Monica Linville

Friends and Fall Colors

2010-10-07T03:05:00.001-07:00

Already packed for my trip up to Saratoga Springs, NY. Woooot!!!! I went up there last fall to do the commission you see here on this page for a good friend and client. This painting I've posted is from her property just outside the town of Saratoga. I also set up a little studio up there so I have some place to go that's quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of my main studio in Puerto Rico. It rained the whole time I was up there last October, as you can see by the light of this painting, but my friends assure me that good weather is forecast for this year. Yay!!!!

New catalogue of paintings

2010-09-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce that I now have a catalogue of paintings available in two versions. One is for internet viewing and the other can be downloaded and printed. The catalogue presents the paintings that I currently have available for sale in my studio. My friend Philippe Pascal of Philippe Pascal Media and Marketing created and published this for me and I have him to thank for the layout and design.

If any of you are interested in receiving the catalogue, either version, please just pop me an email and I'll get one out to you right away.

Life is good!

The Masks We Wear

2010-08-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful day in Second Life on Sunday! Started off with a lecture/discussion by my fellow avatar Emile Sands on the topic of masks and how they relate to the concept of avatars in a virtual world. It was fascinating. Afterwards we had a formal masquerade ball at a park across the street from my gallery where the lecture was. A Second Life jeweler made 8 custom masks for the event that were free to everyone coming to the event. We had a great crowd that stayed all 3 hours and best of all... I sold a LOT of paintings!

I have made a lot of serious contacts in Second Life in relation to my work, but it's also so much fun just being able to fantasize. I live in a very "casual" environment, and have neither the time nor inclination to dress formally. But in Second Life.... it's a hoot!

Another avatar friend of mine in Second Life, Wynd Ling, who owns a sim devoted to creative design in a virtual world has written about the ball on her blog. Check it out here!

First Place Award

2010-08-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to announce that my painting "Metamorphosis" was awarded First Place in Galeria Fusion Islena's collaborative exhibition with Puerto Rico's East End Art Guild. The purpose of the exhibition, titled "Simbiosis" was to meld the artistic efforts of the Art Guild with those of the gallery's. The Guild members, of which there are over 100, were asked to submit 2 pieces of work for consideration. The 28 chosen artworks were then displayed in an exhibition that opened in the gallery (located in the Centro de Bellas Artes in Caguas, PR) last Saturday evening, August 22.

The gallery owners asked leading members of Puerto Rico's art community to then award what they felt was the cream of the crop. I am so honored that they selected one of the 2 paintings I submitted for the top award.

This painting represents a new turn for me in my work is taking. It is a tremendous validation to receive such an honor at this point. It is a technique that I feel totally "at home" working in and to have it recognized affirms that I am heading in the right direction.

Life is good!

A visit from Tortola!

2010-08-18T02:58:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! I have a student coming over from Tortola (in the British Virgin Islands) to take 3 private watercolor sessions with me! Woot! She has come before but it's been a while since I've seen her and it will be such a treat to have her back. Each session is 3 hours, with hands-on, step by step instruction in the process of making a transparent watercolor painting.

It's a relaxed setting, the 2 of us working alone surrounded by the vista down to the northeast coast of Puerto Rico, laughing and chatting not only about the technique of watercolor, but our lives as well. I am so excited to have this opportunity!

Life is good.

The irony of it all

2010-08-11T07:37:00.000-07:00

Just sitting here thinking about the process of making art.... the point of it all....for me anyway. I can't help but think how ironic it is that I require solitude in order to make something I want to communicate to the world through.

Hell-o out there?

Sign up!

2010-07-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

I am now working on 2 newsletters.... one for real, honest to goodness LIFE and one for my virtual life. Why the two? Well, if you sign on to the first one, you'll get updates and musings about my exhibitions, workshops, projects and whatever. If you sign up for the Second Life one you'll get updates about where I'm exhibiting in the virtual world. For any of you sl'ers out there, my avatar name is Littleone Aries. Look me up!

If you go to the homepage on my website, you'll see where you can sign up from there. You can unsubscribe at any time so not to worry about me following you in to eternity!

Uh oh...here we go again

2010-07-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Well, here we go again. I've started another big painting that I'll be bringing to this blog step by step. I've just posted the underpainting, which is the phase where I just let loose and throw some paint down on the canvas and let it do its own thing. My philosophy is that the "truth" of the artist comes out in such random work and I will attempt to honor this truth throughout the painting process. The dynamics established at this stage of the painting will dictate the direction it will take from here on in.

This is an oil painting on canvas, 30 x 30" square. I've got my work cut out for me but I'm excited.

Life is good.

Tuesday mornings at Treehouse

2010-07-15T04:31:00.000-07:00

Why spend Tuesday mornings at my TreeHouse Studio?
1.) It's a relaxing, peaceful and inspirational environment to work in.
2.) If you're not painting, it will give you focus and create a special time for you to do nothing BUT paint.
3.) I can help you with projects and ideas you have banging around in your head that can't seem to find their way out and on to the paper.
4.) I can teach you. I am an experienced painter in watercolor, oil, acrylic and mixed media.
5.) I will share with you my thought process in the projects I myself am involved in.
6.) You can watch me work and ask me questions about the process.
7.) IT'S FUN!!!!

Hours: 9AM - Noon on Tuesday (I will notify you if I am unavailable)
Location: The TreeHouse Studio, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Fee: $25.00
Reservations are necessary. Email: monica@monicalinville.com

Second Life Exhibition Brings Me to YouTube

2010-07-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ah, technology! I opened a beautiful exhibition of landscape oil paintings at Holly Kai Estates in Second Life yesterday. HondoMesa Kidd (Dennis Kinsey in real life, a professor at Syracuse University and owner of the independent record label Hondo Mesa Records) provided the music with truly passionate, wonderful renditions of blues and/or rock music. The collection of paintings I'm showing depict some of the environment that surrounds me here in Puerto Rico, in this case, lots of beach and coastal scenes.

Nber Medici, co-owner of this lovely golf, sailing and flying sim uploaded an HD video of the gardens with my art work showing and of Hondo playing one of his great tunes. Take a look! It will give you an idea of why I find life in Second Life to be so fascinating. The clip is titled "Art in the Gardens, June 10, 2010"

http://www.youtube.com/user/NberMedici

Life is good.

Rockin' the Kasbah

2010-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hey! Check this out! I'm tickled to be featured in this blog. That's me.... Littleone Aries....my Second Life personna.

Thinking like an artist

2010-07-07T02:48:00.000-07:00

Well, we're in to day 3 of my "How to Think Like an Artist" workshop here at my studio in the foothills of Puerto Rico's El Yunque Caribbean National Rainforest and we're having a ball! The focus of the projects is to teach the students how to work WITH their paintings and not ON them. I also believe that creative people are problem solvers, so the projects I have developed purposely leave the students with major hurdles to overcome, using the basic elements of painting to do so. It's intense and it's hard but it definitely makes them think and they try things they never would ordinarily do in their own studios. Teaching is good for me too as it reinforces these same elements in my brain too! Sometimes I get lost!

Life is good.

New news! Yay!

2010-07-06T03:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings from the tropics! Took a little time off from blogging but I'm back to share a bit of news. (after a gentle prod from my friend, website designer and marketing guru Philippe Pascal).

First and foremost I'm really excited about now having a mailing list that you can sign on to for updates of workshops, exhibitions and newly completed projects. Just go to the home page on my website and sign on to be kept up to date on my activities. You can unsubcribe at any time.

And speaking of workshops, I started my "How to Paint Like an Artist" Creative Watermedia Workshop yesterday here at my TreeHouse Studio in the mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. The goal of the class is to teach my students how take paintings beyond technical mastery and in to the realm of artistic mastery. There's a difference, trust me. I'm enjoying students from both here in Puerto Rico and from the Virgin Islands. These are great days spent making art while perched on a little mountaintop overlooking the northeast coast of the island. Need a break from painting? Just look up and out over the sea. Inspiration returns quickly.

Lastly, my friend from Second Life, Carla Jarnhilde, a Swede from the international community that IS Second Life, posted the nicest blog entry about my work. I just wanted to share it with you. Her words truly touched me. It's her July 3rd entry. When you've been working at the easel as long as I have, it's wonderful to know that what you do impacts other people positively. I'm very grateful she took the time to write this.

Life is good.

ta daaaaaa

2010-06-11T02:51:00.000-07:00

"Evolution" is complete.... ha! As complete as evolution can be! I have found great comfort to let paintings simply "let loose" from inside me, although it is as difficult a process as painting a subject that I have painted many times and know so well .... sometimes even more so. I can only hope that I grew as an artist in the same way that this piece grew as a painting. I would hate to get lost along my path.

Evolution? We humans have it backwards. We think that because we know how to build buildings and cities that we have evolved. While to some extent this is of course true, it is not our own evolution.... we evolve because nature evolves, and we'd best not forget it. At the end of the day, nature trumps man...always.

The Aries Sessions

2010-05-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the start of something quite special, I think. We've started a series of panel discussions at one of my galleries in Second Life. The panel consisted of 3 artists, a visual artist (me), a poet (Stosh Quartz) and a musician/writer (Rosedrop Rust). DaVince Isle Arts SIM owner Ppmediadev Blinker posed the questions. The panel will change for each event.

The questions focused on the artistic process as experienced by artists working in the different genres. They were truly thought provoking questions and the discourse that followed was fascinating. It seems no matter the medium, the creative process crosses all borders of expression.

The Aries Sessions will take place once a month on the second Sunday of each month. The time will be announced. For some in depth, intellectual conversation, please join us.... from the comfort of your own home!

Old friends

2010-05-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

I was looking for something totally unrelated when I stumbled upon some photos of watercolors I did for my first one artist show at La Liga de Arte in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's been a long time since I've seen these paintings (the show was in 1996) and it was like running in to old friends. The show was an exhibition of paintings with which I first experimented with superimposing 2 distinct drawings on top of each other and then working with the result. I apply what I learned by doing this to my Magical Realism paintings of today. Happiness is revisiting one's roots!

Creative Painting Seminar

2010-05-15T06:20:00.001-07:00

There is no greater freedom than flying, I think. But to do so you need wings. I am teaching a Creative Painting Seminar at my studio here in Puerto Rico from July 5-8, 2010. This workshop will give you the wings to soar creatively and with confidence. It will teach you the basic elements of painting that, with practice, will allow you to take flight without being "technically tethered" to the ground. It will teach you to work WITH your painting and not ON it, resulting in a work that not only reflects your skills but your emotions as well.

We will be working with watercolor and/or acrylic on paper along with a surprising assortment of other mediums and materials, some of which are included in the price. Classes include lectures and discussions, hands- on personal instruction, critique and and the end of the final class, a casual exhibition/closing party to which you may invite your family and friends.

A 50% deposit is required to secure your space in the class. Space is limited, so contact me as soon as possible.

yup.... same painting

2010-05-12T04:22:00.001-07:00

Yup... this is the same painting that I've been posting as a work in progress. I have now titled it "Evolution" as that has been exactly what the process has been like.

I'm always pushing myself forward...sometimes it's more like slogging. This painting has been like pulling teeth for me.... bringing it out of the mess I created with the underpainting and in to uncharted territory for me. My work is usually "softer" I think .... more organic. But the tides need to change, as with life.

Perhaps that explains the waves.

A bit more progress

2010-04-05T04:54:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm moving slowly on this piece but I think I'm making progress. I'm really liking the movement and am trying to do everything I can to honor that and enhance that. I'm now working WITH the painting, not ON it, so we're talking to each other.... hopefully in the same language!!!

Moving along slowly

2010-03-21T03:42:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been living with my underpainting for a while now, picking at it and trying to make some sense of it. It wasn't working. I was getting too "nitpicky" and not feeling the dynamics of what I had established with the underpainting. The poem has a beautiful, quiet strength to it yet that's not what I was seeing happening with my work. I don't know that the image seen here is clear enough, but there are some wonderful, peaceful swirls gracing their way through the painting. They were what was important to me when I did the underpainting, yet I was ignoring them once I started to try and put this thing together. Also, I had the reds fighting with the blues, neither dominant so it just created more turmoil. I was frustrated. Showed the piece to a friend and his response was.... quote... "if I lived in Puerto Rico I would come kick your a...." LOLOLOLOL What he meant was I needed to trust my spirit, I think, and let go of what I've done with paintings in the past and let this one take me forward. Sooo..... I went in to the painting seeking some peace. Life is good.

There's no horizon today

2010-03-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here in my studio looking down on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico and am struck by the fact that I'm not seeing the horizon today. The sea is so very calm that it is a perfect mirror of the sky above. Where does one start and one end? Obviously, it doesn't matter! It's all the same universe after all.

Want to watch a painting?

2010-03-11T03:30:00.000-08:00

I started another big abstract oil painting recently, and thought it might be fun to post images of the painting in progress. The inspiration for this one is a poem titled "Triggers" written by a friend, Philippe Pascal, and it's about the touch of a pianists fingers. I listened to Chopin while doing the underpainting and now I really have my work cut out for me! I'll post pictures of my progress as I get them and we'll see where we go from there. Hope you enjoy~

Rainy days are nice too

2010-03-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's been raining here in Puerto Rico a lot lately. I find that kind of nice, actually because there's nothing quite like being in the rain in the rainforest. You really come to understand the water..... millions of raindrops shooshing down on the huge hanging leaves of the forest canopy, down the trunks and in to or on to the ground..... and in to the creeks and the rivers with a WHOOSH as it tumbles down to the sea. It's both soft and LOUD at the same time.... mother nature surrounding the senses.... sounds.... your skin is moist even when not in the rain itself...touch.... everything is close, shrouded in mist....sight.... it's life at my fingertips.

Life is good.

I'm a field trip!!!

2010-03-03T01:40:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I'm going to be a "field trip" for students visiting the island from Clayton State University in Georgia! Ha! They're coming to Puerto Rico to do volunteer work up in El Yunque's Caribbean National Forest and they'll be visiting my studio as something extra, playing with one of my group painting projects designed for small groups and families. It's always a joy to work with young students.... always leaves me with a fresh perspective on things.

Life is good!

Making art and making friends

2010-02-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

I had the best time today! I'm now offering painting classes and projects for couples and families at my studio here in the foothills of Puerto Rico's Caribbean National Forest. I had a couple who flew over from Tortola to celebrate their wedding anniversary come up and do the "Be Me/Be We painting project. They're getting ready to have a baby in May, so there was a lot of love to celebrate with paint!

I provide all of the materials, guests just need to bring enthusiasm and good humor! Can't fail to make great things with that combination!

New giclee reproductions available

2010-02-18T03:01:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded 2 new images to Fine Art America, available for reproduction. I did the paintings after spending the day up in El Yunque's Caribbean National Forest with Robert and Vicky Leedy and Lou and Mary Posen. It was such a great day, wandering the trail down to La Mina Falls. Both Robert and Lou are accomplished painters, so it was fun looking at the forest with the same "eyes" as my artist friends!

Giving Due Credit

2010-02-17T04:00:00.001-08:00

I am proud to announce that I am a featured artist in the magazine Arte Latinoamericano, a fine art magazine published here in Puerto Rico and distributed throughout the United States, South America and Europe.(numero 19: January to June, 2010). However, please note that the article itself was written by Richard Druitt, a most accomplished writer, poet and lyricist. It was in error that he was not given the credit due him for writing this wonderful article and I would like to take this opportunity to do so, as well as thank him for his unwavering support in all of my efforts.

Tuesdays At TreeHouse

2010-02-16T12:30:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say I'm opening my studio in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico to students now on Tuesday mornings from 9 AM - Noon. I have many years of studio experience and teaching that artists can benefit from. The sessions are informal, with each student bringing whatever project she or he would like to work on. I am able to advise on watercolor, oil, acrylic or mixed media painting.

My studio is a beautiful setting for painting. Students can work en plein air around the property or enjoy the comfort of a protected, open air studio space.

Reservations are required so just give me a "buzz" if you want to save a space! You can contact me at monica@monicalinville.com.

Beach Day

2010-02-14T01:19:00.000-08:00

One of the fun parts of my "job" as a professional artist is giving private exhibitions and demonstrations to groups. Today I get to go to the Wyndham Rio Mar Resort here in eastern Puerto Rico and do just this. Yay! A day of sitting on the beach and painting, talking to people from around the globe and sending them home with a piece of my work is just what MY doctor ordered!

In and out and about

2010-02-10T12:48:00.001-08:00

One of the things I love best about the virtual world Second Life is the people I meet from around the globe and the opportunities that arise from our paths crossing. A friend I made in world, named Juanita Duharo, is an Australian who owns a book publishing company in SL. We met when her company sponsored a virtual book design competition with the University of Western Australia, who also has a presence in world. She was kind enough to visit my recent exhibition of paintings "The Ceremony Trees" at the Angel of the Mysts gallery. She then wrote a little bit about it in her blog, Virtual Treeline. When things like this happen, I realize the cycle is complete. I brought my paintings in to Second Life to exhibit, someone from the other side of the planet saw it and wrote about it in her blog, bringing the exhibition back out in to the real world via a blog site and now people on the other side of the world have met me. It's not just a game, my friends!

The Ceremony Trees

2010-02-07T01:54:00.000-08:00

Living as I do in a studio/home perched on the crest of a small mountain in eastern Puerto Rico, with the luxurious foliage of El Yunque's Caribbean National Forest surrounding me on 3 sides and a vista of the northeast coast of the island on the other, I have come to have an intimate relationship with the vegetation that embraces me every day. When looking and touching the majestic 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. Whether influenced by the movement and organic textures that inform my abstract work or by the radiant light coming from the late day sun that draws me in to the mystery of shadows and light in my representational work, my painting takes on the quality of ceremony.... a ritual of connection.... a celebration of life.

Today in my virtual world, Second Life, I am having an exhibition of paintings that is a collection of work that shows both my realistic interpretation of the trees that inhabit my world and my abstract interpretation of these same trees. My avatar's name is Littleone Aries and the Gallery is The Angel of the Mysts Art Gallery. There will be real time live music by the Seattle musician Edward Kyomoon and the event starts at 2 PM Pacific Coast Time. This would be a fabulous introduction in to the wonders of virtual reality. I hope to meet you there.

Bringing Real Life Painting to the Virtual World

2010-02-04T02:50:00.000-08:00

I'm excited and I'm nervous! Saturday morning (Feb 6) I'll be teaching the first of 4 painting seminars in Second Life. To my knowledge this is the first class of this kind to be offered in this virtual medium. I'll start with a general overview of how I put a landscape painting together and then move on to specifics such as composition & structure and color theory. What's exciting is that because there won't be any actual hands on painting being done, my friend at Snowcrash Digital has created very specific tools for me to use in demonstrating different methods of composition and color theory, designed specifically for the virtual experience! So not only will the students learn how to paint, but the teacher will learn how to work in a virtual environment. Living in 2 dimensions... I love it! Ha!

2010-02-01T03:48:00.000-08:00

Ha! I had the best surprise this morning! I wrote earlier about having some friends up to the studio that own guest houses here in eastern Puerto Rico. (Coquis Hideaway and Villa Sevilla) I wanted to show them the painting classes and projects I've developed for families and small groups (even couples!) coming to the island. Well, Ray and Gwenn, who also have a website that is a MAJOR source of information about what to do while visiting Puerto Rico (puertoricodaytrips.com) were kind enough to write about it on this site. What's so cool is that they shot video of me doing this very quick demonstration of how you put a painting together. I've never seen myself in action before and it's a hoot! Or at least, I've never seen my HAND in action before! Follow the link I gave you for Puerto Rico Day Trips and take a look!

Weekend in the rainforest

2010-01-26T02:40:00.000-08:00

Whew! Time flies! I go up once a month, on the last weekend of the month, to the El Portal Visitors Center at the entrance to El Yunque's Caribbean National Forest. I set up an exhibit with 4 other artists as well as a work space to paint. It's just a glorious location to work! Beautiful environment, artists that are good friends and great company, and the opportunity to meet people from all over the world... what more can I ask for?

Anybody in Puerto Rico? Come join us! We're there starting tomorrow, Jan 27 through Sunday Jan 31st, 9 - 4:00 PM each day.

Rainforest Inspirations

2010-01-25T03:25:00.000-08:00

I spent the other day up at El Yunque's Caribbean National forest with my good friends Robert and Vicky Leedy and my new friends Mary and Lou Posner. Wandering the trails up there in the rain forest is an absolute feast for my eyes. Did I take pictures? Of course! A ton of them! But mostly I just absorbed.... the light, the textures, the colors.... knowing that no matter WHAT I paint, these things will surface. They live with me now in my soul.

Morning Musings

2010-01-24T01:56:00.000-08:00

Today just seems like a day for musings. It's still dark....I often get up before most of my neighbors' roosters! Seems appropropriate to watch the sunrise together with the hens from across the road. First the glow to the east over Fajardo and Vieques which will then become light on El Yunque and the rainforest just beyond my window. In these days of uncertainty, it is good to know that the sun always rises.

I was so excited to discover that my new website designed by Philippe-Laurent Pascal of Snowcrash Digital is now up and running! We were having domain transfer issues so it took a little while. I happened to click on a link to my site from the Puerto Rico Day Trips website and voila! Instead of my old site the new one is in place. Yay! We're still building it, with pages about my workshops and the family and corporate painting projects that I do, but for now you can see a broad selection of my work. Today my little mountain top, tomorrow the world! Visit please: monicalinville.com

Ooooo! The glow has come!

Family painting projects

2010-01-23T07:40:00.001-08:00

As an artist who also teaches painting workshops and team building painting projectsat my studio in eastern Puerto Rico, I invited the owners of two area guest houses to come visit my studio and participate in one of the painting projects that I have tailored to families, couples and small groups coming to Puerto Rico. Not only are my projects unique ways to spend quality, creative time with loved ones, but they're wonderful activities for rainy days in the tropics or sunshiny days as well!

Ray and Gwenn came from their guest house, Coquis Hideaway and Wally and Marina came from their guest house Villa Sevilla. Both guest houses are an easy drive from my studio, and are also located up in the mountains of eastern Puerto Rico, not far from El Yunque and the Caribbean National Rainforest. They're guests are welcome at my studio to take classes, work together on group painting projects or simply enjoy the collection of original paintings and fine art prints that I have here for sale.

The picture you see here is one my friends created together from my "Be Me/Be We" project. I provide all of the materials (water media) and everyone just gets to play with paint. This activity is really just about releasing your creative spirit and doing so with family and loved ones. The result is always a fun, free, spontaneous abstract painting that I mat for you and you get to take home as a unique momento of your time spent here in the Caribbean.

It's a blast!

The Art of Collaboration

2010-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

I recently had the opportunity to work with a poet that I met in Second Life. A non-profit arts organization, DaVinci Isle, sponsored a poetry auction to raise money for the War Child Charity.(a charity devoted to providing aid to children conscripted to wars around the globe) People bid on the participating poets, meaning that if they won the bid, they would work with the poet who would then write a personal poem based on the thoughts and/or desires described to them by the winners. I offered to do a painting using the poem written by the poet who won with the highest bid. I in this case, the poet's Second Life name is Skylar Smythe. I won't take the liberty of publishing the poem here as it was based on the personal input given her by her winner and the poet's own personal insights. However, I will share the mixed water media painting that I created after reading the work. As an artist, I would never presume to interpret another artist's work; I would, however, show my reaction to the work with paint. The title of the piece is "The Escape"

Hearts and minds working together, worlds apart but brought together by art. Life is good.

My work in print

2010-01-18T01:50:00.000-08:00

I recently affiliated myself with the fine art website, Fine Art America, for the purpose of offering a LOT of my work as affordable, fine art giclee reproductions. It's a great website because you can choose from a current selection of almost 50 images and have them printed to a size and surface that makes you happy! They do it all and deliver it to your front door.... from my easel to your house! How cool is that???

Here's the link to my page on the site:
http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/monica-linville.html

Climate Change, a virtual exhibition

2010-01-17T02:47:00.000-08:00

The opportunity for collaboration with other artists in Second Life is immense! Today I'll be opening an exhibition of landscape paintings, in oil, along side a wonderful photoartist, Em Larsson. We find the contrast between my lush, intensely colored landscapes and her stark, dramatic shadows on snow photographs to be a wonderful demonstration of how opposites can exist side by side quite beautifully.

In addition to our visual art, two muscians who have come to SL from real life, have collaborated together to write and perform music for just this occasion. This exhibition has brought the energies together of artists from Puerto Rico (me), Canada (Em), and the United States. (Auto and Eio) Only good things can come from such things!

So how can I have two lives?

2010-01-15T01:42:00.000-08:00

I got involved in Second Life after reading an article about an artist in the Boston area who used it as a marketing tool for his work. What I discovered was a world of opportunity for visual artists to share their art with the world. Unlike a website or blog, which are both great but static, this virtual world allows me to meet you, talk with you, personally take you to my galleries.... and allows you to get to know me and what I have been trying to accomplish through my painting.

It is at times hilarious, it is at times bizarre (EVERYTHING you see in SL is straight out of someone's imagination) but it is ALWAYS intriguing. Most importantly, it is the future.

I have 2 galleries (The Aries Gallery SG and The Aries Gallery STNY). I also exhibit my paintings at special exhibitions around the world. I will be teaching a real life painting workshop in February as well. All this to the global market from the comfort of my mountaintop studio. My work has always been about connections, so it only follows that the connections I am able to make through this virtual world is in complete keeping with my vision.

Life is good.

Do Not Forget Haiti

2010-01-14T02:20:00.000-08:00

Haiti... there by the grace of God go we. We are all connected. Please.... they are helpless. Send help.

A Bigger, Better Me!!!

2010-01-13T00:40:00.000-08:00

Here I sit on my little mountain top in the Caribbean with a whole new world opened before me. I have entered in to the virtual world of Second Life and having done so, allowed myself the opportunity to show my work and teach my work to a global market. My exhibitions and workshops are attended by people from around the globe! Does this blow me away? You betcha!!!!

It's an amazing adventure and I'll be using this blog to keep you posted on my activities. For those of you already wandering the worlds of Second Life (www.secondlife.com) my avatar's name is Littleone Aries. Look me up and come visit my 2 virtual galleries for an up close look at my paintings! I'll meet you there and we'll talk!

What am I doing?

2008-10-20T03:20:00.000-07:00

Well, it only took about a week before the novelty of writing a blog every day wore off. Why do people do this blog stuff? Why do people (including me) think that the rest of the world cares what they think or had for breakfast for that matter? I mean, I thought I should do it because it's another way for me to get images of my paintings up on the web. But after a few days I realized that I couldn't think of anything to write about! So maybe I should just post a picture of a painting every day and call it good.

Hurricane Relief

2008-10-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

Omar be gone! We made it through the storm unscathed thanks to a last minute shift in direction of Hurricane Omar. Like threading a needle, the center of the storm passed between the islands here in the northeast Caribbean and we all came through with little damage. Yahoo!

This was actually a good dry run for me. Usually I'm little Miss Civil Defense, starting my initial hurricane preparedness at the very beginning of each season. The last couple of years I've gotten lazy though and when I went to do things to prepare for Omar, I discovered issues like stuck and loose hurricane panels. Ack! If this had been a serious storm I would have been seriously screwed!!! So I'm grateful for the warning.

I'm a firm believer in signs. We get them all the time. We just don't read them. Omar was a sign. Lemmee go get my glasses.

Awaiting the storm

2008-10-15T03:40:00.000-07:00

This morning there are no rainbows leading the way. This morning there's just lots of gray meeting my eye from every direction. Hurricane Omar is out there just sort of lumbering along. It looks like it will track just east of us which is good for us, bad for Vieques and St. Thomas. We're expected to get up to 20" of rain though, which is why I'm worrying. I have friends that live in the area that will bear the brunt of this thing. They're up in the mountains and with the 30" of rain we got a few weeks ago, another 20" is going to cause some serious mudslides. I'm up in the mountains too, but I'm on the north side of the island, opposite of where the storm is coming in, so I'm feeling a bit safer.

I've been trying to paint but with the storm pending, I'm distracted. I have a gallery owner from Miami coming to my studio on Friday to check out my paintings. She's interested in representing me. I'm fussing over having to close my house down for this storm and move all kinds of stuff from outside to in, and then unpacking the house in time for the gallery owner's arrival. It's hard to look at paintings in the dark (if the power goes off) whilst crawling around bbq's, outdoor furniture and generators, ya know? But I will make it work....assuming she can make the drive out here from San Juan.

Off to buy gas and dog food....and more cheeze whiz.

Rain Rain Go Away

2008-10-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

Lot's more rain comin' this way. We had around 30" just a few weeks ago and now we've got another storm headed in our direction. I'm happy that I live up high but worry about mudslides. Every place we choose to live is a trade off, I guess. Californias are fighting fires, Oklahomans fight tornadoes, we fight tropical storms.... at least it's not snow!

I can remember the day I made my decision to leave upstate New York. It was an April morning, theoretically SPRINGTIME and I was trying to chop my way through a layer of ice on my car so I could get the key in to the door lock. It was still dark and I was wet and frozen with sleet and something told me that in another life, I didn't live like this. By May I was living in Key West.

Now I'm even further south and waiting for more rain. Sigh. It will be a good week to stay inside at my easel and get some work done.

All is right with the world.

Oh Happy Day!

2008-10-12T03:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's rainbow truly was a portent of good things to come. I had an exhibition last night and sold 15 paintings. Joy! Joy! Joy! I'm happy. My bank's happy. It's a happy kind of day!

The truth of nature

2008-10-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the weather forecast is for today, but right now I am at my computer looking out over the coast and watching showers line up like passing ships over the water. It fascinates me. One of the showers is not so dense and has a rainbow as its leading edge. Maybe it's a sign that in spite of a storm, things really aren't be so bad. I've never known nature to lie.

Awake

2008-10-10T03:37:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful morning on my little mountain, not quite 7:00 AM. The sun has lit the tops of the palms just beyond my easel, while below the rest await the warmth. It will be a good day, I know.

This blog is a new venture for me, one of the reasons I believe today will be great. Another new horizon is open to me!

Welcome all!