Change is in the air

To those of you who follow this blog, I am truly sorry for neglecting it for so long.  I’ve been so busy with other things and this kept getting moved down the to-do list.

Change, Change, and more Change.

1) You will notice a new design to the blog.  Instead of using a standard wordpress template I decided to schnaz things up a bit.  I did this because I wanted to visually reflect the larger changes going on.

2) The name of the blog has changed.  Where it used to be “Welcome to the Gallery Beleza at Avendale”, it is now simply “Welcome to the Gallery Beleza”.  See #3 for more details

3) In roughly 10 days the Gallery Beleza at Avendale Mystery will be closing its doors and the entire Gallery operation will center on The Gallery Beleza at Refugio.  The Gallery Beleza got its humble beginnings on the commercial center of Avendale, the sim of Avendale.  When Avendale Mystery was added it presented the opportunity to grow the gallery.

At the time, business was quite good.  In fact, Gallery Beleza had three locations.  Over time, with the tanking of the economy outside of Second Life, and the slowing of parts of the economy within SL, our Vancouver location closed.  That location never produced a single sale and only minimally referred visitors to the main location on Avendale Mystery.

The cost of doing business on a parcel the size of the Avendale Mystery, coupled with a slowing in the standard artwork market (certain niche portions of the market are still doing well), made it impossible to continue with the business model as originally conceived.

Instead of working so hard to find quality SL artists and present their work, and given the very positive feedback to my own work, with the move to Refugio also marks a shift in the emphasis of what the Gallery Beleza will display.  Although we may show other artists from time to time, the bulk of the work will be my own.

I’d like to thank everyone for their support to date and look forward to the next chapter for The Gallery Beleza.

Windlight Photo Competition Award Speech

Thank you everyone for coming this evening.

This is our third such event, and each one gets more an more exciting.  In fact, so many peopel commented on how this was the best set of finalist yet.  I have to agree.

This was also the largest number of submissions we ever received.  In fact, this competition was instrucment in helping us refine our guidelines for upcoming competition.  The next one I’ll be announcing in just a moment.

I’d like to start by thanking ALL of the artist who submitted something: Arys Palen, Ivy Lan, Liz Gealach, Lyndzay Meili, Molly Montale, Monroe Snook, Ravenna Daviau, Stretch Mayo, Sunn Thunders, Timetraveler Georgia, Vitos Porta, and zephyru Zapedzki.

I’d also like to thank our Panelist for this competition: Lala Lightfoot, Zanara Zenovka, Professor Caproni, Rixhawx Milestone, LawnDart Curtiss, Carabella Babii, and kif Mizin.

Congratulations are in order to the seven artist whose work made it into the final 15: Liz Gealach, Lyndzay Meili, Molly Montale, Monroe Snook, Stretch Mayo, Timetraveler Georgia, and zephyru Zapedzki.  Four of these talented people will be honored here this evening.

Before we get to that, I’d like to do two things.  Tell you about the show that is happening downstairs and also announce our latest competition.

As most of you know from the notecard you probably received when you got here, In the Lower Level Gallery is a show I’m calling “Vote ‘em off the Island”.

Next to each work is a voting pod, just like the ones we use for the competition.  Vote for all of your favorites – vote for as many as you like.

Next Sunday, the one(s) with the lease number of votes will be replaced and the voting pods will be cleared out.  So if you vote this week, it won’t carry over to next week.

Of course, all of the work is for sale – just right click and select buy.

Once I finish up here I’ll be unveiling our next competition.  Submissions will open this evening and there is a revised set of rules – so every entrant should make sure to read them for the changes.

I’m very pleased to announce the Gallery Beleza SL Humorous Photo Competition.  Take your best shot at something humorous!  This one should be very interesting.

Without any further wait, on to what you’ve all come for – the winners.

Just one note before we get started.  All of the winner are set for sale, right click and select “Pay”

Taking honorable mention – “Futuredome 2″ by Stretch Mayo.  Congratulations, Stretch!

Our 3rd Place winner is “above and below in harmony” by Liz Gealach.  Way to go, Liz.

Our next winning is not only taking 2nd place but also the People’s Choice Awards.  Congratulations to Monroe Snook for “Chouchou 1″.

The 1st place winner for the Gallery Beleza 1st Annual Windlight Photo Competition is “cadeira” by zephyru Zapedzki.

Congratulations to all the winners, thanks for coming, and enjoy the rest of the party.

Benefit Show

On Sun, June 15th, at 6pm SLT, the Gallery Beleza is holding a benefit for the gallery and the Windlight Photo Competition finalists.

A portion of all sales of finalist work will go to support the artist, the gallery, and the prize pool for the eventual winners.

There is a clearly marked donation jar for donations that will go to the prize pool.

There are other donations jars around the gallery.  These go to support the gallery directly.

Come by starting at 6pm and show your support.
http;//slurl.com/secondlife/Avendale%20Mystery/75/68/22

“I hear the train a’comin’. Comin’ ’round the bend.”

Big news coming up very soon about The Gallery. Until then, be sure to come by and see our current show.

All submissions from the SL Architecture Contest are in the display frame on the main floor

“My PIctures” by Nyamo Nomura in the Upper Level.
“Side Streets” by Wealthy Mizser in the Lower Level (all “Side Street” works on special at $50.

Gallery Update

I apologize for not posting for a while, clearly I’ve been a bit behind.

The SL Architecture Photo Competition submission phase is now complete.  We had 45 entries, which is double what we took in for the Dragon Photo Competition.  I didn’t have to advertise this one nearly as much as the Dragon since we hit 20 entries pretty quickly.

The Panelist are reviewing the submissions and we expect to be able to have more info for everyone on/about April 1st.  Check this blog for a list of all submissions and then the 15 finalists.

Looking forward to April, our other artist for the month will be the incomparable Blackfyr McBride.  I marveled at her work for the last show she did in The Gallery and I can’t wait until you all see what’s in store for April.

More to come, stay tuned.

Happy Rez Day – Zephyr Pennell

The Gallery Beleza would like to wish a Happy 1st Rez Day to Zephyr Pennell.

Happy Rez Day – Dada Heron

The Gallery Beleza would like to wish a happy 1st Rez Day to the artist Dada Heron.

Happy Rez Day – Yogi Fargis

A chance meeting over some furniture for The Gallery (thanks, Got!), has turned into a spectacular friendship. Yogi is not only a supportive friend he is a strategic business partner. Tofino, Yogi’s furniture store, has supported The Gallery with awards for competition winners, just to name one of many ways.

You will find few nicer in SL than Yogi, I’m lucky and proud to call him my friend.

Happy Rez Day, Yogi!

Happy Rez Day – Mystical Cookie

A VERY VERY Happy Rez day to my dear friend Mystical Cookie.  I would be nowhere close to where I am in SL without Mysti.

First, she create the greatest HUD every, the MystiTool.  Second, about a year ago she bought her first sim, Nevi, and I was a major tenant there, owning, at one point, nearly 1/5 of the sim.  I have since sold all of that but the original parcel.  But Mysti didn’t stop with Nevi, she added Adeo, Cila, Avendale, Avendale Ruins, and soon (we hope), Myla will be moved over to join us.  (inside scoop, if and when Myla gets moved, its very likely The Gallery will move there)

On a personal note, Mysti has been there every time I had a question or needed advice.  Most of my building skills are thanks to her direction and anything I know about scripting (which is darn little) is only because she has been so patient.

Thanks for being a great liege, a leader, and a good friend.

1st Annual Gallery Beleza Dragon Photo Competition Awards Ceremony

The following is the transcript from the February 2nd Dragon Photo Awards Ceremony, which took place on The Isle of Wyrms.

*****

If I could have everyone attention for just a few minutes.

I’d recommend you have the history window open; it will probably make it easier to follow along.  I hope you all don’t mind, but I am going to have to shout this entire thing, since there are some people outside of the 20m range.

As most of you know, I am Wealthy Miser, the owner of Gallery Beleza.

I’m so proud to be standing here today because it means that my hope and dream of bringing art to others is being realized.

I opened Gallery Beleza on September 10th of 2007 and over these last few months things have just taken off.  I have many of YOU to thank for that.

There are some people I’d like to point out specifically.

Pern Milestone, a friend in so many ways, and in so many worlds.  Pern, your encouragement and support is priceless, I could not have done this without.

Yogi Fargis.  Yogi is not only a dear friend, a strategic business partner, a provider of one of our awards, but he is also an accomplice and been responsible for some crazy stuff.  He’s not the friend who would bail me out of SL jail, he’s the one who would be sitting next to me saying “That was so frigging cool, dude!”

Octane Eliot.  It was having Dragon Works right next door that brought me out of the Dragon closet, and also what sparked the idea for this competition.   Octane was also amazingly generous in his support, providing three of the top awards.

Cosimo Urbanowicz,  for his support with one of the awards, which includes land on Chilbo and a resident artist gig.

Fleep Tuque, who is also part of the Chilbo project, and responsible for making the connection with Cosimo, but she is also an ally in so many ways for me – in this incarnation, as well as a professional colleague in RL who’s support and friendship cannot have a value placed on it.

Mystical Cookie, without her, none of this would have come together quite the same way.  Through Pern, I met Mysti when I first came into SL.  I’m proud to say I’m a founding member of Nevi (resident #2, thanks to Pern who signed on 20 minutes before me, or I would have been #1  LOL).  Without Mysti’s support and never-ending commitment to her friends and residents, I’m sure I would not have gotten into things as deeply as I have.

Jahdo Ohtobide, Talarus, Luan, and Skylarian Isachenko, who have been SO unbelievable kind and supportive with making sure this event today came off as flawlessly as they could, which included being here with me at 2:00am PST this morning to get some last minute stuff taken care of.

I’d like to thank all of the judges, Pern, Yogi, Octane, Cosimo, Fleet, LauraMaria Onomatopoeia, Cybergrrl Oh, Derwin Wycliffe, Filthy Fluno, Dada Heron, and Sasun Steinbeck, for their time, and patience, and enduring dedication to art in SL

Last, the true heroes of today are the artists.  This competition was as a huge success because of ALL those who submitted, and these eight who made the final round such a great event.

The one comment I heard from almost every visitor I encountered in the Gallery was:  There is some really good stuff here.  Ya know what, I could not agree more.  I am so grateful for their talent and willingness to take a chance.  So, before introducing those who have been selected for awards, I’d like to thank each artist.

You are all winners.  The only regret I have is that we couldn’t have had a 14 way tie, because each of you is special, in so many, yet different ways – you’ve made this experience for me so very special, and I really don’t know how to thank you for that.

Kale Bellman, LawnDart Curtiss, Liz Gealach, Magix Merlin, Molly Montale, Orpheus Kurosawa, Sandriki Roux, and Zephyr Pennell.

Now, on to what we’ve all been waiting for.

The name of this 2-month event was the Gallery Beleza 1st Annual Dragon Photo Competition.  Being a competition, as hard as it is to do sometimes, there is a need to select those that stand out from the rest.

What I can tell every one of you, and especially the artists, is that this was NOT an easy job for the panelists.

To start, I’d like to introduce the Honorable Mention Award.  Everyone enjoyed this piece because it tied together so many things, including the dragon theme and another very popular Second Life attraction.

I’d like to congratulate Liz Gealach for the submission “Through the Looking Glass”

The Third Place Award goes to an artist who submitted three entries and each one made it into the final round.  So many people enjoyed the work and commented on.

I’d like to congratulate Orpheus Kurosawa for the submission Dragon Rider (3)

The Second Place Award goes to someone whose work I admire so very much.  When The Center for Learning in a Virtual Environment was on Nevi, her work was such an important part of that experience.  Now, with The Center on the CHSS Island, an educational sim, the students of Montclair State University can see and enjoy her work.

I’d like to congratulate Molly Montale for the submission Dragon Chow.

The First Place Award AND the People’s Choice Award go to the same work.  Not only did the panelist and visitors vote for this selection, but buyers did as well, as this was the number one selling selection in The Gallery for the entire month.  In fact, this work sold more copies than any single work ever set for sale in The Gallery.

Help me in congratulating Zephyr Pennell for the submission Night Flight.

I’d like to remind everyone that immediately following this event, back at The Gallery Beleza at Avendale, starting at 1pm, we will be presenting the Grand Opening of our February Show.

The four winning selections will be on display in the Main Level Gallery, the work of Zephyr Pennell will be on display and for sale in the Upper Level Gallery (as part of her First Place Prize package), and the amazing work of Carrabella Babii (who is also here today) will be showing in our Lower Level Gallery.  Her show is called “Paths of Light”.

Both Zephyr and Carabella will be at The Gallery to discuss their work.

Right now, feel free to partake in refreshments if you’d like, the artists are here, talk about their work, admire ALL of the finalist, feel free to mingle, and I hope to see you at 1pm at The Gallery.  There is a sign, notegiver, and landmark giver here in the center of the room.

Thank you.