Hello there – I am the author of Charisma and the creator of Laurna Fairlady.
My real name isn’t important right now; maybe I’ll share that at a later date. (I know, I am so mysterious, aren’t I?)
I will share a little bit about myself, though. I’m a professional artist from the United States and I have my own painting studio. I taught studio courses at the university level for several years, including a great deal of advanced figure drawing.
I have also taught numerous Art History classes, with a special interest in Italian Renaissance, Modernism and Outsider Art. I happily left academia a few years ago and I’m simply exploring and doing what I enjoy now.
I joined Second Life in 2008 at the invitation of a friend who was very enthusiastic about it. My fascination for the virtual world grew slowly at first — however, the day I realized I could make my avatar fly and see everything from a bird’s-eye-view, I was completely hooked. My little artist’s mind was blown away from getting to explore that new perspective any time I wanted. High in the sky views even started to make appearances in my easel paintings. Second Life began enhancing my art work greatly.
So why am I starting to blog virtual fashion? Well, I was craving a fresh creative outlet and this seems to be the perfect fit. I enjoy making beautiful and interesting images that experiment with color, light, line, shape, texture, scale — all of the elements of traditional art. And when I find the right poses and facial expressions, Laurna springs to life in amazing ways. I love that so much!
Yes, it can be silly and fun and somewhat like dressing a Barbie doll, but it is also a very valid art form, in my opinion. I am learning so much while I am composing each image — it excites me to think of how I can continue to incorporate new things and push past my boundaries.
I sincerely hope you enjoy what I share here and I invite you to come back often to see what I’m up to. And please feel free to comment or offer suggestions, too.
I’m always open to learning more.
Charisma 