to me ArtChangesLives(Dot)Com is over and is approaching its 20th year. I struggle with openly revealing myself here, but as I said earlier, my sketchbooks, hard drives, and blog are my diaries. It seems Picasso had his own diaries-one being his paintings.
An Exploration of Artistic Techniques and Combinations of Media.
“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.”
~ Yoko Ono, Japanese multimedia artist
The Second Life grant was the first grant I applied for since my retirement from Minneapolis College. It was awarded to me in September 2023; I expected it to begin in January 2024, and the parcel was offered starting in October. So, I am happy that the grant was an extension of another Second Life installation I did previously titled Being Male.
I chose to do a labyrinth as a challenge for my 3D modeling skills and my fascination with building an enclosed environment. A maze is a place to lose yourself; A labyrinth is where you go to find yourself. The lighting, too, fascinated me because an artist can create a mystical environment within the Second Life environment to play with light. Quakers, as well as many spiritual-based communities, believe the Light exists within us. My installations created in or with Blender and in Second Life influence my drawings, and my drawings influence the 3D installations as well. Ideas and theories of the existence of the multiverse influence both.
During the last few years, my husband and family have supported me in transitioning to my retirement career. My meeting and the Friends in my faith community have been vital to me, too. And I must add my friends in Second Life.
I termed the first party or opening a quiet opening the first hour of silence… Voice and music were turned off for the parcel; the only sounds were the chimes of Tibet chimes being rung as avatars walked through the hallways. During the second hour, DJ Sheperd played music that was both peaceful and still provided the installation’s visitors with a musical journey in the center dome. It attracted a small crowd. Quiet is not one of Second Life’s suits. I did enjoy sharing it with my visitors and friends.
The Invitation to the Labyrinthine, November 15, 2023
The Labyrinthine/Labyrinth second opening party was held on November 22, 2023
Exile on Exile—> to SLEA (4SW), the Labyrinth
This was a well-attended party and celebration DJ Tomtom, from Köln, Germany. Second Life is a global community. The music was great and everyone had fun.
I am planning a Zoom tour soon. I will be announcing soon.
A paradox is a statement, proposition, or situation that seems illogical, absurd, or self-contradictory. However, upon further scrutiny, it may be logical or true, or at least contain an element of truth.
The purpose of a paradox is to arrest attention and provoke fresh thought.
Here is an examples of paradox: Less is More.
~ Generated by Google’s AI
Love that quote, especially when Milton Glaser, a graphic designer, said, “Less is not necessarily more”.He also said, “Just enough is more”.
Not open, but soon, and happy for visitors to come and preview what I am doing … Party soon. I found this to be a more significant project than I figured. I am learning a lot thanks to the Second Life Endowment for the Arts grant. Second Life remains one of the most open creative spaces on the web. Do art with people from all over the world. Explore art created by people down under or on the other side of the world.
Bill Hendricks / Tap Quentin
