Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting
Thus Yootz’ “Exodus to Air” is exquisite. There are multiple shots that have been layered to produce this otherworldly scene. It’s a distortion of reality that expresses emotion which suggests abstract expressionism. After all, it’s just some trees with clouds scudding in the distance. Add some screened flowers and some text in a different alphabet and all sorts of context becomes possible.
Is it a parallel multiverse or a dystopian future here with black chlorophyll and a red, red sun, or is it a mood? She chose “The Ballad of John Henry” by Joe Bonamassa to accompany the picture, a connection I don’t see, but I enjoy Bonamassa any day of the week. Unlike an ordinary landscape, this picture is not just beautiful, but also confounding. What does it mean?
The original screenshot was taken at The White Armory and Sylvan Moon Designs.
For more Second Life screenshots as abstract expressionist art, click here:
“The Brides” is much easier to grasp. These lovely wireframe flowers are in white, their stems in brown, and the background in black and white. They look like ghostly brides dancing on a cloudy, moonlit night. The music is Petrina Chronia by Spanadoukakis [ΠΕΤΡΙΝΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΑ - ΣΠΑΝΟΥΔΑΚΗΣ] and while it is unfamiliar, it feels perfect for this picture. This was shot at Aii.
“Words, Burning” again uses wireframe to abstract the reality of the building and setting in her shot and express an emotional context. The red and black, colors of fire and ash, the char of burnt pages, burnt books. There is text, perhaps Greek, in white as though a ghost, what remains after burning, banning. Authoritarianism is rising around the world so she could be referring to anywhere from book-banning Florida to journalist-jailing Russia to blogger-executing Saudi Arabia.
This image was first shot at Vae Victis.
Of course, the really cool thing about abstract expressionism is she could mean words that cut you to the bone, that burn when you read them. So much context is brought by the viewer who interprets through their history, interests, and biases.
Thus Yootz’ photostream is breathtaking. There are so many pictures I wanted to feature and I struggled to find just three. I prefer abstraction, so I was in a happy place navigating her stream. I suggest you follow her and go back and check out her old Flickr as well. In addition to these amazing artworks, she also creates. trees and other landscaping necessities and is an SL wedding planner.
See all of Cajsa's Choices here. Follow Cajsa on Flickr, on Twitter, on her blog, and on her Ko-Fi.
All images copyright Thus Yootz
Suggest images and Flickr feeds to Cajsa: Cajsa’s Choices is devoted to unique, artistic, and innovative virtual world-based images and screenshots that showcase the medium as an art form and Second Life as a creative platform. (Generally not images that fit on this Bingo card.) To recommend the best in virtual world imagery, tag the picture with #CasjaNWN or tag Cajsa Lilliehook by adding her to the photo.
Cajsa Lilliehook is a sixteen year resident of Second Life, where she owned a photo studio, spent several years as a DJ at The Velvet, and for her first SL job, cleaned up prim trash. She co-founded and runs the It’s Only Fashion blog with her best friend Gidge Uriza. She also has a book review blog, Tonstant Weader Reviews and a cooking blog, Single Serving Recipes. She spends a lot of time researching and reporting on Republican sexual predators. In her first life, she is a retired grassroots leader who has worked for economic and social justice issues most of her life. She is also the minion of a cat named Nora.
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