Virtual Treeline

Interactive Digital Trees

2012-01-01T00:16:00.000-08:00

This was a very cool installation at the Rocks moonlight markets in Sydney. It wasn't quite dark enough when I took these images, but it gives you the idea. Be a tree and make it dance. It could possibly have been done a bit better, but it was an interesting installation that got people involved in the idea of being a tree. Not sure if it was a Kinect hack or ......

Bev Hand - Maroochy Botanic Gardens

2011-12-10T20:24:00.001-08:00

Last week Treeline artists were invited to take a walk in Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens with indigneous leader and very knowledgeable person Beverly Hand. What a treat it was! Beverly is an expert and entertaining story teller with a wealth of interesting knowledge about plants and the culture, customs and folklore of her indigenous background.She also seemed to know more about the history of western civilisation than we did, as well as knowing the Latin names of all the plants and being able to give us useful information that can inform our Treeline projects.I came away wishing and hoping that I could somehow bring Beverly into contact with students from Caloundra City School who will be the focus of my Treeline project in 2012 - if just to enthuse them about the bushland plants we so often overlook, as well as a little understanding of the first inhabitants of this land. I also came away with (even more) images from the gardens that will be put to use making textures for virtual world installations.

Catching Up with Some Old Friends

2011-11-22T17:45:00.001-08:00

The Inworldz Dreamz and Visionz festival has been a good place to catch up with some of the artists involved in Treeline's 2010's latest work, as well as seeing some new faces.Soror Nishi, who played such a large part in making Virtual Treeline 2010 a great success, continues to go from strength to strength creating new plant species to inhabit new spaces in the virtual universe. For Dreamz she gave us a new and colourful species of bean. Soror's work has become more and more polished and professional and I'll do a blog soon devoted to her amazing island Inworldz.

Another old Treeline friend, RAG Randt, has moved from an emphasis on 2D into 3D without losing any of his zany sense of humour and ability to make a statement with this work. His build for Dreamz was a giant tree, inhabited, of course, by monkeys doing all manner of crazy stuff in a crazy restuarant with a refridgerator full of bananas (what else?). It's great to see RAG move into full 3D, and I enjoyed a glass of red with his monkeys.

Last, but never least, another 2010 Treeline regular and great supporter, Alizarin Goldflake, has been honing her building skills with her first full sim build in Inworldz. Alizarin goes from strength to strength always amazing me with the attention to detail and beautiful textures in her work. Scripting has also become an integral part of her repertoire.

Alizarin's underwater build for the Dreamz Festival was up to her very high standard, with incredible underwater plants and the most appealing seahorses I have ever encountered.

It's been ggreat to catch up with these old friends at Dreamz.

InWorldz Dreamz and Visions and Treeline 2012

2011-11-10T23:24:00.000-08:00

Treeline will be on again next year, and once again I'll be working on a virtual component of the real world event. I'm told the Treeline website will be updated soon with details. In 2012 Treeline will have an education focus. More about my involvmenet later, but it's now time to ramp up this blog again and start noticing what's been happening with trees, botanicals and organic things in virtual worlds.

The Dreamz and Visions festival in Inworldz (sponsored by Jeri Rajah) seems like the perfect place to start. I've had a quick look and there's plenty there for inspiration. Some of the artists involved in Treeline in 2010 have builds at the festival, so I'll be blogging about their pieces as well as exciting new work.

This morning I got no further than a very interesting build by La Toymaker. The work is a massivley complex installation for a small 30X30 metre plot (which is what each artist gets at the festival) and has intriguing storylines and a fairytale coach floating in the sky pulled by horses you can ride.

What caught my attention were the whimsical wooden figures, as if tree roots and twigs had come to life - the spirits of the trees perhaps. I particularly like the root figures escaping from a painting (below) and the very expressive man (above) who seems to have something to say about what's happening on the keyboard.

Congratulations to La Toymaker for a great piece. I look forward to visiting it again.

Virtual Vegetation

2011-06-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Over at Nordan Art in Second Life Claudia22Jewell continues to make her own brand of vegetation, now becoming as instantly recognizable as other great virtual plant pioneers like Soror Nishi. The annex at Nordan has become a hothouse of fecund plant life both threatening and friendly at the same time. The build works exceptionally well in the confined spaces and many levels and it’s a sensual experience making your way in and up and out again. I’m not a great fan of faces in the plant life, or is it the animal turning vegetable, but it somehow works.

Another new plant build is Soror Nishi’s small installation at the new location for Arte Libera in Second Life. I think it opens tomorrow, but Soror invited me over for a sneak preview and as usual it wasn’t disappointing. I think one of the most startling things upon landing at the installation is the realization that here is an artist who has gone from creating plants to becoming an expert in creating atmosphere. Although the visitor can play around with light settings, they are not necessary to the ‘feeling’ of the installation. I get a little tired of being asked to set my atmosphere to some convulted algorithm so the artist’s work can be viewed. Soror’s installation works on any setting.

How to Discipline a Tree

2011-06-16T23:45:00.000-07:00

Derek Kreckler's exhibition 'How to Discipline a Tree' opens at the Paper Mill on June 28th, and while it's not virtual art it is pretty amazing.
"How to discipline a tree" consists of hundreds of bricks made from compressed newspaper, newspapers brought into an average Sydney household in one month; "Indeed a close inspection will reveal the odd un-pulped word shining out with un-foretold meaning like a Dada poem. These words are the detritus of what is already a byproduct of everyday waste"
And while it may look pretty blocky, the shape he's created is based on the buttress roots of a Moreton Bay Fig.
Cool heh? Click on the title to this post to go to the Paper Mill site.

Trees Take the Cake at UWA

2011-02-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

Organics still seem to be the order of the day at UWA with Susan Graves taking out first prize (and some others) with her work 'Chose Your Blossom' (above).
I was not sure whether Claudia222 Jewell's 'Strange Plant....Ugliness and Beauty' was a plucked chicken or a tree, but it managed to carry away a swag of prizes.

Soror Nishi's beautifully crafted Christmas Daisy Tree (below) was also amongst the winners (I've blogged about this one before).

I also took some pics of Silene Christensen's entry (below), which was also at the Art Maze. I don't think it won any prizes, but the list of prizewinners is getting so long I don't have time to read it right through. (Note to UWA: Next time please send out a list just of the prizes and winners - without extraneous text)

Trees at UWA

2011-01-03T20:31:00.001-08:00

JayJay Zifanwe from UWA is always quick to let me know when there's a new and interesting tree at the UWA competition site. Thanks JayJay.It's great to see so many trees keep coming in this art competition.
So I popped over today to have a look at what's on offer and found Soror Nishi's Grove of Lantern Fruit Trees (below) to brighten my day.

Zola Zsun's 'Three Poodle Trees'(below) is a fun piece with sparkly diamond-like foliage and brilliant ground cover.

Cherry Manga's 'It's Raining in my Heart Like This'(below) (I think that's the title- my French is not good) is another work with humour and very well executed. I am a great lover of monotone so Cherry's work speaks to me. It rains just like that in my heart too, and sometimes all over Queensland.

There seems to be a lot of foliage around in artworks these days, as if we are all hankering for a bit of greenery. Anley Piers beautiful work 'Travel in the Shadow of Technology' is a nice bit of greenery (or monotonery)for geeks and techo nerds like me. Congratulations Anley.

And while it's not greenery or even vegetable I thought Corcosman Voom's birds deserved to be in here with the rest of the Nature works from UWA. I love almost everything Corco does and these are no exception.

So thanks for the heads-up JayJay. I always get a bit lost at UWA- but I think I found em all.

Soror Nishi New Trees- from strength to strength

2011-01-03T19:56:00.000-08:00

Today I was lucky to get a sneak preview of some brand new Soror Nishi trees. What a way to greet the new year!
My favourite virtual tree builder is going from strength to strength consolidating her earlier work with a full mastery of Blender and a foray into particle canopies.
After what seems like an eternity of rain and grey skies, water and doom here in Australia Soror's trees were like a burst of sunshine.
Watch out for these trees when they come on the market- they're great. Shown here not to great advantage in a sandbox somewhere in Second Life- but they still shone.

Thinking Ahead

2010-12-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

The Sunshine Coast Treeline project has finished for this year, but we hear that it will be back in 2012, so I'm starting to think ahead looking at ways trees are being celebrated with new technologies- in virtual worlds and in the real world. Maybe some ideas will come out of it for 2012.

The first is a brilliant tree build at the Museum of Singapore, traditionally associated with a grand old Banyan Tree, but now with a new, glowing metal contemporary take on the Banyan. The Farm site http://www.farm.sg/work/project/the_tree has images of the tree in the gardens, with people interacting in much the same way they might with a real banyan, as well as drawings and specifications showing how the tree was made.

The Breath of Life is another project over at Design Milk (http://design-milk.com/a-breath-of-life-by-fraser-ross/#more-61797) that caught our eye. While this first version isn't quite a tree yet, there are lots of possibilities here.Scotland -based artist Fraser Ross has used shape changing alloy and LEDs to create a plant that reacts to the carbon in the human breath. There's a video on the site showing how the plants light up, move and change. Pretty usual stuff in virtual worlds, but not so easy to do in real life.

Real/Second Life Crossover- Treeline Opening

2010-05-22T22:40:00.001-07:00

The real world Treeline opened officially on Friday night at Noosa Regional Gallery in Queensland, Australia. The Treeline exhibitions will take place at various venues and all Sunshine Coast Galleries over the next few months.

Virtual Treeline is part of the Noosa Gallery show. A slide presentation documents the involvement of the project in Second Life and shows the work of all the artists who participated and showed work at the Treeline galleries in Second Life. A second slide show shows the virtual environmental artworks of Juanita Deharo.

There will also be several live presentations from Second Life to an audiences in the gallery.

Two books which have been published as part of the Virtual Treeline project, and are being shown at the gallery as part of the exhibition. The first is a pictorial essay documenting and making comment on the work of each of the Second Life artists who participated in the Treeline exhibitions, and smaller book shows the virtual environmental artworks of Juanita Deharo, with an accompanying essay. These books are available to be read or purchased on line at http://bit.ly/9ZluS9 or via http://www.juanitadeharo.com/Virtual_Treeline_artists.html
There are more images of the opening on the Virtual Treeline Flickr site.
Thank you to everyone who has supported this project, both in Second Life and in my own community. There has been tremendous interest and expressions of delight from visitors to the Noosa Gallery since the show opened.

Treeline V- Scottius Polke

2010-05-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

For our last show at Treeline, everyone's favourite otter, Scottius Polke, has kindly and very carefully transplanted some of the trees and plants form his magnificent Lunamaruna build (at Project Z) to our Sky Gallery platform. It was done with care, and they seem to love the watery environment here as much as in Lunamaruna.
Scottius' trees, as with the work of many of our exhibitors in previous shows, reminds us that virtual worlds can have their own ecosystems, and their own plant species. Not everything needs to be a replica of the real world. Sometimes, in making and seeing new and never before seen environments we are better able to understand and appreciate reality.
Something in us responds to the notion of a tree, whether it is one of Jadyn's magnificent redwoods, or one of Scottius' strange but evocative virtual trese that survived its first transplanting, but can not exist in the real world.

Treeline V - Fuschia Nighfire, Jadyn Firehawk and Araminta Kroitschov

2010-05-21T10:16:00.001-07:00

For our last show at Treeline we have welcomed back some of the artists from previous exhibitions.
Since exhibiting at Treeline in our first show Fuschia Nightfire (Nina Camplin) has gone on to develop her work in Second Life in a number of directions. We are pleased to be showing her small immersive installation that was a prize winner at UWA, and some of her evocative 3D work incorporating figures and trees.

Jadyn Firehawk was also part of an earlier Treeline show. For this exhibition she has treated us to a taste of majesty with her images of giant redwoods. These giant trees, some of the largest on earth, are a living reminder of how insignificant we are in the scheme of things, and yet how much impact we have had on the planet. For anyone who has not seen these giant trees, Jadyn's images perfectly capture the feeling of awe one gets looking at such a huge and very old living things.

We are also pleased to welcome back photographer Araminta Kroitschov, who is continuing to do wonderful things, taking photographic works off the wall and into installations. Her experiments with the possibilities of the virtual environment show just what can be done when creative people think of ways to bring together real life art practice and the tools of Second Life.

Araminta has also charmed us once again with her images that speak of the joys of human contact with organic things and our own close ties with the natural world. We all respond positively to the idea of bare feet on leaves, but it's a sensation many of us rarely experience these days.

Treeline V - Marcus Inkpen

2010-05-19T03:31:00.000-07:00

J. Matthew Root is the real life name of Marcus Inkpen. In the real world he is a fantasy/surreal artist, illustrator and web/graphics designer and when he's got some free time he writes cerebral science fiction stories, composes and records his own music and occasionally acts (and dies) in horror movies.He graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1999 having studied under mentors Susan Waters-Eller and Julian Allen with a concentration on illustrative painting.
After working in the newspaper/magazine industry for nearly a decade he decided to go freelance and hasn't looked back.
He's a seriously talented Second Life creator and a really nice guy, and we are delighted to feature his work 'The Great Tree' at ground level for our last exhibition.

Marcus says:
I've always been in love with trees and I've not been alone. Historically so much of our architecture is actually faint echos of humanity's love and admiration for the ultimate symbol of life, the tree.
When Sharni and I were building items inspired by the movie Avatar the vision of the great tree in which the Na-Vi live was the top of my list. You couldn't hope to more powerfully embody the idea of embracing life than to be living in a tree. Add to that the obvious life reference in the double helix staircases (which work as perfect metaphors on practically every level) and you have all that the "Tree" truely is. As balanced in its ever renewing lifecycle as we humans could ever hope to be.

Inside Marcus's Great Tree one climbs the double helix stairway to platforms hidden here and there amongst the foliage of the tree. It's an inspiring and rewarding experience, and is as close to be part of a living thing as one can get in a virtual world.
Marcus and Sharni Azalee have also 'decorated' our ground level around the giant tree with some of their plants and objects, all of them closely aligned with nature. Thanks to you both for making the ground level such a brilliant space.

Treeline V - Sharni Azalee

2010-05-19T03:14:00.000-07:00

I first saw Sharni's work when she entered the UWA Art Challenge, and was immediately impressed with the quality of her texturing and attention to detail. Her work 'Forest of Dreams' which is a feature piece in this last exhibition at Treeline in Second Life represents to Sharni a space where she escapes, to create and forget the troubles of the world. She says she has always been immersed in creativity, with a mother who was an artist and many exceptionally talented friends, however it was not until she found Second Life that she found a medium that allows her to express my feelings and thoughts.
'Forest of Dreams' has an almost luminous, stained glass quality to the textures, whilst at the same time being reminiscent of textile. That doesn't seem quite possible, but it is.
Sharni is from Western Australia and the piece is influenced by native plants such as the boab tree, callistemon, and pincushion hakea, all very distinctly Australian plants.
Sharni's wish is that you may you find love and peace in your own Forest of Dreams

Treeline V - Opening

2010-04-23T16:18:00.000-07:00

The last of the in-world artist exhibitions opened at our Virtual Treeline site in Second Life today. It's a brilliant show featuring Scottius Polke, Fuschia Nightfire, Araminta Kroitschov, Marcus Inkpen, Sharni Azalee and Jadyn Firehawk.

At ground level Marcus Inkpen's giant tree towers over the landscape. It provided the perfect backdrop for the lovely Miso Susanowa.

Up in the sky gallery the guests crowded around Scottius Polke's trees with amazing poses by Alexx Fernstalker (above). I think Marcus might have decided to live in Scotti's tree.

Fuschia Nightfire's winning work from UWA is on show, along with sculptural and 2D works depicting other sculptural works. (Are you confused?)

RAG Randt waitied patiently for a RAG doll to appear in Sharni Azalee's hammock, but she must have been washing her hair today.

Araminta Kroitschov's new funky piece was enjoyed by an equally funky avatar, Spiral Silverspar

Sharni Azalee's beautiful work from UWA was admired by fellow artist Sheba Blitz.

And Jadyn's Van Gough dress was set off perfectly by Melchizedek Blavvelt's avatar full of eyes(and who wouldn't need a lot of eyes to take in that dress?)

The next Virtual Treeline exhibition will be in real life at Noosa Gallery, Queensland, Australia in May. In the meantime I will be blogging about each of these artists separately and talking about their work over the next few weeks.
Don't miss this brilliant show.

Soror Nishi - Maker of Trees

2010-04-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

Soror Nishi is one of that group of Second Life artists whose work has ‘grown up’ with the game. We are pleased and proud to have turned over the whole of the Treeline site to her for a survey show of her trees and other plants, from early, sometimes prim heavy or cumbersome work that still revealed the same spirit and creativity we see today, to her latest elegant and highly crafted, award winning works.

Soror has generously set up a display that gives an insight into both the development of her work over time, and the techniques she uses to create her work. Some of her compelling textures are included as 2D wall works, as well as untextured sculpted prims that indicate her current skills with Blender and the way she makes her plants. The exhibition is a must for anyone interested in making flora in Second Life.

From her early days in Second Life Soror has not been much interested in replicating real world plants and environments, but has argued that the culture and visual style of the new world should be respected . Many of her pieces reveal both a fertile imagination and a quirky sense of humour.

Her short bio provides the following as a background to her work

Born in Harajuku, the daughter of a flower seller and her husband a software magnate, she started creating at an early age and quickly turned her attention to the natural environment. Concerned about the diminishing native flora of Second Life she set about planting and nurturing the plants that the Lindens had cleared from the land with an over-grazing of goats and the like.
Her work in preserving "the Ancient Ones" for future generations is well known, and recent discoveries of rare orchids has generated much interest.

Soror’s work is always a delight to see, and will coninue at Treeline until next Monday.
If you miss the show her principle nursery and shop are on Lifstaen (an island) and neighbouring Moldorf.
Her blog is at http://sorornishi.blogspot.com/

The best Of Soror Nishi Opens at Treeline

2010-03-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

Soror Nishi's retrospective 'The Best of Soror' opened yesterday at Virtual Treeline Galleries, with a bumper crowd treated to the usual awe inspiring work of this talented artist.

The exhibition is over two levels, with some of Soror's latest trees mingling with earlier works at ground level, in a profusion of colour and texture that somehow seems to come together as a whole.

In the sky galleries Soror has created a sort of visual tour of her work and the way it has developed in Second Life. A roomful of her favourite prims created in Blender demonstrates her considerable talent in making sculted forms. For those interested in the making of plants and the development of this artist's work the exhibition is a must.
I will be doing a full review of the show with more images in a later blog.

Pictured above at the opening, Isabella Alphaville, who greatly admires Soror's work and took the opportunity to add to her collection.
Below is staunch Treeline supporter Asmita Duranjaya whose costume(s) on the day blended perfectly with Soror's works.

Shellina Winkler - Treeline 3 Artist

2010-03-11T19:21:00.000-08:00

Also in the Treeline Sky gallery this month are works by Shellina Winkler. Shellina's prim paintings are 'constructed' works, built layer upon layer with prims, as she explores the potential of the medium in Second Life. She also carefully maximizes the potential of each single prim by using textures or merely colours to maximimum effect. The results are serene and sophisitcated works, seemingly simple, but sometimes complex in their construction.

As well as several 2D works on the gallery walls there is also a three dimensional abstract tree made by Shellina. It reminds us how the tree is universally and instantly recognisable - even when that symbol is abstracted and devoid of organic texture. What is it about trees that makes them such an easily recognised symbol?

Shellina is a well known and respected artist in second Life, who has works in many places, usually with her partner Solkide Auer. Her work can also be seen at:
Blog: http://shellinawinkler.blogspot.com/
Pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shellina_winkler/
Pics: http://www.koinup.com/shellinawinkler/
Video: http://it.youtube.com/user/shellinawinkler

Trill Zapatero - Treeline 3 Artist

2010-03-11T15:52:00.000-08:00

This month one of the Treeline Sky Galleries is showing 2D work reproduced from real life paintings by Trill Zapatero.

Trill describes her paintings as travel collages or maps of journeys. Having spent part of her life in Asia, captivated by its richness and diversity, her work resonates with exuberant colours and the mix of reality, myth, fantasy and dream one finds in much of this part of the world. She says what she is looking for is some place to get to that is behind the surface, beyond the material nature of the painting and collage.

Her work is informed in part by the landscape, the flora and fauna of the places she has visited, in part by the 'happening' of the painting where images and ideas form of their own accord, and in part by inspirational material from other sources. Her works in this exhibition are all related to trees.
Trill says:
Trees are a universal symbol of growth and as such inform the organic nature of the process of my painting

You can see more of Trill's paintings on her Flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gwenbpenner/

Survival of the Wollemi Pt 1 - Olmia Tenk

2010-02-26T01:17:00.000-08:00

The survival of the Wollemi pine intact, from the depth of prehistory is truly a remarkable story.
Olmia Tenk’s whimsical installation at Treeline is based on an original story written by Olmia about Muttaburrasaurus, a herbivorous dinasoar that lived 200 million years ago and a Wollemi pine cone. While the Muttaburrasaurus became extinct about 60 million years ago, the Wollemi pine has survived to this day. It was only discovered in 1994 in what is now the Wollemi National Park in Australia. It is a very very special tree and a fitting subject for an artist’s attention.

The installation in the sky over the Treeline site is contained within a giant Wollemi pine cone.

The pages that form the story were originally bound into Second Life book in traditional format but have now become a true ‘artist book’ freed from the binding but still telling their story as the reader moves through the installation, walking inside the cone on Wollemi pine leaves, through rain, snow, fire, all the things the Wollemi has survived through the ages. Olmia has also produced the Wollemi story as machinima.

Olmia Tenk is currently completing a 'Master of Fine Art' by research candidature at Monash University, Australia and is using her experiences and work in Second Life as part of that process. She attended the opening of her exhibition at Treeline suitably attired and blending in perfectly with her installation.

In real life Olmia Tenk is Lily Tan.Olmia is coined from 'Wollemia Nobilis', the scientific name of the Wollemi pine.
You can read more about the Wollemi pine on the official Wollemi pine website at:
http://www.wollemipine.com/

Treeline3 artist- Jedda Zenovka

2010-02-21T20:51:00.001-08:00

"Trees are Earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven."
Rabindranath Tagore, Indian poet

This month at Treeline in Second Life our feature artists are both Australian, and both have created installations that are a delight for the senses. At ground level Jedda Zenovka's giant tree 'Nuture' towers over the surrounding landscape. Under the tree a fantasy garden, recognisably plants, but not plants we recognise, manages to feel both welcoming and a little alien.

There's something luxurious and overblown about Jedda's work. Well crafted and put together with a disciplined sense of design it still manages to feel like it's bursting forth in chaos. It's organic. It seems alive and unmanageable. It reaches out to you. It reflects Jedda's love of the rainforests of NSW where she lives. She says:
You can take the girl out of the jungle...But you cant take the jungle out of the girl!

Also at ground level Jedda's 'Family Tree' is a fun piece, all the more interesting because it is made using no textures.

Up in the sky, floating majestically through the clouds, Plane Tree Awareness is a quieter, less colourful work but none the less powerful in its imagery.

Jedda has been making art in Second Life for a few years.The works she has created for Treeline in this exhibition are meant to represent the relation ship we as humans have with the planet earth and our trees.
Jedda says:
The fortunes of trees and humans are as intricately linked as the complex branching systems that link tree root to tree crown. We are connected ... As is our fate...
In Second Life her work can be found at Terravia Island and her Flickr site is:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jedda/
Jedda's installation is a delight to visit and can be found at the Virtual Treeline site in Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/80/214/22
There are more images of Jedda's installations on the Virtual Treeline Flickr site.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/virtualtreeline/

Opening of Treeline3

2010-02-19T16:18:00.000-08:00

The third exhibition at Virtual Treeline opened today in Second Life. It features an amazing array of diverse works. At ground level Jedda Zenovka's installation built around an enormous tree delighted everyone. Congratulations Jedda- this is an amazing build.

At sky level paintings by shellina Winkler and Trill Zapatero are in the gallery, an installation featuring the work of Richard Newport, and a fabulous bubble tree from Soror Nishi.

Way up in the sky Olmia Tenk's Wollemi installation pays tribute to a tree forgotten by time. Olmia was there hiding amongst the work if you looked hard enough you might have found her.

Thank you to all who came to the opening and to the wonderful artists for putting on such a show.I will be blogging about each of the artists and their works in the coming weeks.

Taking the Virtual to the Real World

2010-02-11T19:11:00.001-08:00

Sometimes strange connections come about through this Virtual Treeline Project.
It was a surreal experience for me to talk with Year 12 (senior year high school) students at Pacific Lutheran College in Caloundra (Queensland, Australia)today about virtual worlds and the Virtual Treeline project. Used to sitting at my computer being in charge of a virtual world, there I was, showing a very static Powerpoint presentation on a makeshift calico screen trying explain the delights of virtual world art to a group of very real students who didn't need an animation over-rider to control their movements or a keyboard to communicate their thoughts. Great to see the real world still exists.
(Picture shows students with a projected image of Soror Nishi's Tagliatelle eco car.)

Tree Wanderings

2010-02-09T19:59:00.000-08:00

I dropped into Angel of the Mysts Gallery to see littleone Aries show The Ceremony Trees. The colours and textures in her well crafted paintings resonate with the luxurient light and colours of her living environment on a hilltop looking over the rainforest in Peurto Rico.

littleone says:
When looking at and touching the magnificent trees that I see at treetop level from my easel I have come to understand that there is indeed a grand scheme to things. Nature has become my bible, my handbook on how to live my life. it tells me to understand respect and support the connections that bind all together.

Via Koinup's list of favourite places I also happened upon Lemondrops Forest and the adjacent Photon Pink's Castle. The build seems to have been put together from the work of a number of builders, but the resulting whole is a delight to the senses.

Lemondrops Forest is an island taken up mostly by a giant tree, with ground and tree level landing spaces filled with colourful and interesting plants and objects. Photon's Castle is much the same - a smile raising build with nothing sinister and lot of creativity and imagination.

It's a great place to visit if you are feeling in need of a bit of a lift for the sense on a dull day.

Trees are in Fashion?

2010-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

I couldn't help noticing so many of the works in the January round of UWA competition featured trees. I think the works are removed to make way for the next round in a couple of days- so make sure you get there to see.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/UWA/64/132/250

Asmita Duranjaya

Sabine Stonebender

420 Xeltentat

OldOak Merlin

Soror Nishi

As well as the works above there are also tree works from Alizarin Goldflake and Araminta Kroitschov.
Great to see so many works based on trees, and such a variation in approach to this universally recognisable object.

Treeline Artist - Araminta Kroitschov

2010-02-05T15:50:00.001-08:00

Araminta Kroitschov is a photographer with a difference. She takes her 2D photographic images off the wall and uses the tools Second Life has to offer to make compelling and visually beautiful installation pieces. She enjoys experimenting with a way of creating work that is easier to manipulate than work that is bound by the physics of the real world. She says it is exciting to realize an artistic vision when it doesn't conform to the realities of gravity, mass, finances, and space.

Araminta's work also reflects her deep commitment to the natural environment and conservation values. The Forest installation in this exhibition uses images gathered in Kentucky at Wolf Pen Branch Mill Farm (part of the River Fields conservation easement) and a Bernheim Forest.www.riverfields.org
and reflects Araminta's long term secret desire to become lost in the deep woods at night.

Araminta says about her work:
The ways we have distanced ourselves from nature is truly heartbreaking. We all now live in our shoebox cages and most of us visit nature only when we need “sport” or “recreation”. As urban sprawl encroaches on more and more wild lands these magical spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate. We are so fearful of the woods and the wild beasts that roam that we have insulated ourselves in subdivisions and strip malls..... I believe that this disconnection to our wild lands is one of the most devastating signs of how unhealthy our planet has become.Through this work, I hope that people will realize that the woods are a treasure, a place of magic and beauty, and essential to our success as a species.

In real life Araminta is artist Mary Yates. Her project Vivid Black can be found here:www.vividblackart.blogspot.com

Treeline Artist- Em Larsson

2010-02-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

Em Larsson has been capturing the pictures she sees in the world around her for years, but it wasn't until she discovered Second Life that she began to share them. Em loves to photograph everyday things and shed new light on them, creating objects of beauty. She loves trees, chosing to live surrounded by them in an old pine forest in the middle of Nowhere in Eastern Ontario.

Her photographs in this exhibition, from the tiny green tree in the sky gallery, to the gigantic winter forest at ground level, display a level of skill and commitment to her photography that take us somewhere into the true nature of things. Em's images are simply beautiful.

She shows her work in many locations in Second Life. Please see her profile pics for the locations of her current shows.
Thanks for being part of Treeline Em, and for sharing part of your world with us.

Virtual Treeline2 - Artist Jadyn Firehawk

2010-02-02T23:04:00.000-08:00

Jadyn Firehawk is a professional geographer and an amateur photographer. Studying geography (in particular, doing field studies) has helped me learn to see with a "geographer's eye." Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States, she has lived many places in her life and is currently the environmental education coordinator for a statewide water quality program in Texas. With a photographer's eye for composition and colour Jadyn's work in this exhibition speaks to us of the dignity of trees and the beautiful colours of the changing seasons.

Jadyn says:
Most people see things in pictures; I see pictures in things. I especially like to photograph things that I see in daily life "as is," things that simply catch my eye, without any staging. I have jokingly told people that if I ever publish a book of my photos, it will be called "Pictures of Nothing." I am amazed that once I start looking for interesting pictures, the world around me gets more interesting. The more I take pictures, the more beauty I see in the world.

In Second Life Jadyn's main gallery is located at:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Las%20Lagunas/170/173/22

Virtual Treeline2 - Artist Lynda Robinson

2010-02-02T22:39:00.000-08:00

Lynda Robinson's pastels take us to the heart of the Australian bush and the eucalyptus tree, ubiquitous in many parts of the world, but native to Australia. In this exhibition her paintings are in stark contrast to the photographic works of Em Larsson and Jadyn Firehawk whose works focus on the seasonal changes in the northern hemisphere. Lynda's paintings capture the vibrant and unique colours, textures and light of the Australian environment. Her works reflect her love of the Australian bushland and the trees that inhabit this dry, harsh and sometimes hostile continent.

Lynda Robinson is a real life Australian artist who lives on 40 acres in the bush in the state of Victoria. Her son, avatar Rooperto Robbiani, exhibits and sells her work in Second Life. Her website can be found at http://lyndarob.redbubble.com/

Soror Nishi's bonsai trees at the Virtual Treeline Sky Gallery are the perfect accompaniment to Lynda Robinson's pastel painting.

Treeline - Official Launch

2010-01-27T18:47:00.000-08:00

The real life Treeline project will be officially launched at the Bunya Dreaming Festival at Baroon Pocket Dam in Queensland, Australia on January 30th. This is a low tech event without computer access, but Virtual Treeline has provided several printed brochures to be handed out at the festival.
Bunya Dreaming is an small festival celebrating the connections indigenous people from this area of Queensland have with the Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii). Festival organiser Beverly Hand says:
The Bunya tree was so special to our people that there were laws that precluded people harming it in any way.
The festival shows that the tree is more than just an icon, it generates understanding of Aboriginal culture, provides a forum for networking and information sharing, and strengthens community partnerships.
The Virtual Treeline brochures outline the project and show images of work from some of artists who have shown at our gallery in second Life, including RAG Randt, Alizarin Goldflake, Em Larsson, Araminta Kroitschov, Bocan Undercroft and Soror Nishi.
A separate brochure is dedicated to images and information about Araucaria, the work of Chilean artist Anyunie Daviau, which is currently featured at the Treeline ground level.http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/80/214/22
Anyunie's work (above) is about a tree from the same genus as the Bunya Pine, which is of special significance to the indigenous people in Chile. What a great link from across the oceans to the local indigenous population through the Bunya Dreaming Festival.

Treeline2 - Opening

2010-01-21T17:13:00.001-08:00

Our second exhibition in Second Life opened today. Thank you to everyone who attended, it was great to see so many people enjoying the artworks and talking about trees. The small installations by Araminta Kroitschov (above) which are scattered through the sand dunes were a great hit. http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/59/226/703

The photogrpahic work of Em Larsson and Jadyn Firehawk and pastels by Lynda Robinson in the sky galleries were also admired.

At ground level Anyunie Daviau's giant book (above) and Em Larsson's photography captured everyone's imagination.http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/80/214/22
The exhibition will continue until mid February. I will be showing images and blogging about each of the artists over the next few weeks and there are some more images of the opening on the Flickr site.

Opening Tomorrow - TREELINE 2

2010-01-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

Virtual Treeline opens its second exhibition in Second Life tomorrow Thursday January 21st at 2 pm PST.
Featured on the ground level are works by Anyunie Daviau (above) and Em larsson (below). At Sky gallery level are Lynda Robinson, Em Larsson, Jadyn Firehawk and Araminta Kroitschov. Please join us to celebrate these wonderful works.

Alizarin Goldflake - Virtual Treeline Artist

2010-01-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Alizarin Goldflake is showing some of her digital drawings at the Virtual Treeline Sky Gallery as part of the opening show.
Alizarin is one of those artists whose work doesn't jump up and grab you by the throat, it is more likely to stealthily steal into your heart and stay with you as a pleasant echo for a long time. I have been a fan for a long time and have watched her become one of Second Life's most respected and sought after artists.

The amazing thing about much of Alizarin's work is that it is not photography that has been manipulated. The haunting, grainy look of her images comes from the way she painstakingly builds them through drawing directly onto a graphics tablet. Once we know this the nature of her skill and dedication becomes apparent and the understanding that she is creating something truly unique.

Also at the Sky Gallery is one of Alizarin's small personal immersive environments. They always remind me of a snow globe- a magical and unexpected treat when you walk inside and the world is transformed.

These 3D environments are made up from painstaking manipulation of Alizarin's digital drawings so they fit seamlessly and wonderfully onto the 3D object and create the illusion of being in a place.

Most of Alizarin's work is about natural places. She says, about the trees in her work:
"I have been a landscape artist all of my life. Mostly I paint and draw the "thin places," the spots where the spirit world touches the ordinary world. Trees are always present in the thin places; in fact I think they create them. Apart from the foundation of the planet, the earth, air, and water, trees are the most beautiful things in the world. They create a sense of peace, richness, shelter, shade, mystery. They are the architects of mood. What could marry the spiritual plane to the concrete better than an entity that makes food out of sunlight?"

Soror Nishi at Pirats

2010-01-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite maker of trees, Soror Nishi, is currently showing a small environment at Pirats.
Soror's work is always full of colour, with beautiful hand-drawn textures and a great sense of style and design. She is one of the few talented virtual plant and landscape makers who have not been beguiled by the desire to recreate. Instead, Soror's landscapes and ecosystems are always refreshingly and surprisingly NOT attempting to be the real world. They are some other reality, and yet we are instantly at home, not wondering why that tree has square white foliage, or an orange trunk, just knowing this is a place we want to be. Such is the nature of our recognition of the visual message, and Soror's skill in creating an entirely fictitious but entirely believable environment.

I've blogged before about Soror's work now on show at Virtual Treeline, so if you have enjoyed that don't miss this work at Pirats.
As is often the case in Second Life galleries, it is difficult to get a clear shot of Soror's installation without the imposition of some other work or architecture, but there are more images on the Virtual Treeline Flickr site.

RAG Randt-Virtual Treeline Artist

2010-01-03T22:52:00.001-08:00

RAG Randt's work usually has a touch of whimsy with a serious message. I smile every time I see one of his pieces. He has a wry sense of humour and a very finely balanced and well honed sense of graphic design.

For the first Virtual Treeline exhibition RAG (Illustrator/Designer from the USA) shows a series of visual messages that link human desires and activities with the natural world, through the use of trees as easily recognised visual symbols.
His small 3D installation hidden at the end of a pathway in the sand dunes is a delight for all the senses. On can almost hear the jungle animals celebrating their colourful fall setting.....and what's that smell?

RAG says:
"Trees are a major symbol for me. My concepts tend to be humorous visual statements broadly interpreting a given topic. I have found trees to be wonderfully rich and flexible in symbolism whether I am making a statement about Hope, Networking, Communication, Finances and many other ideas. As trees are a vital part of the earth's ecosystem, they are also a vital part of my visual problem solving vocabulary."

RAG also says in his profile information:

The global environment is a subject I care deeply about and I would like to leave the world a better place.

Can art make a difference?

Virtual Treeline Artist - Asmita Duranjaya

2010-01-03T20:13:00.001-08:00

We are pleased to have German artist Asmita Duranjaya as one of the first to exhibit at Treeline. Asmita's three versions of her 'urban trees' show her skill with capturing the essence of trees against the background of human activity. The very lovely textures take on new life and meaning in the three different versions- all of which touch some moment of memory in us.
Asmita says:
Since my childhood trees have been a main subject of painting, drawing and taking photos. Trees are, for me, a universal symbol, for life, for stability and fragrance at the same time, for beauty and character, esp. when they are old. Trees have something protecting, nurturing, because they produce our oxygen and are a source for regenerating energy. lastly, trees are a cultural and spiritual symbol for the cycle of life and death. There is much more, that can be told on trees, but there is not enough space here and it will be done at another time...

More of Asmita's work and her comments on Virtual Treeline can be found on her blog at:http://giridevi.blogspot.com/

Virtual Treeline Artist - Sheba Blitz

2010-01-03T20:01:00.000-08:00

Australian Artist Sheba Blitz is one of the artists exhibiting in the first exhibition at the Treeline Sky Gallery in Second Life. Sheba's says of trees:
"Trees produce oxygen - oxygen gives us life "
It might be a short statement, but it tells us a lot about why trees are important to us.

In this image Juanita Deharo ponders on Sheba's giant revolving disk of precious rainforest plants.

FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE - TREELINE ARTIST

2010-01-02T03:03:00.001-08:00

FUSCHIA NIGHTFIRE - TREELINE ARTIST DECEMBER 2009/JANUARY 2010
Fuschia Nightfire (known in real life as Nina Camplin) is a mural artist specialising in trompe l'oeil. She is interested in challenging the viewer's perception of space and creating 'fake' realities. Fuschia is using Second Life as an alternative medium for creating art and exploring ways of making illusions.
She lives in Dorset on the South Coast of the UK, and many of her paintings feature the sea and heathland.

Fuschia says of ther painting 'Lightning Strikes Thrice'. The 3 trees shown in this painting were struck by lightning and died many years ago, because they are so open to the elements they have become decimated and have hardened into an almost fossilised state, therefore are almost impossible to chop down. To me, the fact that they have evolved into a material that is almost as strong as concrete gives them a sculptural form, both aesthetically and in substance. I find them extremely beautiful and have painted them several times from different viewpoints.

You can see more of Fuschia's work at the Treeline Sky Gallery until mid January or her own gallery in Second Life
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Coral%20Cove/132/188/42
or on her website at:http://www.ninacamplin.co.uk/

Can Virtual Workplaces Help Save the World?

2009-12-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen any data comparing greenhouse gas emissions, but there's certainly food for thought in the question. Some interesting information in this video.
http://malburnsannex.blogspot.com/2009/12/virtual-worlds-as-green-workplaces.html

For the Love of a Tree

2009-12-18T22:45:00.001-08:00

Some people, not content with loving places and things in the real world, want to recreate their favourite things in virtual reality. One such person is Jayjay Zifanwe from the UWA sim in Second Life. Jayjay has not been content to recreate the buildings of his beloved UWA campus, he wanted his favourite fig tree too, so his virtual self could lie under its shade and dream.

And as if that isn't enough, Jayjay has not one, but two versions of his favourite tree on the virtual UWA campus. The top pic. is of a fig created by Nyx Bree and the bottom tree was created by Bradly Dorchester. Great work guys.
That's the nice thing about virtual worlds. You can have whatever you want.
What do you want for Christmas Jayjay? Another tree?

The real life UWA fig tree can be seen here:
http://photos.imageevent.com/gladysclancy/perth/university/151_2314.jpg

Virtual Treeline - Official Opening Dec. 15th

2009-12-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

Virtual Treeline was officially launched in Second Life on December 15th with a lovely party to celebrate the wonderful artworks provided by Asmita Duranjaya, Alizarin Goldflake, Soror Nishi, Bocan Undercroft, RAG Randt, Sheba Blitz and Fuschia Nightfire.
Thank you to those who came to show their support for the project and the artists. The exhibition has something for everyone. Be sure to wander round the dunes at sky level to discover all the delights tucked away in the corners, and be sure to turn to midnight to appreciate Soror Nishi's tree on water a ground level.
Over the coming weeks I will be blogging here about each of the artists who feature in the first exhibition.

Nazz Lane has already blogged about the exhibition at http://secondarts.wordpress.com/2009/12/15/opening-of-virtual-treeline/
and pictures have been posted on the Treeline Flickr site http://bit.ly/4uku2j

OPENING OF VIRTUAL TREELINE GALLERIES

2009-12-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Virtual Treeline Galleries in Second Life will be officially opened with a small party on Tuesday December 15th at 2.00 pm PST (for Australia that's 8.00am EST,9.00 am EDT, and to early to get up in Perth.)
The first exhibition will feature work from Asmita Duranjaya (Germany), Alizarin Goldflake (USA), RAG Randt (USA), Fuschia Nightfire (UK), Soror Nishi (UK), Bocan Undercroft (UK) and Sheba Blitz (Australia). The work of each artist will be featured here in blog posts and on our Flickr site.
Please join us for the opening if you are able, at:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/80/214/22

Topiary Gone Madder

2009-11-30T01:51:00.000-08:00

Madcow Cosmos trees at his current installation at IBM take topiary just that one step further.

Porky Gorky's Trees - Topiary Gone Mad?

2009-11-22T14:19:00.000-08:00

While listening to Juko Tempel's excellent presentation at Second Life Community Art Centre on Sunday I was also admiring the trees in the centre's courtyard, and later took the time to have a look at the store they came from called Hydro.

Porky Gorky's trees are a lot of fun. There is even a range of trees for sitting on, as well as the inevitable tropical palms. Worth a visit by any tree lover.

SOROR NISHI CHEMIST'S TREE AT TREELINE

2009-11-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

The first artist to be featured at our location in Second Life is Soror Nishi. Soror is well known as the creator of beautiful virtual plants, trees, gardens and forests. The Chemist's Tree makes a wonderful centrepiece to the watery site at Lie.

Enjoying the light show from the Chemist's Tree with Juanita Deharo, coordinator of the Virtual Treeline Project, are Innula Zenovka and Dave Ruby from the UK, and XXXGabiXXX Miami from Chicago

Virtual Treeline Site in Second Life

2009-11-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

Virtual Treeline now has a temporary home in Second Life. Next year the project will move to a full sim, but for the moment home is a parcel in Lie.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Lie/80/214/22

In keeping with the Sunshine Coast landscape, Treeline's first build incorporates a lot of sand and sea (with some peeking Pandanus palms). The 'office' is definitely for those who enjoy an outdoors lifestyle, but of course there's a shade sail so you won't get burnt if you sit and chat a while.

Initially, the Virtual Treeline site will feature the work of artists from around the world who are using virtual space as a place to create trees or projects relating to the objectives of the Treeline project.

The first work to be featured is 'The Chemist's Tree' by British artist Soror Nishi. Soror is one of the best known and most innovative creators of virtual trees. The subtitle of the work says it is 'an education in itself'. What do you think that means?

THE WORSHIP OF TREES

2009-11-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

"Lately I have touched the sublime
Out of sight out of mind
The worship of trees
Something deep within my soul
Out with my control
The worship of trees"

Bocan’s Undercroft’s virtual art work “The Worship of Trees” has been entered in the University of Western Australia Art and Design Challenge for November 2009. Bocan describes himself as a ‘druid’ and says that for druids trees have a special significance because they represent life and nature. He says that in trees one can see the cycle of birth, life and death in the changing seasons.

The inspiration for the artwork was a pagan song sung by Damh The Bard called ‘Worship of Trees’ (originally by Telling the Bees).The work, built in virtual space, consists of a small ‘temple’ with a tree in the middle, several candles, and images of trees embedded in the windows. Bocan says these were pictures of various trees that he worked on in Photoshop, de-renedering them to have less detail and adding a glass texture. The result is quite pleasing.
I asked Bocan his thoughts on a real versus a virtual tree. His reply:
“Trees, whether virtual or real, can often have the same spirit and song.”

Virtual Treeline - Welcome

2009-11-07T21:06:00.000-08:00

Virtual Waterfalls and Vegetation

TreeLine is an initiative of Caloundra Regional Art Gallery on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. The project is a challenging, interdisciplinary and interactive art/science/community event that will highlight the impact of our lifestyle choices on our ability to sustain a healthy planet. It involves visual and new media arts, theatre, dance, music, sculpture and storytelling.Through a celebration of significant trees, participants will raise awareness of local and global issues, and encourage environmental action through art.

Virtual Treeline brings the treeline project to cyberspace and provides the base to develop an on-line community of interest around the project. The major focus will be the creation of artworks and environmental installations within virtual worlds such as Second Life and Open Sim, but the virtual project will also have a presence in Facebook and Twitter, and have a bank of images available in Flickr.

Juanita Deharo's major project as part of Virtual Treeline will be shown at The Caloundra Regional Gallery and other venues in April/May 2010.