Gates of Melancholy

Golden fields of wheat shimmer in the sun at Gates of Melancholy, a new sim by shelly70, where beautiful landscapes greet visitors in every direction and at every angle. The quiet stillness of weathered barns and gentle decay of old homes impart a feel of melancholy and solitude that permeate one's experience.

"This sim," explains Shelly in her notes, "is created to emulate and elicit the feel in the watercolor paintings done by Andrew Wyeth. Melancholy, nostalgia, starkness and the crispness of his work. You will find spots throughout the sim where you can find recreations of some of his paintings and you can pose, take pictures and create your own art work as you like it."

Shelly is a relative newcomer to Wyeth's paintings. "To be honest, I just got to know his works," said Shelly as we talked about the sim. "A friend of mine, GoodCross, showed me Wyeth's Christina's World and, after that, the idea for Gates of Melancholy was born." GoodCross, who helped Shelly think through the overall concept of the sim, is creating a HUD, probably to be available to group members, that will hold poses allowing visitors to recreate Christina's World and possibly other works, and he tells me it should be available in about a week's time.

To not enjoy the sim in its default environmental setting, shown here, would be to miss part of the experience, as it imbues the scene with a delicate brown, autumnal glow. The interiors of each of the various buildings are exquisitely decorated and merit exploration, and photographers who wish to rez additional objects may contact Shelly to access the land group. Contributions in support of Gates of Melancholy may be left at the landing point.