The SL Enquirer: Art Korner Blog & Gallery Show

Art Korner Blog & Gallery Show Featuring Monique Beebe and Traci Ultsch

Opening Party: April 13^th 12-2pm SLT

With Daddio Dow streaming the tunes.

A new art exhibition featuring the work of Monique Beebe and Traci Ultsch kicks off on April 13^th with an Opening Party from noon to 2:00 SLT at the Art Korner Blog and Gallery. The Art Korner show is a two-person display of work by Monique Beebe and her artistic soulmate, Traci. These two exceptional Second Life artists have had four shows together thus far. This will be there fifth show together.

The opening promises to be a lot of fun because Moni and Traci are hilarious together:

Monique: we are good at openings

Traci: really I’m just her alt, used to explore the seedy parts of SL

Monique: pinch your butt

Traci: haha, you did invite me here, I blame you

Monique: yes I did

Traci: be funny if we are both Moni’s alts

Fynn: hahahaha

Monique: yep I like to talk to myself and pinch my butt

Monique and Traci. Photo By Fynn.

Their humorous interactions aside, they are serious artists. Monique began making images in Second Life in 2015, developing her skills over time she found her brilliance and inventiveness. In a notecard she gave me it says, “She uses pure photomontage. She does not use photography as a replacement for painting but uses the medium as an independent form of imagination.” And imagination and technique are clearly evident in her unique style.

Her series of 12 pieces show the many faces of Monique. Titled, “Still Waters Run Deep,” we have a study in emotional hieroglyphics. Intense with broken darkness, her work reflects her emotions at any given point in time. Rich in multiple techniques, Monique uses several photo apps and PhotoShop to create the visual virtuosity found in her creations. The way she plays with balance and imbalance with intense emotion via close-up imagery is her message. In fact, PhotoShop is her favorite program for editing pictures. She also knows her way around with photo apps.

Look. By Monique.

She says she is her own worst critic. She needs to be “okay” with what is created. She can make 100 images and only one will be just right. The lighting, the angle, the right “look,” all must add up to the right emotion in her imagery. Her use of close-ups is for their emotional value, the facial expression, the eyes, the hair, the shadows, and more, all contributing to feelings associated with anger, depression, anxiety, trust, or lack thereof. “I want viewers to think what is behind it,” she told me. The interplay of balance and stress as her subject dances between the tension points of compositional framing adds to the feeling of her work. Indeed, Monique is an expert with close-up facial imagery and has done many profile images for her friends and acquaintances in SL.

Women. By Monique.

Her work is equally balanced between excellent graphical techniques and excellent avatar design. Moni is art herself, though she would never admit this. And so is Traci. Both avatars are studies in excellent and unique avatar design. Moni uses herself as a model for most of her images. A study in patience, style, beauty, and the transformative powers of Second Life avatar changeability, I am always awed by her look and fashion sense. In combination with the complexity of her image-making creativity, Monique’s art is thought-provoking and emotionally stimulating. But she hates exhibiting by herself and likes to exhibit with Traci. They met through a mutual friend. “I just ride her fame,” Traci told me in her modest, humorous way.

In general, Traci doesn’t like talking about SL art, only her own work because, as she says, “I tend to upset people.” And really, isn’t that the point of art, to piss off some people? At least in my opinion, art as little meaning unless it does. Her part of the exhibit is called “Hell Is Other People.” It concerns the idea that people have a need to be seen to feel they exist. Most of her subjects are obscured in some way.

Unlike Monique, who uses herself primarily as a subject for her imagery, Traci is in only one of hers. On Flickr she does more self-portraits, but she deletes everything every week or so. She doesn’t show her work twice either. As she told me, “I dislike my work after a while, lol.”

Crash. By Traci.

She usually does more abstract stuff or landscapes. Portraits were a change for her, but she doesn’t ask people to pose. She takes photos as they do whatever they are doing and their choice of AO and the like, all adds to the person. Her photos are then layered with silhouettes from the area the photos were taken in over and around them, then some freehand drawing to add a few bits. Most are made up of a few different shots. A few other techniques such as printing the photos and hand drawing on them, scanning, and cutting them up help contribute to her unique style.

She assists in running Eskol, the SL group, “Specialized in experimental music and art.” Traci is multi-talented in the arts arena. Having seen one of the recent audio-visual shows, one would get a good idea for her visual and musical talents. This non-mainstream group and space, take you for an experience that SL was made for. Join the group and receive notices for upcoming shows. Traci told me, “sl art really works when you look at people like adwehe and other light/sound artists like jade and cherry manga. Wonderful.”

Crash (2). By Traci.

Speaking of her current work that will be shown at Art Korner, she says, “stuff like my portraits is just rl thinking in sl....too lazy, but it's odd, the way people think in rl terms when doing sl art, "well you can fit 9 images in this space . . . ” god forbid if you don’t have your art nice and tidy and up against the wall, in a virtual world we can fly in and be furry animals... but we still need to 'hang' art.

Traci: I’m guilty myself

Fynn: what would you do instead?

Traci: I don’t have an answer... but I think we all need to start thinking more about what sl can do with art, or at least how we experience it.

Go to the show and the Opening Party on April 13^th. It’ll be fuuuUUUUUUUuuuuuuunnnnnnnn.