New World Notes

Dramatic SL Portraits & Placid Landscape Photographs by Dongo Sama

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Dongo Sama’s “Violence” is one of those pictures that make you stop and look. There’s no scrolling past such a bold and, yes, violent image.The intense expression of the avatar with the tension in his hand and the swirling red and black. Red is a martial color. People who wear red are more likely to be perceived as angry than those wearing blue or green. Yes, that feels violent. It completely achieves its purpose. 

Dongo also did the “Amour Eternel” I featured last week. There he used red’s association with love and passion. Color choices often send a message.

For more from Dongo, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Delightfully Candid Life in Second Life Photos by Adam Arrowmint

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Adam Arrowmint’s:”Our Magnificent Metaverse” has a graffito that I think we all agree with, “Second Life Forever.” I agree wholeheartedly. This, like his other pictures, tells a story. We see the spray cans on the ground and small paint stains on his shirt. We know who is the artist who painted that oh-so-welcome message. 

For more of Adam’s storytelling, click here:

Our Second Life Flickr Group of the Week is Decidedly Edgy & Different!

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Charlotta Jackman aka Handdrawn posted this intriguing picture she called “Keep playing with fire…You’ll never be able to handle the heat.” I love this picture. For one, it’s so different from the usual pictures of body or headshots or landscapes. She zoomed in close and is sending a message, a warning to all who would trifle with her. 

I found this picture in the group Second Life's Edgy -Different. So what is edgy or different? I spent some time browsing through the group to find out. This is an adults-only group, but don’t worry, if you’re okay with occasional explicitness here or there, it’s a lovely group of photos. 

For more edgy and/or different pictures, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Lally O’Leary's Vibrantly Varied Second Life Imagery

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Lally O’Leary is a fun account to follow, in part because you never know what she will do next. I said something similar four years ago when I wrote about her back when she called herself Lally Starsparkle. Whatever her last name, Lally is sure to please. I love “The Photographer” where she makes the intriguing decision to leave a lot of space bin the field before the subject. It creates a sense of vastness that would be lost if her subject were up close in the foreground. 

For more exciting photos from Lally, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: Elise's Avatar Portraits Exude James Dean-Like Coolness

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Elise chooses to work in black and white which, in my opinion, is a perfect fit for her rebel with-or-without a cause aesthetic.

Truly, looking at her stream my first and strongest reaction was if James Dean were a woman.

It’s not the occasional cigarette, either, it’s the stance, the way she poses her body, relaxed, confident, cool, raw, and rebellious.

She has that style, her stance is everything. 

For more from Elise, click here:

 

Should We Feature Primfeed-Only Pics on Cajsa's Choices? And If So, Whose?

To repeat a question I just posted on Primfeed: Should we feature pics posted only to Primfeed on Cajsa's awesome New World Notes column? And if so, who should we feature who's not also sharing images on Flickr?

Background: Historically we mostly only feature images from SL's Flickr community for various reasons (longevity, embed features, etc.), but we also want to highlight the Primfeed's fairly large virtual world community as much as possible.

In any case,  please tag your favorites Primfeed artists in comments so we can follow and/or feature them!

Cajsa's Choices: Gloriously Dramatic Avatar Pics by Cursichella

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Cursiichella recently posted this delightful picture and I immediately thought she’s Pippi Longstocking all grown up. I love the mischievous spirit she portrays. Definitely, she would lead an expedition to a circus.

For more of Cursichella’s spirited pictures, click here:

These Six Amazing Second Life-Based Tributes to Don Quixote Totally Don't Tilt at Windmills

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting.

Langstrath Valley shot “Windmills, Sancho? I see Giants!” which portrays the most famous scene from Don Quixote... I loved the book when I read it in high school Spanish and dragged my friend to see the statue at Plaza de España. I love the book far more than “Man of La Mancha,” the musical. 

Why did I decide to hunt for Don Quixote in Second Life? Chatting on the phone with a friend, I characterized a mutual friend’s action as quixotic. I then wondered why we pronounced quixotic so differently from Quixote. I had my stream choosing music for me based on a Ben Webster tune and, rudely, The Impossible Dream began to play. I have never liked that song. The algorithmic overlords should have chosen Dulcinea. Anyway, it made me wonder about Don Quixote in Second Life. There were some lovely surprises such as Langstrath’s picture that is so true to the story. 

For more of Don Quixote in the Metaverse, click here:

Cajsa Choices: See Why Maloe Vansant is Among My Favorite SL Artists

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Maloe Vansant has been a favorite artist of mine for years, something I said the last time I wrote about her. It’s as true now as then. Pictures like this are the reason why. The woman’s face is so beautiful, but in the texture of the skin we see the breakdown and deterioration. There are scratches and breaks in the surface and there is a growth of gold daubs of paint, flecks that fleck off, a kind of beautiful decay. The title is “Sweet Dreams Are Made of This” and it immediately reminds me of that video that frequently zoomed in on Annie Lennox and her castmates’ faces, but most often on her face. Even without the Eurythmics connection, though, this picture is extraordinary. 

For more of the breathtaking imagery from Maloe Vansant, click here:

Cajsa's Choices: This Artist Turns Second Life Screenshots Into Exciting Pop Art / Gothic Baroque Imagery

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Damien Father (Father Daddy) has an exciting photostream. Regular readers will know I am a huge fan of pop art. I cannot resist pictures like this. Really, all they did was create a duotone in red with their snap and make a few repeats. But the idea is always what makes pop art special. I mean, most anyone could paint a Campbell’s Tomato Soup Can, but no one thought of doing that until Andy Warhol in 1961. I’ve seen the soup cans arrayed in a long line from one room to another and they are overwhelming and far more interesting and imposing than you might think. 

I also have to point out the subtle cleverness of choosing that shade so that the face seems also a repeat of the background. I love everything about this pic. This is titled “Super Villain” which is also kind of clever as there is no outward manifestation of villainy, but that is the point, villainy comes from within not without. 

For more SL-becomes-pop art perfection, click here: