Interview With Bryn Oh

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By Anita Kimono

Bryn Oh is an artist who uses the virtual world of Second Life to create what she calls Immersivist art. The viewers not only see her art but participates and travels through her spaces that she creates. Visiting one of Bryn Oh’s exhibits is like walking through a virtual book, sometimes I pass a few “pages” but realized I have to turn back to see what I had missed or I had to “reread a couple of paragraphs” to get what was being said.

Bryn Oh has been in Second Life for 14 years and yet is able to retain her Second Life identity even in real life virtual exhibits internationally. Her virtual art has appeared in museums, movies, TV and Vogue Magazine twice (Italy and India). She was awarded several grants from the Ontario Arts Council in Canada to produce virtual reality exhibitions.

The following is an interview with Bryn Oh as she describes her concepts and thoughts of combining real life art with virtual world to create a new expression.

1.  What kind of artist are you? And what medium do you work in? How would you describe your art?

I began as an oil painter and moved into virtual art such as I create in Second Life and other virtual spaces.  My virtual art is what I call Immersivist art, meaning that its focus is on creating an experience whereby the viewer forgets the real world around them for a period as they become immersed in my artwork.  The techniques and tools used in a virtual space, especially one with VR, allow for a very powerful experience where the viewer is an active participant to the artwork rather than a passive observer.  The use of ambient sound, identity, colour theory, composition, interaction, narrative and other elements all combine to create an Immersivist artwork.

2.  What is your process? Do you work from photos? Do you work from life? How do you approach your art?

All my art in Second Life is a continuous story which began in 2008 with a build called Condo's in Heaven.   That work got me thinking of the idea of immersion as a type of movement or school of thought.  There were the Impressionists, Cubists, Surrealists, Modernists and so on... and I daydreamed of being an Immersivist.  Each new work is a chapter in the ongoing story and they are based on my life almost like a diary.  I take things I see in society or technology and combine it with parts of my life and then shape it into a story. 

Each virtual artwork takes about six months to create beginning with the writing of the story, then sketches in pen and ink or oil paintings, combined with building models in Zbrush (a digital tool to create high resolution models for animation.)Slowly I will plan out the composition of the virtual space so that the visitor will have freedom to explore but also naturally will follow the narrative.  I will add elements that help shape the mood subconsciously such as colour and ambient sound, shapes and so forth.   For example,a rounded shape is comforting to the eye whereby a shape with edges and angles like a triangle can subconsciously create anxiety or discomfort. Colour and sound naturally work the same.  

3.  Did you have any formal training in art? If so, what university? If not did you take workshops or learned from books?

Yes, I attended the Ontario College of Art and Design also known as OCAD university and focused on fine art drawing and painting.  After that I went to Seneca College for Softimage XSIComputer Animation then the Toronto School of Art for Zbrush.

4.  What is your earliest experience with art that you remembered that mark your path into becoming an artist? Who influenced you to be an artist? A family member, a teacher?  

Coming from Canada my first medium was building in snow. Watching my mom paint as a child got me interested in art as I loved the smell of oils and turpentine in her studio and seeing her canvas slowly emerge into places. My first experience with art was when I was just a child in school.  I did a drawing in class one day not knowing it was part of a large art competition across many schools in Canada.  Somehow my drawing was picked as the winner for my school which was shocking to me as I didn't know I had entered in a competition.  I was then informed that I would be taking a long bus trip to a location where all the winners of each school would attend a day of art training. It was my first experience of realizing I had some artistic talent.  

The event that encouraged me to become an artist was when I was at Carleton University studying Psychology and a friend asked me one day, “Why do you come home from classes every day and go in your room and paint?  You love painting more than your classes! Why didn't you go to art school?” I thought about it and decided they were right. My passion was art and not psychology. So,I decided to apply to Canada’s top art school and if I was accepted then I would drop out of university and go there. I was accepted.

5.  What artists in real-life and Second Life have affected you?

Early on I was very interested in the pen and ink drawings of John Tenniel and George Cruikshank as well as the shadowy paintings of Georges de La Tour.  Later it was Gustav Klimtfor his beauty, Van Gogh for the brush strokes and colour, Edvard Munch for his ability to paint mood and feeling, and Swoon and Banksy for expanding the way I saw art and concepts/messages. 

In Second Life, Light Waves/Starax showed me a new way to see the second life space with his work,“Greenies”(which was a comical giant room where avatars ended up being the size of a mouse). I liked the traditional artistic look of AM Radio’s works as well as the experimental minimal artwork of Selavy Oh. Also,the work, “Petrovsky Flux” by BlottoEpsilon and Cutea Benelli, used the unique traits of the virtual space.  I look at Second Life as a medium for art and I try to determine what makes it unique over other art mediums like painting, sculpture or cinema.  I enjoy artwork that sees the virtual space as a unique medium and does not attempt to make things that mimic "real life" art from galleries and museums.  I like to see things that can exist here but could not in real life where we are hampered by weather, gravity etc.

6.  What is your reason to exhibit in Second Life? and what is your experience had been? Any positive or negative. And has exhibiting in SL affected your real-life art?

When I was in art school,we would learn the history of art.  We would read about art movements like Cubism or Surrealism, Impressionism etc.   Often with a movement they are named years later and the very first artists working in the concepts are remembered and shape it.  For me, while painting, I thought to myself that my paintings were not doing anything new in art, but I possibly had the chance to be a part of something new and very rare in second life or virtual spaces.  I daydreamed of what I daydreamed of what we do here as being a new movement and I took the chance to try to be one of the first to focus on it as a medium.  Time will tell if I made the right decision but chances are rare in life and I wanted to make sure I didn't let it pass.

There is always positive and negative, sometimes there is drama with Second Life artists, but I do my best to ignore it and focus on what I want to achieve in a positive way.  And yes,exhibiting in Second Lifehas affected my real-life art.Originally when I came to Second Life,I would bring my painting ideas to the virtual space, and now I bring my virtual space ideas to painting and drawing sometimes.

7.  Do you have your own galleries? Do you exhibit in other galleries? What art related projects do you usually do in SL?

I don't tend to exhibit in traditional Second Life gallery spaces very often anymore unless it’s for a cause like Relay for Life, Missing Children, Toys for Hospital Children, etc.  On very rare occasions a curator will convince me to exhibit but generally that is due to their enthusiasm which rubs off on me :). My work is not about standalone single sculptures. They are just components to larger conceptual artworks.   What my focus is on in art is not really shown by placing individual sculptures around a room that resembles a real-life gallery space.  My machinima do a better job showing what I do but again they are a rigid artwork which doesn't allow the viewer to walk around a virtual space with freedom of choice.  My machinima force the viewer to follow the path of my camera and each time they watch it it is the same, the viewer is a passive observer to what I show them but my artwork is about being an active participant to the artwork, where the viewer is not separate to the art but in it and part of it.  Where they decide which way to walk or if they want to peek under a desk to find ahidden message.

8.  What advice would you give to artists who is interested in exhibiting in Second Life?

I would say to think about what you are most passionate about and focus on that.  Create a body of work on that topic and be patient.  

9. Do you have links that you would like to provide for people to view your works?

https://www.patreon.com/brynoh https://www.youtube.com/c/BrynOh/featured

https://www.instagram.com/bryn_oh/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/BrynOhh/  https://www.flickr.com/photos/bryn_oh/

Bryn Oh’s Second Life exhibits and store:

Hand by Bryn Oh - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bryn%20Oh/44/211/22

Singularity of Kumiko - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersivist/16/100/21

Immersiva by Bryn Oh and Store - https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersiva/18/111/24

Photos from Bryn Oh

Anita Kimono
 

Xirana Oximoxi Exhibit at La Maison d’Aneli

 
By Kayly Iali

    
I had a chance to visit the opening of Xirana Oximoxi Exhibit at La Maison d’Aneli. It is curated by Aneli Abeyante. Xirana Oximoxi,known as Nuria Vives in real life, is a mixed media artist and also a children book illustrator. Her exhibit is a new book she had just written and will be available online.

The book is “The Secret of the Crystal Mountain”. Its main character,a hippo named Isantim and his family go looking for water when it has not rained for a while. So, they set off on a journey to find out why. The journey takes them to different places and they encountered different characters that they have to deal with. It is a modern-day fable.

The exhibit is wonderfully set up.Xirana had taken advantage of Second Life environment.It is a three-dimensional setup of a two-dimensional book. The viewers would feel they are part of the book. Xirana’s mixed media skills are readily seen with the collaged walls. Floating texts and quote bubbles allowed the viewers to read as well as to travel with the 3-D cutouts of the hippos along with their journey.

This is a one of kind exhibit of a children’s book that is not readily seen in real life. “The Secret of the Crystal Mountain" will be available at http://nuriavives.com/ as well as her other children’s books.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Holland/20/38/22

Kayly Iali

   

Aneli Abeyante And Maison d’ Aneli

 
By Kayly Iali

Originally from Cote d’Azur, France and now in Strasbourg, Aneli Abeyante is an artist and a gallery owner in Second Life. As an artist she paints in either acrylic or oils to create different textures on canvas. Her love for geometry and mathematics can be seen in her works. With scripts she brings together structures and shapes in a harmonious form and rhythm. Some of her works can be seen at the VeGeTaL PLaNeT (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Oreo/39/38/522). It’s worth making the trip there to see her works in person. The symmetric forms and structures, rectangles, circles ... becomes dynamic when an asymmetrical element is added to them. It is hypnotical and meditative to view.

Aneli has been exhibiting in Second Life for many years. She first exhibited at Pirats, a large multi-levels gallery that held many exhibits for new and existing artists at the time. There she met many artists such as nessuno Myoo, GiovannaCerise, Solkide Auer, Cherry Manga, JadeYu Fhangto name a few. She has also exhibited at Asmita Duranjaya’s InterstellArt.

Aneli’s first gallery, Aneli’s Gallery, began on her homestead. She originally exhibited her own works but soon started to invite other artists to exhibit. A move to a different sim evolved her gallery to exhibit only other artists other than her own. She finds new artists by exploring different galleries but also through her connections at other galleries where she had once exhibited. Her current gallery is now named La Maison d’ Aneli at Virtual Holland (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Holland/27/48/21).

The purpose of Maison d’Aneli is to expose all forms of art created in real life and in Second Life.  She feels that art is essential for the world to progress. Her gallery becomes the way to exhibits all these forms –traditional and digital arts and to provide a wider viewing audience for international artists that real life galleries cannot provide. In real life galleries, real life artists often find it hard to get in and also expensive at times. Thus, Maisond’Aneli is a common ground for all artists around the world meet and exchange ideas to make the world a better place.

At Maison d’ Aneli, Aneltakes great care on how the artists are exhibited.Sometimes she would ask artists to create a piece specifically for her gallery.Her current exhibit consists of nine artists of an array of many mediums: Kuervo, GlitterPrincess Destiny, Nicolex Moonwall, Zia Branner, Talixa, Neobookie, Sasha Arivalhagan, Shoshisn Shilova and Francoise Waroux. Each artist has their own skybox where the visitors can teleport easily from the ground floor.The artist is then having the freedom to set the mood of their exhibits. The exhibits are thought provoking.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/aneliabeyante

Kayly Iali

Interview With Xirana Oximoxi

 
By Kayly Iali

Xirana Oximoxi (Nuria Vives)is a mixed media artist though trained in classical realism, she explores all mediums; constantly learning new ways to express herself in different ways. She is one of many real life artists who brings her art into second life. Her work is exhibited in various venues in major galleries throughout Second Life. Exhibited are series of Xirana’s portraits, children’s books, and mixed media works that were produced.

Xirana works from photos as well as on location...it depends on the subject matter. With landscapes she would start sketching outside, then take a photo and finish the work in the studio. With abstracts, she allows the painting inspire her.

Xirana is inspired by the old masters, Munch, Pollock, Soutine, Picasso and especially Goya as well as Monet and Turner. Her greatest influence would be her grandfather who also was a painter and a photographer but had died when she was very young. Also, Xirana gets help from going to exhibits and reading art books.In Second Life her favorite artists are actually 3D artists such as Meilo Minotaur, Mistero Hifeng, and Rose Borchovski.

Xirana started to exhibit in Second Life just for fun by renting a small gallery. Then as she found herself exhibiting in more galleries it became a way to create more art. Some galleries have a policy to change exhibits every three months more or less.So,in Xirana’s own words, “... so, it was kind of a way to think, what can I exhibit next! (smile).... and it is a way to share what you do ... sometimes more people will visit your exhibit here than in real life.” She had found the pressure to change exhibits affected her real life art, too.Some of the galleries that are exhibiting Xirana’s art are The Galleries, La Maison D’Aneli, InterstellART and Artists United Gallery.More collections of her works can be found at Time Lost Art.

One of Xirana’s projects in Second Life as well as in real life are her children's books; she writes and illustrates them. A friend suggested that some of her drawings would be perfect for children's books. She researched in public domain for stories but ended up writing her own. A course in illustrated children’s book was a great help in getting started in writing and illustrating children’s books.

Aimed toward ages 5 to 7 years old, Xirana’s first story was about a little mouse and his adventures. One of the adventures was Minu exploring a river but accidentally falls in. To rescue himself he grabs a chair as it flowed down the river. Minu encounters an old man who takes Minu in to live with him.

Xirana has since then written 10 other stories including a family of hippos and a girl named Amanda. Xirana describes Amanda as a curious character, open to learn and willing to help friends. She had written and illustrated five other stories relating to her adventures.

In Second Life Xirana’s children’s books are in exhibit at The Galleries and her gallery in Jubata. At The Galleries, Georgiana (180, 109, 48), a 3D setup of her book “The Heroes in Face Masks” can be viewed. Delightful paper sculptures and collages of animals and little children dancing on papered ground. At her gallery at Jubata (131, 245, 99), there is a slideshow of “Amanda and the Ladybug.”

Xirana’s children books are available on Amazon (link) and her own website, http://mynicebooks.com (in which a donation can be made for a free downloadable book). Lots of her books are in some educational platforms in schools.

Xirana’s advice to new artists who wants to exhibit in Second Life is “My advice is that here all is possible...No worries about galleries, to create your own is very easy...”

To see more of Xirana Oximoxi’s art visit her website at http://nuriavives.com/. Xirana sells her works in her Etsy shop at https://www.etsy.com/shop/NuriaVivesArt. In real life Xirana’s artworks can be found in Spain and France. Also noted is her fundraiser, “A Pencil for Ghana” at her blog (link).

Kayly Iali

Interview with Judilynn India

by Kayly Iali

Judilynn India is an abstract artist in real life who brings her works into Second Life for exhibits. I have known Judilynn for many years and come to be one of the many admirers and collectors of her works. We recently sat and had a little chat about her artist life here in real-life and in Second Life.

(Kayly) What kind of artist are you? and what medium do you work in? How would you describe your art?

(Judilynn) I am an abstract painter working in acrylic and mixed media.  Mixed media for me includes paint, ink, and pixels. I like painting intuitively, but also include graphic elements at times. I was trained as a graphic artist and fell in love with painting later in life.

(Kayly) What is your process? Do you work from photos? Do you work from life? How do you approach your art?

 

(Judilynn) I generally begin with paint on canvas, starting with texture and color blends. I love layering for effects of depth and shadow. The painting may remain as is on canvas, or I'll take it into a computer program and further work the imagery to add other elements of grunge, etc. I don't generally do illustration, but when I do, it's somewhat surreal. I almost always work from my imagination. Occasionally, I may use a photo source for an idea.

(Kayly) So,your inspiration is from within?

(Judilynn) Absolutely

(Kayly) But you are probably responding to situations around you, subconsciously.

(Judilynn) I believe my mood and general state of mind determine what appears before me on the canvas. I work intuitively.

(Kayly) Did you have any formal training in art? If so, what university? If not did you take workshops or learned from books?

(Judilynn) My artistic training began as a child. Though I was involved in art programs during grade school, I began my formal training as a commercial art student in high school. I went on to study Graphic Design at Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Pennsylvania.  Through the years, I learned how to paint in oils and other media and decided I enjoyed painting. I've been doing so since the early 2000s. With the advent of YouTube, it's been fun watching other artists demonstrate their techniques. I've picked up ideas here and there. As a bookaholic, I've acquired a good library over the years. :)Lately, I've begun to explore cold wax and oil.

(Kayly) I also work in cold wax and oils. But for my still life paintings, it allows for more abstraction in my representational work...we have to exchange ideas later about cold wax and oils.

(Judilynn) Yes, I've seen how realists apply the cold wax to give more definition and texture to their work.

(Kayly) What is your earliest experience with art that you remembered that mark your path into becoming an artist? Who influenced you to be an artist? A family member, a teacher?

(Judilynn) I believe I came into the world with a pencil in my hand (laugh). My earliest memory was waking up one morning, stealing a crayon from my sister's desk and drawing on the wall next to my bed. I was three years old. My mother was a bit "intrigued" with my work, so she got a roll of butcher's paper and taped lengths of it on the wall. She'd replace it as I filled the sheet.  In kindergarten, instead of playing with the other girls, I would go to the easel the teacher had set up for us and I'd paint.  I recall once painting a purple flower and alarming my teacher when I painted the background in black. I had to explain to her that it was a flower at night (laugh) .My teacher would tell the class that 'Judi's going to be an artist when she grows up.'  That's when I first learned there was a word for what I loved to do. Drawing and sometimes painting, was my general pastime. My mother always encouraged me. She was also talented, but did art as a hobby. My father was an oil painter and commercial artist.

(Kayly) What artists in real life and SL have affected you?

(Judilynn) My earliest artist crush was Norman Rockwell. I'm not sure where I first saw his works, but my mother knew this and bought me a book of his artwork for Christmas one year. It was amazing. I also fell in love with Vincent van Gogh's work. The texture, color, expression-just amazing. Later in life, I would come to admire the work of Carol Nelson (https://www.carolnelsonfineart.com) and Gerda Lipski (https://www.gerdalipski.com) for their use of acrylic texture and color. Since coming to SL, I've taken note of artists like, Elin Egoyan and you.(I was flattered)

(Kayly) Whatis your reason to exhibit in Second Life? and what has your experience been like? Any positive or negative. And has exhibiting in SL affected your real-life art?

(Judilynn) I have also been a computer geek since the 80s and first learned of virtual reality in the late 80s. When I read about SL in an online news article and about how a Boston artist brought his work into SL, I knew I had to jump in. I was elated to find a place online where I could actually exhibit art and connect with other artists and art lovers in real time.  There have been ups and downs, but mostly, my experience here has been good. I came to SL with 12 pieces to show and soon started getting invitations to join group exhibits and solo shows. SL has actually kept me painting and developing my techniques.

(Kayly) Have you gotten commissions for real-life purchases from people in SL?

(Judilynn) I've only had a few people in Second Life actually make print purchases from my real life website at www.judilynnart.com. Real life purchases and commissions have come from people who have seen my work online or had conversations with me. I think my SL followers find it easier to collect in Second Life. It's financially easier to put together a virtual home gallery.

(Kayly) Do you have your own galleries? Do you exhibit in other galleries? What art related projects do you usually do in Secons Life?

(Judilynn) I have three of my own galleries in Second Life: Center Ground, Avalon town and Chelsea. My other resident installations are at various galleries throughout SL. I had the opportunity to build a sim sized installation for Linden Endowment for the Arts in 2018.  That was my first shot at a 3D build.  Most recently, I created an interactive installation at BURN2, this year's virtual Burning Man Festival. It was an amazing experience. I'm hoping to do more 3D work in the future.I've also been involved with exhibitions for Doctors Without Borders and Creations Gallery, fundraising for Parkinson’s.

(Kayly) What advice would you give to artists who is interested in exhibiting in SL?

(Judilynn) For artists who would consider showing their work in SL, I would suggest wasting no time setting up a small gallery of your work in rented shop with good traffic. I would look for areas that cater to artists (like Hotel Chelsea Manhattan NYC). Join all the art groups that you can, and introduce yourself to other artists and gallery owners for suggestions and advice. Find a mentor if possible. I'm always happy to help.

(Kayly) Any links to purchase your real-life works? website? And what main gallery would you like to direct your visitors to view your works?

(Judilynn) My website for art prints is www.judilynnart.com.  I can also be contacted through that site regarding canvas originals. The website will be updated soon to include more canvas art.  My main gallery, and one that is updated with newest work is the Center Ground Gallery of Art, Han Loso (226/30/72)

I should also add visit Judilynn’s Avalon Gallery, Tabula rasa (111/44/25).

Kayly Iali

Kayly Iali’s Art At The Paris Metro Art Gallery

By Gemma Cleanslate

I made it to the opening party in Paris for the September opening in the gallery. The  delightful Tiny Maniac’s Band was hard at work playing their music and Keeba Tammas, a well known Second Life vocalist, was singing her songs . The party was well  under way when I arrived in the lovely courtyard. Everyone was in great form dancing along. I stopped there for a while to enjoy the music then stepped away into the gallery where Kayly Iali’s art is on display for the next month.

Kayly was at the door when I entered. She says of her work, "I am an alla prima painter. I paint still life, mostly fruits but my first love is portraits. I also had painted abstracts. I do calligraphy and bring my calligraphic skills into my abstracts.I started my art career back in 2009 after graduating from California State University at Sacramento in studio arts. Going back to school was a great way to keep one toe in art as my kids were growing up. Since then I have been jurored into a couple of major regional art competitions and sold paintings through Etsy.com . I came into SL in 2009 and started exhibiting in 2010. I had showings at Pirats, Space 4 Arts, and others.”   

Alla prima is a new term to me so I looked it up and it is wet-on-wet, or alla prima is a painting technique, used mostly in oil painting, in which layers of wet paint are applied to previously administered layers of wet paint. I am glad I did because it helped me see her paintings in a different light as I went through the gallery. Her love of painting fruit is evident as she explores the fruit from different viewpoints in her art. It is so interesting to see an artist who brings their art from real life into Second LIfe. I enjoy visits to galleries where I see this. I have seen Kayly’s art in other galleries passed through. I hope you will stop over to visit during the next month while the exhibit is up. 

Kayly mentioned she may start painting pumpkins soon.  Walking in the Paris region is always so interesting. Enjoy !  

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paris%20Couture/129/26/22

Gemma Cleanslate