Always a sad moment to be at the other end of a show, just before it is taken down; feels like the carnival’s leaving town. This is a shot of the exhibit at Pirats Omega Gallery last night, just before it was all packed up and shipped out. On to another show, somewhere down the road. Oh… yeah. Studio 33.

Checking in to report on recent activities around here that don’t happen to have anything to do whatsoever with comic books, webcomics, graphic novels or any other linear/narrative verbal/visual forms of communication. No discussions about mermaids, flying red porsches, ground-to-air missiles, cannibalism – or any other such subject, for that matter – will be found here today. If you want to know what it feels like to wear a translucent red motorcycle between your legs, you’ll have to look elsewhere. Like, say, over at mojozone.

But what I will talk about are all the other non-linear, somewhat-verbal-but-extremely visual activities I’ve been playing around with. By the way, I put that picture of myself riffing with our band cherrybomb up there, one, because I thought I look pretty cool, and two, because a friend said not long ago that I looked like Andrew Eldritch of The Sisters of Mercy. I came across this shot last night and suddenly got her point. Here’s Andrew:

See what I mean? May have to go out and buy a pack of virtual cigarettes, but other than that I’d have to agree that there’s a strong resemblance there. But I digress, and once again attempt to focus on that non-linear thing in spite of my burned out state of mind. Where was I? Oh yeah….

Over the past weeks and months, I’ve created a half dozen new avatar paintings, had several major exhibits in Second Life, have begun writing the graphic novel Chromium and Juliette, started working on a machinima film about my art, started that webcomic, and in conjunction with my new web gallery have begun moving my paintings out of SL and into RL in the form of giclee prints. Of course, the SL photography goes on and folders overflow (gotta get back to koinup and flickr.. been too busy for that too).

Finally, the band… cherrybomb is quietly ticking in the background (I know cherrybombs don’t tick, but it works for me). Initial studio recording has begun in the real world, and will continue as time allows, but it seems Botgirl is even busier than me these days, so it appears things will be moving pretty slowly until sometime after the holidays. Then, hey, the sky’s the limit.

Freereed FreeNote, director of the Newggenheim Museum in Second Life, has announced that a big fundraising event for the museum will be held next Sunday, March 29th. To quote from the press release, the event “will feature new pieces by RL and SL artist (and NY Times celebrity), Filthy Fluno, in his continuing series “Adventures in a Virtual World” as well as wonderful new works by RL/SL artist Chrome Underwood from his new series “Soul Jam for the New Millenium”. The special event will run from 2 pm to 6:30 pm SLT with music for your listening, browsing and dancing pleasure DJs Chrighton Johin of the Savoy Jazz: 2:00 to 3:30 PM SLT, Ganymede Ceriaptrix of Savoy Jazz 3:30 to 5:00 PM SLT and Fumuzi Kanjon of Hot Sax Jazz Club 5:00 t0 6:30 PM SLT. Prizes Awarded for Best Costume at 6:30 PM

The Fundraiser will help cover the cost of keeping the Newggenheim – a fully functional, interactive museum with exhibitions by contemporary RL artists – alive in SL. The Newggenheim’s design is based a three dimensional model from the actual architectural plans of the RL Guggenheim Museum in New York City. In operation for 15 months in SL,the museum was created to provide an educational and cultural focus point in SL. In addition to mounting shows by RL/SL artists during that time, the Newggenheim has raised money for the Red Cross and the Henry Hippen Education Fund through art auctions. The Museum was also proud to participate in last year’s Diegoland float parade, where its float, designed and built by Dresden Dagger, captured the “Most Artistic” prize.”

I can’t think of a more worthy cause than contributing to the future of the Newggenheim in Second Life. The long range effects of Ms. Freenote’s selfess efforts on behalf of countless RL and SL artists cannot yet be fully measured, but if the recent six-page article in the New York Times about one of those artists, Filthy Fluno, is any measure, I think it is safe to say that her work will not go unnoticed. I also believe that it should not only be acknowledged, but rewarded – in kind. Please support this most worthy of causes.

All you kind, art-loving avatars out there can find “the newg” at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Moondust/121/81/113

Chrome Underwood, our virtual representative in Second Life, has just signed a deal with Ruttan Gallery, the premier exhibition space in the Cetus Gallery District. His first exhibit of recent digital paintings will be in December. Read the full story at our parallel site, Chrome Never Sleeps.

Photo, above: Chrome discussing his work with Xander Ruttan, founder of Ruttan Gallery. Click to see full size.