Saoirse reviews The Papillon Art Gallery:

“See the dog and butterfly
Up in the air he like to fly
Dog and butterfly, below she had to try
She roll back down to the warm soft ground
With a little tear in her eye
She had to try, she had to try
Dog and butterfly, yeah”                  Written by Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart

Today I visited the Papillon Art Gallery.  When I see the word “Papillon” I think butterfly from the latin word, and this does mean in butterfly in French.  Yet this is also the name of a small breed of dog the Papillon.  There I thought of the song by Heart “Dog and Butterfly”.  This gallery is a lovely jewel I found from the Art Galleries of Second Life website.

I was immediately struck by the big display room, a large rectangular room with a vaulted ceiling,  sunlight streaming in from the top and from the sides of the gallery.  I could see the sea outside of one side, and you feel an ocean breeze inside the gallery.  The atmosphere conjures imagines of the perfect summer day, strolling along in flip flops and cutoffs.  Outside of the gallery are several beds of flowers, exactly the kind of place butterflies would enjoy.  Amid these flowers is a resting place and patio over looking the sea.  The general ambience here is comforting and unhurried.

The gallery contains black and white images, color images in paint on canvas style capturing containing female figures.  There are some with notable backgrounds and landscapes.  The first shots I see are in stark contrast to the general mood of the gallery.  Female figure, most likely the artist, in black on background with black shapes.  As I work my way through the gallery, these images follow me in my mind and they join with other black and whites to reveal a pattern.

Moving to a water paint on canvas style, I see a dark foreboding sky and background.  In the foreground is a draft horse and a female nude.  Draft horses are much larger than riding horses, female figure is vulnerable.  Next on the wall is a similar style, using water paint on canvas, sunset with female figure our view from behind.  She is topless looking out.  I enjoy images from this vantage point.  As viewers we can image ourselves looking the same direction.  Having the figure there encourages such glances.  The figure herself is also worth considering as the artist directs our attentions away.

My view then becomes juxtaposed as I see the black and white images again.  This time the message is stepped up a bit, a bit more revealing with dramatic bondage imagery.  Above this image is a color picture with women with heads and boxes and it looks like wires around her hands moving around.  It is an intense image of the same female figure in many positions, featured in an extreme bondage position.  There is no partner yet in the images of bondage in the gallery that I have seen so far.

Blink and I am back to brush on canvas style art.  Female figure walking with landscape including mountain.  A shipwreck image in one image, immediately next to it a similar shipwreck containing a superimposed female figure.  I am surprised in the next moment as I see a sky shot of a female figure with red and black wings.  I love this image, powerful and the colors are just perfectly placed.  In a few steps I am once more given the female nude black and white image.  This time she is in three positions, all seemingly violent poses.  Powerful images, thoughtful images to view with these black and whites.  An images where the female figure’s eyes are hidden by a black bandana.

I find all of the images in this gallery exciting to view.  The placement is interesting and definitely will keep you looking at each image.  The cherry on this sundae is a real treat of an image.  Little Red Riding Hood female figure, with a white mask and a black thong.  Perhaps  she traded with the wolf for these clothes?  This Little Red Riding Hood is standing outside of the gates of somewhere mysterious all in a chalky background.

This is a diverse gallery of lovely personal images.  Regardless of the style you may prefer, there is most likely some image here you will enjoy.

Artfully Yours, Saorise Heart