NMC Campus Observer

Filthy Fluno To Talk / Show Creation of SL Art

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : May 8, 2007 11:49pm

On Thursday, we welcome special guest Filthy Fluno (aka Jeffrey Lipsky) to NMC Campus where he will give a live audio talk, show a movie, and demonstrate his artistic creation skills he uses in Second Life. Join us at 5:00 PM PDT on Thursday at NMC’s Teaching 2 sim – find it via the map url or in world at Teaching 2 (135,124,22).

Filthy, easy recognizable with his “big fro” is a colorful character! And with audio, you might hear him spontaneously belt out some Sinatra music.

In a video he will show, Filthy will demonstrate how he created a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork that expresses the culture, people, spirit and history of the NMC. Then, Filthy will walk-through the process of uploading artwork into Second Life, installing it into his virtual gallery, and demonstrating the capabilities of virtual reality to bridge the international divides of technology, culture, creativity, and artistic expression.

About the Artist

Jeffrey Lipsky was born and raised in Boston, MA. He received hi BFA from Montserrat College of Arts in 1999. Although he has been making artwork his whole life, he has been most productive and successful since May 2006 he got involved with Second Life. For more, see http://www.jeffreylipsky.com.

Artist Statement

I constantly challenge myself to maintain the formal qualities of the charcoal and pastel mediums while imbedding my visual vocabulary to create a narrative. I’d describe my process as reactive spontaneous, gestural, thoughtful, and sensual. I never plan out the compositions, textures, and rhythms for each piece, but I always keep them in mind throughout the creative process.

I consider each drawing to be a recording of the improvisational performance of my hands, mind, pastel, and charcoal on the paper. Everything around me (physically, emotionally, and intellectually) is incorporated into the performance of the drawing. It’s also important for me to tell stories and send a message to my audience. Unlike “comic strips” or other forms of visual story telling, the abstract narrative is nonlinear and allows the viewer to bring their own experiences into the story and come to their own resolutions.

It’s easy to understand this concept with the following example. When most people stare at a cloud for a few moments they will eventually see shapes that look like different images. If a cloud looks like a rabbit, the cloud next to it may look like a carrot, a bush, or a bunch of baby rabbits hopping over a log. Once you start to associate certain imagery to the abstract form of the cloud, you can build a story around it. The same thing holds true for my abstract narrative drawings, but I provide the clouds.

The painting he created for us is called Search For Excellence:

and the video he will show is a time-lapsed series that shows it evolve from simple sketch to final painting.

Filthy Fluno’s self portrait

More Press About Filthy Fluno

• Artnet.com
• Boston Globe. “Leading a Double Life”
• Slatenight.com. “Feelin the Vibe with Filthy Fluno”
• SLArtMagazine.com “Filthy Pictures Bridge Two Lives”
• New World Notes

Story filed under: Arts,Campus Headlines

See all stories by CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine)