I stumbled across Laura Demonista on Flickr. The stream is adult in the main and deals largely (but not exclusively) with erotic art, created initially in Second Life and then fine tuned outside. Unless you’re signed into Flickr you should not be able to see these images, that is as long as Laura has flagged them correctly, if she hasn’t she deserves a damn good spanking! Seriously folks, please flag your Flickr images correctly, it’s better for everyone if you do that.
Whilst interviewing Laura I feel like I’ve stepped into a Philip Marlowe story, or maybe a David Lynch one, although I resist the temptation to don a trenchcoat and a trilby. Laura’s steam has a noirish feel to it in parts, as I settle down in a seat in Laura’s office, I notice that the blinds are closed, I can hardly make Laura out as she sits at the desk across from me, Laura manages to play the detective and the femme fatale perfectly, although she avoids smoking a cigar during the course of the interview and I’m sensible enough not to ask if she does smoke, I do note a revolver on the desk, which is enough to intimidate me into playing nicely, that’s for sure!
We settle down to the interview and Laura starts with a bombshell:
“I am not an artist in any true sense of the word. I cannot paint, I cannot draw. I am always vastly impressed by the beauty, the imagination and the mastery of those who can. I have my particular favourite artists. Jack Vettriano is one example, Vargas is another. I love the power of images. I love the tales they tell, the beauty that can be created.”
Am I being played here, I wonder, is this really Laura Demonista or have I been setup for a fall? Laura quickly removes my misgivings by explaining that although she is not a traditional artist, this has not deterred Laura from creating images using Second Life, so where did it all begin?
“My very first image that I could reasonably call art was taken in March, 2011. Everything before that was a simple snapshot. I wouldn’t say it was GOOD art but I can call it art.”
Where does Laura get her inspiration from to create the images she does, what actually inspires Laura:
“The simple and rather trite answer is everything. I wish I could be more accurate but I can be inspired by anything at any time. I see a wine label that says “Room Temperature” and an image pops into my mind. Ideas come constantly and I stopped questioning it.”
Talking of room temperature, the heat in the darkened office is rising, there’s an overhead fan spinning, yet Laura seems to be cool and calm in the heat, I on the other hand have to loosen my collar. Laura eyes me coldly and then seems to know what I’m thinking, how does someone who is not a traditional artist make use of a platform Second Life to create art? This is where I discover how useful a platform Second Life is for Laura’s work. I ask Laura how she plans the shots she creates:
“I want to say that I am wonderfully organised and thorough. I want to say that I know exactly what a set will look like before I begin. Sometimes, this is the case and I do know what I want. Other times, though, I begin with a pose and work around that. Quite often, the finished picture is not what I set out to do at all. Its almost as if they take on their own life and say “this is what I want to be.”
As for poses, I usually have a set idea of the position of the body. Of course, SL restricts movement and some poses are just not possible without severe stretching or twisting which is fine if you have clothing on, not so lovely if you are planning to be naked. Again, the pose is not always what I set out to create.”
Staying on the planning theme I’ve noticed that Laura sometimes creates images that are part of a series, so I ask Laura whether she sets out with a plan for a series or whether this is a dynamic process where one image inspires Laura to go further:
“Sometimes I plan the series. The Body of Work set I did was always planned as a series. The Vettriano style images were too. The main reason for this is that I own a couple of galleries in SL and I like to use one of them for series of work, special exhibitions and things of that nature. This is not always the case, of course. Occasionally, I will create an image and then think of something that works with it. I did a Public Disgrace series that was very much like that. In short, I explored my own fantasies and found a theme and the series came from that.”
Outside I can hear noise and bustle in the alley behind Laura’s office, this relaxes me somehwhat, I pause and look at my notes, should I ask this next question? I eye the revolver on the desk and then eye Laura, who remains icily calm, I take a deep breath and ask Laura about the feedback she receives about her work, as it’s erotic art in the main I expect that reaction will be mixed, Laura takes a sip of what I assume is water, although it’s too dark from me to make out and then replies:
“It varies. Most people are complimentary. I think, to be fair, that if someone does not like something, they usually stay silent. I have had a few people tell me I am a pornographer. I have been told I am a pervert once or twice. I get far more positive feedback and I like to think that is mostly because of how I approach the art. I want a picture to tell a story, to fire the imagination. People generally respond to that.”
I then ask Laura about creating within Second Life, what are the positives and negatives, Laura responds:
“The main positive for me is that I find it to be a wonderful way to relax. Yes, I shout when things go wrong. I get frustrated when I am almost there and the whole thing crashes around me. I frequently sit and swear at the blue screen and cries of “Oh just work, dammit!” are often heard. Seriously though, I find it to be the best form of relaxation. And when the image is done and it is good, the feeling of pride makes it all worthwhile.
The negatives , for me, are few. The main one is that it does take up a huge amount of my time and leaves little for other things. I always have the feeling that I am letting people down and not facing my responsibilities. Perhaps that’s just me though.”
I take a deep breath and then ask another risky question, but one that simply has to be asked, other than Second Life, which applications does Laura use? The answer is quite surprising:
“Outside of Sl, I use a free program called Gimp. Its so fiddly and awkward but its FREEEEEE
I also sometimes use another free tool called Photoscape. I am sure it can do far more than I have discovered yet. I do not use photoshop for two reasons. One, I can’t afford it and would rather not delve into illegal software. Two, there is a photoshop “look” that I am not keen to adopt. I know what I mean.”
Hmm, I then think more clearly, Laura doesn’t want the cops around, so no wonder she uses legitimate software (which you all should!). I note that outside the alley is now quiet, the overhead fan on the other hand sounds louder. I glance at my watch and then back to my notes, as I said earlier, I stumbled across Laura’s work on Flickr, so I ask Laura about the positives and negatives of using Flickr, Laura pauses for a moment and then responds:
“This is a two pronged fork. A bad metaphor, I know, but I know what I mean. I use Flickr shamelessly as a testing ground and if an image proves popular on Flickr, then I will place it in my gallery in SL. I sell my pictures, of course, but that is not why I do this. Compliments are as valuable as money to me so I use Flickr to see which images capture the most attention. The other side of this, of course, is that many people see the image on Flickr before it goes into the gallery and so it loses its newness.
And I confess it. I am an award and comment whore! I love the feedback. I love being invited into a Hall of Fame gallery. I love that people think what I do is worth taking time out of their lives to comment upon it. Of course, I would still do what I do if they did not leave a comment but its wonderful and amazing to me that they do. It makes it much more worthwhile.”
I gulp, it’s still very hot in here, a bead of sweat rolls down my cheek, but Laura remains the cool and calm figure she has throughout this interview. Finally I ask Laura about the work of other Second Life users, does Laura enjoy their work? Laura responds enthusiatically, which is a relief as it’s the last question:
“I love the art created by others. I am constantly astonished at what people can do. I see creations by people on Flickr and it inspires me to work harder, to try new things. I would love to give a list of names of my favourite artists but the list would be far too long and I am afraid I might miss someone out who fully deserves to be there.”
I bid Laura farewell and walk out of the heated office, past the reception desk and down the stairs, back into the narrow alley where I started this adventure. I keep my eyes and ears peeled, in case I’ve stepped on the wrong toes somewhere behind me I can hear whispers, then footsteps, I try and remain calm but find that my steps are quickening, teleport damn you, teleport, and then with some relief, I find myself back in the safety of my own home location. Did I imagine all this?
Laura’s Flickr Stream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laura_demonista/
SLURL To Laura’s Main Gallery: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Petrichor/44/208/24
SLURL To Gallery where Body Of Work series is being displayed: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Xaara/35/112/21