Visions of Rainforest and Puerto Rico

by Skylar Smythe | March 11, 2010 | No comments

The first time I had spoken to LittleOne Aries she contacted me with a short simple message  ”I have a gift Skylar”.   Little did I know that would turn out to be a gross understatement of both her incredible talent and depth of character.

LittleOne Aries is the Second Life™ avatar of Monica Linville a painter born and raised in Schenectady, New York who now works from the mountains of Puerto Rico’s  El Yunque National Rainforest.  Her artwork is done predominantly in oils and reflects the magesty of the flora and fawna that surrounds her TreeHouse Studio. 

TreeHouse Studio offers a number of workshops and art focused getaway vacations where patrons can unplug and reconnect to more wholesome aspects of life and art embraced by the stunning natural oasis of Puerto Rico.  Ever dream of learning to paint inspired by a romantic vacation in a tropical paradise?  For more information on her amazing workshops, visit her blog (click here).

For your own slice of virtual paradise you can purchase her paintings inside Second Life™ by visiting her virtual gallery by clicking here. Her paintings can of course be purchased in the real world and shipped to any destination.

What inspires me about Monica is the flow of her inspiration.  Her gift to me was a gorgeous painting of a woman emerging through a spectrum of color.  The imagery for the painting was conceived after she read a poem I had been commissioned to write for the New York HealthScape organization (in support of War Child International©).  The poem was called “The Living Spectrum” and it inspired a piece of artwork that hangs in my Second Life home drawing compliments from everyone who sees it.

For a true creative mind like Monica, inspiration comes that easily and is translated from a crystaline concept in her head which flows out of her and onto the tapestry.   She does not have to try to achieve that process.  She is simply open to being a conduit for it and she creates because she must complete that translation inside her.   Life is inspiration.  Inspiration births art.

Monica Linville is using the virtual world platform of Second Life™ as a way to promote her incredible talents and open the doors of the global art market.  The artist has exhibited all over the world from Rome to Greece, Montreal Canada and across the United States of America.  She is also prominently showcased in Puerto Rico.

Monica is an incredible success story and another example of the potential for graphic artists, writers and theatre arts in virtual worlds.