S&S Gallery offers imagination and beauty

 

S&S Gallery of Fine Arts, carpe diem quinque (247, 235, 23), has been a labor of love for its owner, Stefanik Dagostino, a self-proclaimed dreamer who is full of imagination.  He has found art to be, in his own words, "the perfect impetus for his imagination to wander at full speed."

 

The Gallery features over 40 international artists, exhibiting works created with a wide range of media (watercolor, oil, acrylic, collages, photography, and digital), and covering dozens of artistic genres.

Dagostino's destiny was not clear when he joined SL.  He had seen a feature on CNN about Anshe Chung, the first SL resident to make a million dollars in a virtual world.  As he explains it, "I was intrigued and decided to check it out.  I was not looking to make the millions, only curious of what SL could be." However, he soon realized the potential to realize and fulfill those dreams of his imagination.

Dagostino has enriched SL with his unique approach to designing an art gallery.  His keen talent for terraforming, landscaping and building, have resulted in a gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing setting for his gallery, which is spread across an entire sim.  When speaking of the experience of creating the gallery, Dagostino said, "I believe that terraforming and building is the most enjoyable part of SL.  Simple creation brings much pleasure and satisfaction."

When you first arrive, you are immediately taken with the beauty surrounding you.  A lovely plaza and majestic waterfall are in plain view with individual galleries placed in clusters around the area. A hot air balloon awaits you so you can tour the entire sim, taking it all in, noting exhibit areas of special interest to you, and enjoying the ride for the sheer pleasure of it.

Of the art on display at S&S, Dagostino said, "Diversity is the hallmark of the gallery.  I display what I like from artists I like. It is as simple as that.   My tastes range wide and far and usually include something that will please almost anyone.  This is a gallery which is not only committed to the needs of the artist but to the needs of everyone.  This is a gallery for, by and of the people."

When reflecting on art in general, Dagostino remarked, "Art is fantasy, reality, imagination, history, possibilities, truth and anything we wish it to be.  Art is life itself, and it begs us to interact and to indulge in its mysteries, pleasures and excitement."

Around every corner of the sim are original SL art treasures to be enjoyed with a special treat at Susa Plaza in the gallery exhibiting the story-telling art, the Story of Susa Bubble, by talented artist Rose Borchovski and with musical accompany by Pong Blumenthal. Here visitors are entertained with Borchovski's unique art form, whimsical and humorous.

The Asian art exhibit takes you through traditional Asian gates to a beautiful garden befitting of the art on exhibit there. Each month, Dagostino features a particular artist in the Gallery in the Sky with Fiona Leitner being the most recent featured artist.  Also found in the Sky Gallery, and an attraction not to be missed, is an amazing and animated sculpture entitled "Flames of Creativity" by Gleman Jun.

The underwater gallery provides the perfect place to relax from your walk around the gallery on comfy couches while reflecting on the art of Trill Zapatero, who commits herself to the first priority of creating things for others to enjoy.  Zapatero painted the art work displayed there while visiting Malaysia on an island in the South China Sea.

She dove most mornings and painted in the afternoons and spoke of the interesting way she was influenced by the experience, "I was influenced by the weird quiet world under the sea, and the jungle of the island, as well as batik patterns I saw all around.  I ran out of paint so I had to take a seven hour fishing boat to the mainland and all I found were oil pastels. So these paintings are a combination of acrylic and oil pastel. Something I wouldn't have tried if I hadn't needed to."  You are captivated by Zapatero's art and by the serene seascape environment as you linger way longer than you anticipated in this lovely place.

Dagostino acknowledges great supporters of the gallery which include the artists that are currently exhibiting there.  He also holds those who support the SL art community in high regard, taking the time to lovingly create memorials to two deceased SLers: Klaatu Congrejo with the inscription that "He Loved Life" and Kythy Hax, being "A Kind and Loving Human."

It's very easy to spend a whole day at S&S exploring all of the galleries and Dagostino invites SL residents to do just that saying, "Come visit because you will see how we earn our name:  S&S is See and Smile."  Of the future of the gallery, he says, "The future of the gallery continues to rest upon the discovery and exhibition of new and unique artists."