Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
Ilrya Chardin first caught my eye with the painterly pictures that give us the environment of Second Life as seen by the Hudson River School. She often adds texture layers and digital painting to simulate paint on a canvas, making her pictures appear like venerable heirlooms passed down through a few generations. I discovered she also creates art in SL when she sent me to My Secret Garden. (Be sure to disobey the signage at the teleport entrance so you can find the garden. After all, it is secret.)
She also had an installation that was featured at the recent Burn2, SL’s tribute to Burning Man, called “Glass Ceiling”, which she describes as a multi-level 3D art installation that represents the struggle to succeed, to achieve success where achievement is impeded.
“The glass ceiling is a metaphor for an unbreachable barrier where none allegedly exists,” Chardin explained. “It stands for any opportunity that is defined as unrestricted, or is stated to be based upon achievement, but in reality is limited to a select group of individuals. The Glass Ceiling is used most often to represent the difficulty that women and minorities face in trying to rise up the corporate ladder. Although I used a business atmosphere in my art installation, I meant it only as an illustration. I really believe that the glass ceiling extends to any situation where, while the rules state that anyone can join, win or attain, there are unwritten rules that exclude people.”
Above: Ilyra Chardin self-portrait
After the break, Illyra talks about her influences, her techniques, her upcoming projects -- and why she initially resisted creating a Second Life account for so long.
Where do you get your inspiration?
That really depends. For example, for Burn2 Conception, the plots were encased in large transparent, dark boxes. It started me thinking about restrictions and barriers and that led me to the glass ceiling. For My Secret Garden, a full sim immersive art installation, my inspiration was books. In this instance, My Secret Garden is a world of imagination filled with and inspired by books. The inspiration for my two-dimensional art comes from many directions. It can come as I’m taking a photograph.
Sometimes as I shoot, I’m already thinking about how I want to transform the image. Sometimes, I come with a plan already in my mind. In that case, I’m looking for a “blank canvas” shot that I can work on. A “blank canvas” for me would be just sky or just water and sky – something minimal.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
This is a difficult question because I really have so many. I’m going to try to name just a few: Hieronymus Bosch, Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Pieter Bruegel, MC Escher, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, Norman Rockwell, Michael Whelan, Vladimir Volegov.
How much of your work is done in SL and how much is post-processing in PhotoShop or other editing program?
Again, this really depends on the piece. For example, the raw shot for My Secret Garden was just a bit of ground and full sky. The rest is digital art done by me using Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, and Perfect Effects. The Glass Ceiling 2D raw shot was just the sky. I did everything else in Paintshop Pro, Photoshop, and Perfect Effects. A lot of my 2D art begins with a raw shot scene. Recent examples include: "Mirage", "The Little Village on the Coast", "Beach Cove", "Ere the Storm", and "One Last Bridge". In those pieces and most of my 2D art, I do a lot of embellishments and post processing work on my computer. However, the raw shots take a lot of time as well. It takes time to frame the shot, remove anything from view that I want to exclude, and then play with lighting. Depending on the piece, just getting the raw shot can take an hour or an hour and a half.
What first brought you to Second Life?
I had a very close friend that was on SL. I would look at SL through their computer. It looked great, but I was a little hesitant to join. I wasn’t sure what I would do once I got there. It took them months to persuade me, and I finally relented. Within the first month, I was loving it. I’ve been here ever since.
How has SL affected your RL?
Second Life provided me with opportunities and avenues to explore and meet people that I could not have met in real life. Some of my SL friendships have lasted years on and off of the computer. It’s been and continues to be a very rewarding experience.
I am appreciative, honored, and thrilled to have been awarded a sim as part of the Linden Endowment for the Arts AiR Land Grant program. I’ll have a sim opening soon.
To see more of Ilyra Chardin’s work, check out her galleries at Deviant Art, Flickr, and in-world at The Village of Eyefliez. Of course, you should check out her 3D art at My Secret Garden and Burn2 Conception. She also has a LEA sim that will be open soon.
Cajsa Lilliehook joined Second Life in 2007 and has been enjoying the art of SL ever since. Disliking the common practice of critiquing poor photos, she decided to highlight good ones and explain why they work in hopes of inspiring with praise instead of criticism. Follow Cajsa on Flickr, on Twitter or on her blog.
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