Brief History

The early 2000s marked a pivotal shift in my career. After establishing myself in traditional arts—exhibiting widely, illustrating book covers like Katherine Van Wormer's 'Social Welfare: A World View' (1997), and creating public mosaics such as the 21ft x 4ft 'Jackson and the Arts' (2000), featured in Southern Living Magazine (2002), Mosaic Matters (UK), and Sonia King's 'Mosaic Techniques and Traditions' (2003) —I delved into virtual worlds and 3D simulation design.

Guided by my M.F.A. in Painting and M.S. in Counseling Psychology and Human Systems, I founded Human Mosaic Systems, LLC, building award-winning 3D spaces like the 'Maya Astronomy Center' in Second Life.

This work merged art and psychology to explore :

  • immersive environments,

  • Bayesian-based AI interactions,

  • 'wicked problems’,

  • human behavior in MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games), and

  • what makes spaces inviting—fostering a sense of place.

I applied these ideas at the National Defense University in Washington, DC and on the Army's EDGE (Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment) project, enhancing immersive training simulations with artistic and psychological depth.

In 2025, I'm back in the studio, painting with renewed insight from my life’s journeys, continuing to probe our connections to place and each other.

Major aspects of “Wicked Problems”, a result of human interactions, that influence how we interact with and perceive the world around us..
Poster for the Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge award winning Maya Astronomy Center, Phases 1 & 2 interactive 3D learning experience with images of virtual environments.

Major aspects of “Wicked Problems”, a result of human interactions, that influence how we interact with and perceive the world around us.

My award winning virtual world build, Maya Astronomy Center: Phases 1&2

Me and my archived Second Life avatar, Bev Landar

Beverly McCarter and her Second Life avatar.