A FUN SUMMER UPDATE – 2017
Yes, it’s true: some “Around the Grid” postings are to be found on the Home Page. We just got carried away this past weekend and posted the happy time we had wandering about including the amazing BEACH PARTY we had a Ce Soir Beach to celebrate the opening of the fabulous and quite refreshing BEACHES Art Exhibit at Côte de la Mer Galerie & Lawn. My goodness! What a delightful array of artwork! You simply must go see the work of these 12 artists in bringing the shores to us in beautiful photos and paintings. The talent that we so enjoy in SL is evident…and so appreciated!
Look for postings about some concerts we attended elsewhere – both spoken word and musical. SO MUCH FUN to see favourites expressing themselves so beautifully. Poetry with Karima Hoisan; musical theatre with a friend’s troupe (JM Visions Theatre); and music with MoShang, Russell, and Lisa Brune – oh, my!
Hmmm…I wonder if I can just copy those postings over here… Let’s try!
Sunday magic continues with Russell at Silversword and Lisa Brune at Two Moon Paradise!
We were having so much fun just hanging out for a change – and tracking happenings at the BEACHES Art Exhibit – that when 1 PM SLT rolled around, we looked at one another across the room and exclaimed: “It’s time for Russell! We’ve got to get going!” It is always a wonderful experience to visit a Silversword venue, as they morph with every performance. Russell always has a specially-themed programme there on alternate Sundays, and we look forward not only to Russell’s presentation of music and readings but also to the exceptional thematic design of a location for us to gather to enjoy. Dawn Greymyst is in charge of the Silversword experience, and it’s always perfectly attuned. Today, the wonderful SiFan was assisting Dawn and adding her own special warmth and welcoming energy to the hour. So many Eponymous Family members and friends were there to enjoy.
Russell shared some of his fovourite songs written and performed by women such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Loreena McKennitt, and Tracy Chapman. His lovely renditions of these beloved songs are extra-special as they offer him an opportunity to showcase his various musical talents with the guitar and vocally. We truly enjoyed listening to him and dancing in the beautiful forested environment of Silversword this week. His readings included one from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and her Sonnets from the Portuguese and a selection from the beloved American poet Emily Dickinson as well as one from the hilarious Brit Pam Ayers to add a bit of humour. All were – as is his style – excellently read with perspicacity and grace. The photo below is from Dawn; can’t you just feel the coolness of the forest?
Straight away after this charming hour with Russell, Æon teleported me to another exciting performance by none other than our friend Lisa Brune. This lovely Frenchwoman has the voice of an angel – but she can also belt out a tune with the best of them. We were treated to her impressive range in an hour of very danceable tunes at one of the grid’s most well-known venues: Two Moon Paradise. Shiran and her crew know how to welcome people and provide a comfortable environment for enjoying the best in live music. Today’s show was filled with this professional singer’s sweet energy as the lovely Lisa delivered a solid hour of outstanding music – from the iconic Nancy Sinatraanthem These Boots Are Made for Walkin’ to absolutely gorgeous love songs like our very favourite: No Ordinary Love by the sultry Sade that melted our hearts…SIGH…
As you can see by this and earlier posts (start on Thursday, 06 July and that amazing opening BEACH PARTY for the BEACHES Art Exhibit!), we’ve had a FANTASTIC weekend! To say we’re tired would be a great understatement…but we’re happy as the sun goes down at Ce Soir Arts. We’ll be around tomorrow to track things and greet visitors, but we’re basically taking the day off.
VOICE IS BACK on the Ce Soir sim (thank you, Whitney Linden!), so all our regular readings will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, as usual. I’ll make a posting tomorrow about what these exceptional writers and readers will be sharing, as you are invited to enjoy storytime with Russell, Caledonia, MrG, Bryn, Dubhna, and Æon as we relax under the cool shade of The Magic Tree!
Come, be inspired tonight!
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Sunday morning Chill with our friend, MoShang Zhao – the Comfort Zone really is the comfort zone…
Our excursions away from Ce Soir Arts continue this weekend, as we pop in-world to see how things are going at the BEACHES Art Exhibit at Côte de la Mer Galerie & Lawn. It’s busy there, with patrons dropping in to view the magnificent and refreshing art – often in response to notices we are posting now and again. It’s quite gratifying to meet up with people personally and to know that they are enjoying both the exhibit and the sim.
That aside, we have also been enjoying some grid travel to attend an array of artistic events this weekend. Today, we began with a dear friend and favourite musician – MoShang Zhao. He performed at Château Ce Soir for several years – right from the opening salvo in January 2012, along with Russell Eponym (our Poet Laureate, Artist-in-Residence, and Musician Extraordinaire). More about Russell in a bit…as he is performing music and poetry regarding women in the arts today at the lovely Silversword venue (1 PM SLT) – and we’ll be there too!
This morning, however, it was an hour of luscious CHILL with MoShang at his own venue – Comfort Zone. Timing got out of hand for him to continue weekly shows at our place (his usual was Thursday evenings), but he’s been making it in almost every Sunday morning at 8 AM SLT for a fantastic hour of the ever-evolving CHILL. Such fine electronica…it’s magical! Relaxing and energising at the same time, MoShang plays music that is original, unique and fascinating. Lately, Moondance Parx has been displaying her gorgeous particle art as we dance and sway to the music…making it an even more engaging experience! (More about Moondance soon at Ce Soir Arts…!)
We so enjoyed the hour with MoShang and friends including MirrziLu, Douglas, and one of our artists presently sharing three pieces in the BEACHES exhibit: the talented Pieni. You must come view her lovely Seashore series! They are rich and ethereal pastels that please the eye – and spirit!
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We’re pretty busy in-world, but there’s always time for relaxation and fun too!
We’re like most folks who have things happening in-world, and we’re pretty busy when we’re here. However, we do enjoy some downtime, now and again – and spending it here has its fascinations. People often ask us what we do in-world when we’re not working on the sims, planning events, or hosting a show or exhibit at Ce Soir Arts, and our usual answer is this: we’re relaxing, chatting, or attending events elsewhere.
Case in point: THIS SATURDAY!
First, we enjoyed interacting with some patrons at the new BEACHES Art Exhibit at our own Côte de la Mer Galerie & Lawn. Just recently opened, the art of 12 exceptional artists has filled the galerie with summer joy! You must see it! Note earlier (and soon-to-be-posted notes about this gorgeous summery exhibit. Visit HERE to enjoy!
Later, we managed to attend a wonderful musical event by JM Visions Theatre group: ABBA & Friends. Wow, they really put on quite a show! Excellent costuming, perfect timing of animations and music, and inventive sets made for quite an entertaining time! Our friend Chrisjana Moyet is a member of their troupe and you should check her and the group out. Don’t miss their next show; we’ll post about it here so you can catch it – their work is exacting and polished. Below, a shot of the programme – but it was much more than depicted; scene after musical scene had us up and dancing and singing along!
Also on Saturday this week, we were transported to a lovely Arabic-themed location (specially made at Aux Bains du Paradis) to relax and enjoy the beautiful poetry of friend Karima Hoisan. Her work is stunning, and so often is inspired by other works of art. This Ekphrastic poetry – inspired by visual art – is a unique and varied poetic form, and Karima has mastered it. Her readings include presentations of the visual art that inspires her writing, as you can see by the image I captured below. Usually, my writing comes first and then I take photographs to illustrate; I find this alternative methodology fascinating, and thank Karima for exploring it further and sharing it with us in-world! Visit her blog for more information about her writing and her outstanding work in machinima with the very talented Natascha Randt; their films have won award after award, and there will be more!
How about that! It worked. And so…I’ll try to remember to post this kind of information on this page in future…but no promises! SIGH…
Aeon & I are, as you can imagine, pretty busy here at Ce Soir Arts. Not only do we have the Castle; Gallery and Conservatory; The Magic Tree Reading Spot; the Theatre; and the venue environs to mange, we also have our private home, a workshop, and a couple of little getaway spots that we maintain. We love every minute of our Second Life, and since we are interested in digital art, fashion, building and design…well, there’s just a lot to it! We tend to keep RL separate, for the most part, but it’s also deeply important to us, and we’ve been traveling when we can and truly enjoying it – and the family and friends we’ve been visiting. There was a big family wedding in Fall 2012, and it was soooo much fun for me, especially, as my niece (whom I adore) married the sweetest, most wonderful man – second only to her Uncle Aeon, of course!
Because of these things, we decided to broaden the blog a bit and add another page. We’re calling it “Around the Grid.” In this blog page – which will start slowly and grow – we will share with you some things we see, do and enjoy at places other than Ce Soir. Yes, this includes other venues and art galleries, but also a myriad other places as well. We’ll weave in fashion commentary and photographs – and much, much more – as it comes. We’ll just let you know what we’ve been up to on “days off” from the venue, etc. If months go by without a note, please just let it pass. Merci !
When we started this adventure, we spent, on average, about six hours per day in SL; since the big storms (and the resulting work at our home and properties), it’s less – but we do login every day, usually at various times. Vaut-il mieux être un couche-tard ou un lève-tôt ? <teehee!> Usually, we are together, but there are times when it’s just one or the other of us who has come round to do something, go somewhere, meet someone, buy something, build something, etc. And if you ever encounter or IM us and we seem unresponsive, it just means we’re building, shopping, hosting a show or chatting earnestly with someone. Perhaps at such times we are AFK – probably kissing (*giggle*), sharing a glass of wine, or discussing the schedule or exploring a sim that interests us – or tending to something IRL. Please leave your message and we will get back with you, as we love hearing from you!
So, Around the Grid began…but we never really got started! Terrible storms and resulting busy-ness IRL interfered. This summer, it seems that things are finally starting to come together, so look for a post – one of these days. Failing that, know that we ARE out and about…and enjoying every moment! Mireille’s concussion is healing slowly. She still has trouble with sound much of the time, so we host or visit musical shows infrequently. This is a sadness to us both, but we’re not complaining. Just wanted you to know.
Have a great day – in all the worlds there are! We understand that there are many now, and that some are doing their best to “catch up” digitally, but we are SecondLifers. Amen.
Ce Soir Arts - Gone, but not forgotten.... 