Exhibitionists: Brea Brianna and Igor Romanov @ Katmee's!

The community of photographers centered around The Sexiest Pornstars group has to thank immensely the contribution given by the woman known as Katmee. A talented artist of her own with a really naughty streak, she provided a beautifully designed sim, 'Katmee's Coconut Island', which not only is a place with perfect photo opportunities (you can rezz by joining the group for free), featured already in magazines such as Busted and countless flickr shots, but also is home to a building complex hosting art galleries.

 This weekend is for you the last chance to see in world the exhibitions of two people very well known by our group members due to being so very active ever since their debut. Thanks to Katmee's keen interest they have had their first chance at all to put on display their artwork.
....Or their smut, as Igor put it!

 
Igor being all metatextual and cheeky in  'What the hell is this smut', as he looks at 'Hold the Line #5' with Sonia See

 They have been wonderful in their patience to answer my silly questions, so without furter adieu (it's ado,I know, but if I don't move my butt finishing this post, it will be farewell time already!), there's Brea Brianna and Igor Romanov (Jeffcosgrove)'s As to my Qs!

- This is your first exhibition as an artist. How did you feel when Katmee asked you to have your artwork on display at her place? Did it feel 'strange' in any way? Were you considering yourself an 'artist' before, and do you feel a bit more of that now after such an invite?

Igor: - Gosh. An “artist?” I hadn’t really thought much about it. I love what I do and want to be better today than I was yesterday. Does that qualify me as an artist? Maybe I am in the sense that I want what I do to be artistic, especially the more graphic pictures? For me, the whole shot has to make sense.


Bratty Brea is a rotten apple in 'Like I care'

Brea: - When I got into Photography 6 months ago I never would have dreamed to have my photos exhibited ever. But I had a lot of guidance from two people in particular. Graham Collinson was a true inspiration for me, and the Iconic Laura Demonista helped me along the way and introduced me to Singularity as a primary phototool. And of course Robert Eroica Dupea taught me about resolution and angles and without those three influences I dont think I would have gotten to where I was ready to show my work in world. It was and is an honor to be asked by Katmee and it's a part of my SL I will always cherish. I never considered myself an artist and still dont, I simply love to capture images and thoughts and express them and project them outside of my busy little mind for others to share and enjoy.


Igor inspired by Partee in 'Topless Tuesday with Partee'

- When Katmee told you you'd have to choose photos for the exhibit, which one (or more than one) appeared in your mind as 'the first' to have a spot in the gallery? I guess that means which picture you are the most proud of, but could simply have been one that has a special meaning for you.

Brea: - The champagne picture from Robert Eroica Dupea was my first and only thought about what to include, I didn't however; understand that I couldn't display others photos of me, so I had to remove it but.. Tickle trunk, and Dragon Slayer and Her Time has Come, are amongst my Favs. Those really show my continuing efforts to learn and understand the value of windlights and The Lumipro Photo Hud, which is an essential tool in any photographers arsenal. 'Dragonslayer' is by far my fav since it was one of the few fantasy pics i did entirely in SL without any editing in photoshop. It was a simple 2d image layed onto a transparent prim and then glow added and transparency reduced to accentuate the dragon. I think I spent 5k making the photo and buying the gacha rare clothing for it but it was soooo worth it to me and I'm  very happy with the result.


Brea rightfully proud of 'DragonSlayer'

'Her Time Has Come' is sacred to me, It was during one of my down days when I expressed my wish to end it all and ascend . Being a Bipolar can be very difficult at best, but it certainly helps to get my creative juices flowing. Just have a listen to Amy Lee of Evanescence and you may be able to understand the inner turmoil we suffer from every single day of our lives as Bipolars and how it can help to shape our creative processes.


Lots of feelings behind 'Her Time Has Come'

Igor: - Hmmm. I want to answer that for you but I’m not sure how. They are all my babies and I love them dearly. Some represent a milestone for me in terms of accomplishing new feats, but I don’t recall that there was one that stood out above the others. Many stood out to me that I liked, and I even asked friends to weigh in one what they felt people should see. Sometimes others choose pictures that I don’t and sometimes it surprises me what moves people. When I did the pictorial story with Mandy, there were several shots up against the glass that I thought were so hot, but somehow it was #7, the shot of her riding me on the bed that got so many comments and faves.

 
The exhibit barely covers the vaste production of erotic shoots by Igor, here in the 'Room Service' with Mandy

People loved it. A similar phenomenon happened with the sequel to The Naked Bartender. After the series finished, I did something I had never done by posting a few choice outtakes that just never made it to the final set. One shot so moved people that it possibly has more faves and views than any in the original set. I was shocked. Perhaps I made an error in judgement on that one.


Igor works magic with Partee in the sequel of'The Naked bartender'featured in the gallery and in the previous interview

- In general, how did you pick the photos for your gallery show? Do you think your artistic endeavours shown at Katmee's have a recurring theme, a mood? And going through your collection to pick, did you get a feeling that you have evolved as a photographer?

Igor: - Well we sort of already started down that road, now didn’t we? Maybe after a couple of years I won’t feel like they change so quickly, but for now, I feel like I take huge leaps every week, so much of it was the most recent pictures. I’m not sure about a recurring theme. I have some friends who are not fans of the majority of my work. They would just broad swipe it all as porn, smut, filth, etc. (laughs) I did get a feeling that I had grown. Looking back now, just two months later, I think I could pick fourteen new shots done since then that would represent even further development in my work.

 
Brea tickling your imagination on her 'Tickle Trunk'

Brea: - Most of my photos i would have loved to display because every single image is special to me. I think I have close to 700 pics so poor Igor (who has an amazing exhibit on the ground floor of the same building) may have been overwhelmed if Katmee gave me free license to fill the sim with my favs lol. I definitely see an improvement from when I first started but that goes part and parcel with everyone in our community, the level of talent and creativity that everyone displays on a daily basis in the Groups is truly inspiring and amazing. I'm just one of many to be evolving in the photography world of sl :)


Igor 'Working Overtime' to bring you another hot set, and story. Featuring Apryl Twist

- Also on the sim, there's the exhibit of Laura Richards, whose work you are very familiar with. She explored in the past the relationship between 'porn' and 'erotica'. I am asking you not just what do you personally consider the difference between the two, but also, do you have sometimes to deal with the involvement in 'pornography' being a stigma? Have you refrained from putting something in particular in this gallery because 'porn and not art' ?

Brea: - Laura Demonista is a true creative genius in every respect, I only wish I could have the foresight and imagination that she has but I can only be myself and express myself in my own fashion, I adore her for all shes given to the community . My approach to Photography is simple , sex is an art form in itself, whether during the act or while capturing the act in photos it is an art, a form of expression in its most intimate and collective meaning. I always try to make my photos classy and appealing to all demographics, but you will never see me post a simple unprepared shot on flickr just because I want to appeal to the masses , everything has to be an expression of a moment in time, a feeling, or a memorable experience. 


Brea with 'My Dark Angel' watching over her (oogling her butt, I believe)

Porn doesnt exist to me, I find the word to be more associative of dirty messy sex and for me there is no such thing. All forms of sex are beautiful be it film or photos all my work is aimed at being realistic and beautiful in every aspect. To me that's the meaning of erotica.


Brea inviting you to 'Make me do anything you want'. Tempting offer! ( I heard that anal is an extra, tho. )

Igor: - We use labels for so many things. Labels are great for helping us quickly identify something we need when shopping. They help us define what we are and do here as well. Labels also have the unintended consequence of ruling out what we really could be all along. Not everything falls nicely under a simple heading. Is this sensual? Erotic? Pornographic? Does labeling it as pornographic cause one to miss a sensual element or erotic twist? Others will always label me. I guess I try to refrain from that because I know it may change at some point.

 
Igor in 'I got 99 Problems....'. Obviously having a flabby ass is not one of them!

As far as the stigma goes, soon after I published a photo set or two of sexual activity, I was informed by a couple of fashion models that I had met that said they weren’t interested in having me shoot them, even though I could point them to other types of sessions I had done, such as glamour photography. I have never intended for these models to engage in erotic pictorials, but they were obviously concerned, likely for their clothing clients. To be quite honest, it did hurt. I was still new to Flickr and attempting to network the best I could. But the wonderful thing I want to focus on is the warm reception I have received from new friends, some of whom have modeled for me.

 
Igor in 'Solitude'. Aww.

I feel quite fortunate to have worked with the ladies that I have worked with. I recently looked back on a list I created about six months ago of people I had wanted to work with, and I do say that that particular list has almost been completed. Most have been wonderful experiences and a number of them have become good friends who I talk with on a regular basis. While I endeavor to make them look as amazing as possible when the job is complete, it would be downright wrong not to admit to how good they really make me look.


Igor has collaborated and featured Laura Demonista many times. Here's a candid shoot of her from the DS spring party 

- Are you a creative person in your RL too? When you close SL, do you think a lot about what you could make in SL? Any source of inspiration in particular ?

Brea: - Music and thought are my primary focuses outside of SL . My love of Trance and vocal trance music helps to clear my mind and thought process and open it up to creativity. Vocal trance is pure and beautiful , you will never have a negative thought while listening to Tiesto or Armen Van Buren or David Guetta. And in a way that is therapy to me and allows me to be creative and thoughtful in my passion for Photography.


Brea playing 'La Viola'. If all you hear are cat screeches, that is....probably normal?

Igor: - Well, in RL I am involved in both the Arts and business. I grew up devouring music, movies, and all sorts of art. I “wasted” all of my elective classes as far back as secondary school on arts related subjects. Unfortunately I don’t always stop thinking about Second Life when the viewer closes, sometimes to my own detriment. I also find myself caring about the people I know as well from it. It isn’t just a game now, is it?

- What is the next artistic challenge you are going to embark on? Can be something you have not done yet but you really would like to do, or just a particular photo/theme you are eager to explore.


Brea having 'Cocktails Poolside'. I know, many of you just wanted me to stop at the K. Another photo, ok?

Brea: - Since learning photography day by day and getting to understand more about textures in photoshop, I would love to develop my own makeup line for SL. or possibly a clothing line but right now i focus my attention on my career in the SL Adult industry and escorting. Perhaps i will realize that dream one day soon though. As of right now im swamped with work and clients and it wouldn,t be fair to anyone to try to take on a new project :)

Igor: - Oh gosh. I’m not sure what to say on that. I think people can expect to see some new things by me in Aroused, coming soon. Other than that, I can’t quite say.



To end the post, a suggestive shot from 'Quantly English' exhibit @ Katme's,  non porn, but still very much Laura!

Huge thanks to both Brea (her flickr) and Igor (his flickr) for the patience and avalaibility through their busy schedule. They already had to suffer through this once, and you can read previous interviews for this blog here and here. Enjoy your visit to the exhibit, and express your appreciation to Katmee, for once more giving SL artists a space to express their creativity. I do enjoy letting the artists speak about their craft, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and choosing what to put on display is one of the most interesting and authentic forms of communication. In a way, it's what we do all the time in SL!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Coconut%20Island/97/38/38

The Pornstars' Rack: Nice Coconuts!

Boobs! Yes, just catching your attention as I cover the currently avalaible issue of...

BUSTed Magazine



We are barely one week and one major holiday away from a new smashing issue of Busted, so you have to rush to get your copy of the March issue in case you haven't. I am not saying this because of a HUGE bias having my beloved and sexy as f*ck partner Marika Blaisdale on it, of COURSE...

Buuuuuut anyway, you will LOVE Marika, in a full spread by Sol Walker!

...in fact this issue is full as ever of sexy, Sexiest® Pornstars, in a series of quite surprising photoshoots, with their unique takes on the 'Night at the movies' theme, from the cover girl Akira Kira, to the delectable Terri Topliss, not to mention the resourceful Selina Anatra, a protagonist of the busty community with the release of her own brand of mesh body.

Terri is a Ginger Sonja in this issue! She has dangerous weapons, I tell you...

Shooting them, the talented duo of Rachel Swallows and Bewitched Difference, who issue after issue have been constantly surprised the readers with their whimsical shoots. Their ability to stage the model's grandiose appearance in every different themed photoset is as usual uncanny. And the part of the magazine not devoted to the individual models (and oh so many have applied and have been put on display in these pages) is an even bigger surprise and always full of informations.


And the models are grateful! (tribute photo by Akira Kira)

This issue for instance, has the dynamic duo reporting from two fashion events Be has been blogging for and you can still visit, and one that Rachel was a sim builder for. With all the attention that magazines from the 'porn' scene give to the world of fashion, Busted has always had as its forte.

Selina Anatra showing off her creations, in a nice interview by Rachel

What stands out the most to me, besides again the memorable photography by all the staff and the characteristic, imaginative editorial fingerprint of this four-hands work, is the beautiful work done featuring Katmee's Coconut Island, a sim very dear to our Pornstars group members, currently hosting exhibits by Brea Brianna, Igor Romanov, Laura Demonista, and much more, having hosted in the past exhibits by Rachel herself, Graham Collinson, Domino Dupre, Marika Blaisdale, Rachel Avro, Tatiana Easterwood, Drakaina Lamia, and more. 

Be and Rachel did a wonderful job, and we'll talk about this sim again soon.

Meanwhile, go get Busted! Subscribe to their kiosks if you haven't yet, at Rachel's store or in many other in-world locations.... or get the issue from Marketplace! . A quality publication with a glorious history, and a long one not just for SL standards, you gotta check it out yourself and see what's the buzz about.

And tell me more about your magazines and projects, so we can work out a post and show it proudly here!

The Pornstars' Rack: Yes, Magazines!

With the new batch of December magazines coming out, from another excellent edition of Busted to the latest biggest and bestest issue of SL Connoisseur to date, it's just about time that I blog from the end of November a bit of ....

Aroused! Magazine



Where do I begin? Aroused! is a very self-explanatory magazine: we don't really want to give our readers some, uh, actual reading to do - although I do get the odd request for interviews now and then -, but rather a well produced publication about SL photography, featuring talents who are eager to get their work out there, and with very few limits about the explicitness of the content. What's on this issue? Well...

I forced my partner Marika Blaisdale to work extra in this issue: not just because she had to come up with something smart and slick looking for the table of content layout and all the other little touches that give the magazine its professional - yes, if I may say so myself !- look...

...but also she finally comes back showing her photography on her own magazine! As much as I have enjoyed the past couple of issues, I think they were missing some of her charming photography, and the models she brings here are very different from one another, but both no strangers for sure to the world of porn. We are talking about the bodaceous Janna Sugarbeet and the lovely Terri Topliss, of course.

No models were harmed during the making of this issue 

Besides the happy welcome for Marika's photography, I literally don't know where to start to talk about this issue - it's the trouble of trying to blog something I am so close to: everything about this issue excited me and there's so much about it I'd love to share.
I am certainly excited as always about 'new blood' to the magazine, and Katmee brought us one of those shoots you can see only in Aroused. And what about Rachel Avro? I often joke about her sneaking her way in every magazine one way or another, but I am truly happy of the way she chose to appear in Aroused this issue, with a photo set of another stunning model who gets around quite a bit: the lovely Partee. You have seen a lot of it already in the daily galleries!

'Extended' version of the opening pic of Katmee and Roxie's set. A great debut for Katmee in Aroused!

But as I had the chance to mention in my foreword in the magazine itself, I am really delighted and thankful for all the contributions from the staffers, new and old.
Thankful to Sandra Palletier, who provides to the magazine prime quality shoots: her 'A cafe in Kairos' is a pleasure for the eyes and has all the distinct features of a Sandra photoshoot, with its dark and decadent atmosphere: a pure t-girl sex and bondage affair!
And delighted to see Sasquatch Rhino back in magazine form: you notice from his flickr and his "Make me pose" project how he has time and energy for pictures again, and his 2 sets for the magazine are so different in tone. Which one is your favourite? The sex interlude with Nisha Storm? The erotic-filled pin-ups of Ali Fox? That's why I love having the luck of being the editor of a magazine like Aroused.

Sas' 'Dirty toilet' set with Nisha.  A spin-off of the shower series, I guess!

I had a few 'doubles' in this issue, in fact, and I loved it. Adele Simondsen is a dream model, but she has also been a dream of a magazine photographer for me in her tenure with the magazine so far. You have to love her choice of models here. You might not know 'Casi' (although the sexy Stacia knows something about her!) but Ali Lancrae needs no introduction, right?

 

Melina Jameson did not bring two photoshoots, but she worked like a small army, and a small army of models she brought over for her pictures, featuring in her pics nearly more models than all the other photographers combined! Arienne Evangeline (Eonya), Ashlynn Jameson, Carter Holloway, Kei Frequency, Laredo Lowtide, Mandylovsyou, Margarita Blanco, Marika Blaisdale's partner, Melina Jameson, mrs. Scarlet F. (scarletfreedomofficial), River Oryl(Nadia Diker), Parthenea, and I believe, also the kitchen sink!

Margie Blanco and Laredo Lowtide are part of Melina's photoset, with a certain fetish of hers as focus...

I went a bit long and I try not to make these magazine posts long, I promise i'll make the next Aroused one shorter. But I left for last the contribution by Nicasio Ansar: not only he shot the person who ended up being the covergirl for the issue, that Carla Draesia that you'll see soon again on these pages...err, posts, since she just completed a milestone in her porn career.... But also, brought to the magazine one of those photoshoots that really warm my heart, in many ways.

In his irritating modesty he says that it's 99% the model's credit, and truly Kei Frequency is a fantastic model who brings a lot to a photoshoot: she knows a lot about photography, and surely knows darn well how to look awesome. Still, this "Examples of snowflake classification" photoshoot is such a strange, inspired, artistic, erotic concept, translated in such finely composed and purely beautiful images, that I think mr. Ansar deserves a lot of praise.

"When you start with a silly idea like shibari snowflakes you have to make up for it elsewhere" - Confucius

Ah, yes. All this thing here is avalaible on Marketplace for free. Also you can find it online on Issuu. Thank you!

Let me know about your projects, and I'll blog them. I promise!

Exhibitionists: Marika Blaisdale and Rachel Swallows @ Katmee's !

We have highlithed in the past the exhibits held at Katmee's Gallery, with great pleasure. Her photography-friendly sim is a perfect stop for you guys waiting for inspiration or simply a well equipped , adult themed spot for your pics. And she showed a real nose for talent giving room for the first exhibit of the talented Domino Dupre alongisde Graham Collinson's expertise, with the bright prospects Lil Lowey and Drakaina Lamia, and with a very special showing by Laura Demonista.



This time it's about two great photographers from our community. Both magazine owners, both....ah come on. You know them both and if I list all the stuff they do with your day, this article will never begin. It's Marika Blaisdale and Rachel Swallows. And here's what they have to say, because of course I'd interview them!



- Have you held an in-wold exhibition before, and how did you feel when Katmee asked you to have your artwork on display at her place?

Rachel: - I have only really displayed my work before in my own stores occasionally, I have never had a real *exhibition* before, so I was very excited when Katmee asked me.

Marika: - No, I have not, this is first time in my life my photographies are being featured at exhibition. I felt, and still do, happy and proud for being noticed and asked. Very flattering feeling and a great honour - so I wanna say thanks again to Katmee for that.

- Tell us a bit about the exhibition itself: what are we gonna see at the gallery? Tell me a bit about the nature of the pictures on display.

Marika: - It is simply a selection of my photographies made like one-two months ago, mix of erotic and porn stuff. It's all have been already featured in my flickr before, there's nothing unseen, however I think it's a pretty nice review of what I do every day as photographer.



Rachel: - The pictures were initially just an experiment, I was exploring the use of materials on abstract mesh builds, I found the contrast of light and shadows fascinating and decided to combine the abstract pieces I made with what I know best, erotic nudes. So I basically started grabbing my friends and taking photos of them with the pieces. The photographs in the gallery are the best, I think, of that experiment.

- This can be such a complicated question, I know, but... do you consider yourself an 'artist'? Would you name someone, completely off the top of your head, that you consider a true 'artist' in SL ?

Marika: - I don't find myself an artist, probably because of my natural lowliness. It's not that I do not value what I create, I just don't think it's so exceptional. It's also about creation process: I got initial idea and final "product" - as someone who made it from scratch I know what limitations I had to give up to and how it differs from what I wanted to achieve. There are many people who make amazing creations in SL, in many areas: photographies, movies, designing clothes, building structures. I don't wanna bring up names, as someone who doesn't consider myself an artist, I don't feel obligated to judge others.




Rachel: - I don't consider myself an *artist* more of a, how shall I say, a fiddler with stuff. I like messing about with different mediums, sometimes I come up with something great, other times I fill my trash can up. I love exploring art installations in SL, thats how I spend a lot of my time off, so I would have to say of the top of my head Storm Septimus who I interviewed and featured in this month's Busted Magazine.

- Are you a creative person in your RL too? When you close SL, do you think a lot about what you could make in SL? Any source of inspiration in particular (photos you see, tunes, dreams, own drawings....) ?

Rachel: - *Laughs* Yes sadly SL is never far from my mind even when I am not online, I'm either thinking about something I am designing for the store, or what I have to do for the next Busted or I am thinking of crazy ideas for my next shoot or build. A lot of what i do really does just come from my own mind, though I do draw a lot on books I have read or places I have visited. I do paint and do some photography in rl though not so much nowadays.

Marika: - I think I am, but it's not the same way of being creative as in SL - honestly, I've never been thinking of that. I think about such things quite lot when I am out of SL, but I am not type of person who makes detailed plans, so I'd call thouse thoughts some sparkles rather than long, deep thinking. I see things around me, hear music, watch people and some of these views bring inspiration up, I try to keep them in memory till the moment I am here again.

- What is the next artistic challenge you are going to embark on?

Marika: - The "artistic" challenges... Finish a porn movie I have in mind and started recording, but never have time/inspiration to work on it - that's definitely zero art plan. In fact, I got many ideas in my mind, but it's always most difficult to make first step, so all I can advice is to keep eye on what I bring up time to time, I definitely have not said last word yet in so called "art" world.



Rachel: - At the moment I am working on increasing my skills in photoshop, I am entirely self taught on it, though boy do I wish I had had lessons, its taken my 4 yrs so far to get as far as I have and its been a long road, laughs. Ive been working on some photos that I have been calling Erotic Muses, where I have taken green screen shots of friends then used lots of layers and effects in photoshop to create the finished pictures.



An example from Rachel's 'Erotic Muses' series, featuring also Marika

- If you could choose to be the absolute top at something you do but give up on everything else because your time spreads too thin, what would you choose? Try to avoid a cop-out answer and pick it...We know you are a reinassance genius who can do practically everything you set your mind to....But I am asking you to make a choice!

Rachel: - Haha well thanks for the compliment but as I always say, I am more a jack of all trades and a master of none, I would like to say if I had to give up everything I would just like to drop my businesses and just explore second life without lagging, but since I would be bored after a week of that, I would have to say I couldn't give up my photography, I might not be a master at it like Tati or Skip and others, but I enjoy it very much and first and foremost I do it because I get pleasure out of it, not to have fans so to speak.

Marika: - I could drop making pics for being model others want to have in many productions.



Marika's latest contribution to a mainstream fashion publication, in Versus Magazine

Thank you so much to both Rachel and Marika for answering!
The exhibit is a fantastic display. I admit I have an obvious weakness for the artwork of my partner Marika. She has a wonderful erotic imagination and her style would land her, rightfully so, a place in any RL gallery that accepts erotic submissions....not sure of course if you could find in RL a transgenderl model more beautiful and intriguing than she is, of course. She worked magic with me , anyway.



But I also was pleasantly surprised to see Rachel's exhibit here. As she said in her answer, she had already something like this planned ,and her display is truly a fascinating one, as it combines her scintillating photography with something way more exotic and abstract like sculptures. Unique, challenging, definitely deserving attention and perhaps a full installment in-world complete with the 'props': again, her own original creation, which is remarkable.

Visit the exhibit, which has a (late:p) opening party tonight Novemeber 3rd at 12 PM SLT. The pics are going to be up till the 15th of the month, but don't wait too long !

Exhibitionists : Laura Demonista @ Xaara. And Katmee's. And...

I had a chance very recently to chat with the artist known as Laura Audebarn aka Laura Demonista when I mentioned her great exhibition of original work in the post about Katmee's Gallery. (it's not too late to join the contest there, by the way! Please check the rules out).

On that occasion, I mentioned also that there were other places where you have the chance to admire Laura's photography in world, one being Laura's own gallery at Xaara. . A themed exhibition aptly titled ...



Laura is never at loss for words and is a perennial source of quotables, so it was just natural for me to ask her more about it. Enjoy!

- What was your inspiration orchestrating (ha, see what i did there?) the photoset?

" I am actually quite a musical person and have often produced images to do with music, most often the piano or guitar. I had the idea for a set in mind a long time ago. I have my own gallery that I decided to use for complete series of work so I often have to come with ideas for a new series in order to fill it. And what better than an orchestra? So many instruments to choose from. The idea of the reflection came later though. I created the violin image with the reflection and thought it looked good enough to carry on the theme with the others."



- These photos were taken in a relatively short timespan, according to the dates on flickr. I am sure so many of our readers are marveled by your celerity as much as by the quality of the photos: how long did it take for you to do each photo? What is the biggest challenge in a photo for you, the pose, getting the right look for the set, the editing?

" As you know, I am like a machine. The idea for the picture comes to me and it has to be done right NOW! And once I decide on a series, its almost like a race to get it completed....but still trying to keep the quality high, of course. Usually, the idea for the next picture and the one after that is formed in my mind while still doing the first one. It's a continuous stream.



The average time for a picture is about one hour. From making the pose, building the set to the final processing and editing. I always try to do as much as possible within SL so I have little to do out of it. I really am not good at the photo editing stuff. That is my biggest challenge, generally speaking. Sometimes I envision a pose that is just too difficult to achieve in SL. Sometimes I want a scene that SL cannot manage. The challenge is often different but I still say the editing and processing is the hardest part for me."



- Do you have one favourite photo in the set? One that makes you go "Hmm! Maybe I am pretty good after all!" above any else, or just stands out in your memory for some reason, and tell us why.

" It is very hard for me to choose a favourite picture from a set. And when I do choose one, it usually changes within five minutes. My favourite two from this set, though, are Love Is Like A VIolin because there is so much emotion in the face and Pianissimo because its so gracefully beautiful...and I play the piano."

- If you have a raw version of it, I'd really enjoy if you could let me post it, and do a little before/after paragraph. Meaning you'd tell me a bit about your edit work, what you did to the photo, etc.

"As I said, I try to do as much as possible in SL. On this series, the refelctions were added later using GImp to create them. Most of the time, my work out of SL is smoothing edges, adjusting lights and sometimes softening the image. SL can be quite harsh at times"

- I already mentioned your display at Katmee's gallery. Now this. Am I missing other places where we can see inworld your artwork currently, and do you have already your next potential exhibit planned?

I also have a huge gallery at Austin, set in a fairy tale castle. And I sort of have it planned but I am uncertain. I have been doing a series of really charming non-erotic pictures that I think deserve to be seen. I am not sure if they should be seen in my gallery though. It is, after all, an erotic gallery."



A vintage G-String quartet pic by Laura. You'll find a different version of it in 'Orchestrated', of course!

- And finally, a look back at your previous exhibit, 'Borderline' : what were the results, and what sort of conclusion you draw from it, if any?

" I think I may have said that was really an experiment and I found it really interesting. The results were rather telling and a bit odd at times. It seems cum on the face is porn, cum on the bottom is erotic and cum on the breasts is both!

But the real conclusion, as shown by the votes I received, is that the line between porn and erotica is nowhere near as clear as many people thought. And I had people saying to me that they are less certain of what makes porn and what makes erotica now. Most pictures received equal votes for both porn and erotica.



I will let you draw your own conclusions from that. My conclusion is that porn is art :) "

And on that note, I think there's no better possible finale for this post. Thank you so very much to Laura for her kindess, and you are welcome to check out her in-world exhibits and Flickr stream, and give her feedback about her award-winning work!