Mixed Reality Profile: Laurah Oh, Graphic Designer And Metaverse Artist

In her first life, Laurah Oh is a graphic designer living in Rio de Janeiro, and besides her work creating commercial flyers and folders, you may find her out nights at bars with her boyfriend (who also has an SL account), or at home listening to music.  She first learned about Second Life from her university teacher, who introduced it as an example of 3D animation and illustration; after the class ended, however, Laurah stayed in-world, where she's developed into a metaverse artist.  She uses Second Life as a platform for creating images of luminous beauty.  (Her "Fairy Fantasy" series was recently featured in the Dagger Eye Gallery of NWN partner Rezzable.)

Laurah's favorite images; originals on her Flickr stream here, here, here, and here

"[When] I really need some inspiration to make a picture," she tells me, "sometimes I come online and stay thinking and thinking and then I log off!"  Her images begin as avatar screenshots, which she then processes in Photoshop, giving them a gemlike sheen and a velvety darkness that make them seem more like airbrushed paintings, than digital images.

Though the women in her work seem to be several dozen different avatars, "It's me in all of them," she tells me smiling.  "The shape is always the same, but the skin changes a lot."

Besides her boyfriend, [S]he tells me she doesn't know many other Brazilians in Second Life; instead, she has a network of friends around the world, other art lovers she first met in SL, but carried over to her real life.

"The friends I have in SL, I take them in my RL as well," she says.  "Hmm, how can I explain?  Well, I didn't meet [them] in real life because they live away from me, but if I could I would. I talk with them in MSN, email, this kind of thing, and we talk about RL things."

I ask what her Brazilian friends and family think about her Second Life, and all the time she spends there.

"They don't say anything because I don't ask," she tells me, chuckling.  "I just show my pictures and they love my work."

You can see more of her work on her Flickr stream; in-world, the Dagger Eye Gallery recently closed, another victim of Openspace price hikes; much of her images are on display in her SL gallery.  Ask her kindly, and she may teleport you over.

Comments

[Alexandra Whitman]

Great article, about a great girl. I know her work, i know her SL and i know her RL....One of the most special ppl in SL and RL....making all those around her smile.

[Filomena Paine]

*smiles* I love this Girl...
Shes really special... <3
I "just" know her SL at mo... Know her much i think... i hope... Everyday a bit more.
AND i will know her RL too... One day...
Can't wait to hug her RL to.

[crow610 mainline]

she is
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<3333

[Laurah Oh!]

oh wow I forgot to say thank you =)
and 'Metaverse Artist' ahah wow again! thank you again!
hello to my friends above XD*