Juliet Tairov

This week we are meeting a special lady that is a model, designer, business professional, and instructor.  Pull up a chair and let's get to know Jules Tairov.



Tell us about Juliet Tairov (Juliet Belgar) ... who is she and what is she like?

Well there are many characteristics of Juliet. She is a friend, wife, business partner and an entrepreneur. I am very passionate about SL fashion and providing opportunities. During my time in SL, I have been part of several start-ups or collaborations. I am also fascinated by people’s creations and how people use SL platform to flourish their skills. Some vital qualities friends would say about me is that I can be pretty a candid, quiet and reserve.  But on a laughing note, I carry myself as a princess, according to my friends. Additionally, I am terrible at local chat according my husband Garik Tairov.

What brought you to SL, Jules?

A friend of mine who was on another chat platform introduced me to SL in 2007. She told me about SL and I was never exposed to a virtual world before or collaborating with people in this type of environment. So I took the opportunity and have been on SL since 2007.

You're current profile photo is by Louflor Moo, do you work with her often?
Louflor Moo is one of SL's top photographers. She is the only one who does my profile pictures and important modeling photos. 

You're co-owner of meshTheory with Risa, how did that venture begin?

Honestly, by force (giggles). Risa is an exceptional designer for SL children’s clothing and graphic artist. We met from a funny situation and became great friends. Nonetheless, with my modeling background and her design clothing, we both knew we wanted to explore mesh adult clothing. Through much collaboration and pressure I put on her, she could not resist me. (Laughs)

In all sincerity, every time you want to make any important decision such as starting an endeavor, there are two possible courses of action. You can look at the array of choices that present themselves, pick the best available option and try to make it fit. Or, you can do what the true entrepreneur does: Figure out the best imaginable opportunity and then make it available. So, we basically launched meshTheory in one day. We had the logo, store, location and ideas of designs.

Do you manage the business aspect of meshTheory?  

Yes, I have a strong background in business development, which provided me the skills to think creative about how to market meshTheory. I also have my connections in the fashion industry here in SL. My background as a model enabled me to worked with designers, artist and other entrepreneurs.

Tell us some about what the business side entails ...

The business developing entails marketing, networking and promoting of meshTheory.  I partake in many venues that provide events for the fashion industry here in SL. Furthermore, thoughtful what customer’s demands are and what areas of fashion in SL have gaps, which is men’s clothing.  

You also do some design work, Jules?

Of course, I also design the clothing along Risa. We both have different ideas and styles and are able to incorporate them together successfully. Risa does all the packaging and marketplace, so that is why mostly everything is under her name. But we collaborate on everything and make decisions as a team. Even become extremely honest when we don’t like something each other designed.

meshTheory has a presence in The 24, what can you tell us about that experience?

The 24 event, has worked okay for meshTheory, which enabled us to have some new releases and a exclusive outfit for the event.

There are many hunts in SL, does meshTheory participate in any?

We have been apart of many hunts and enjoyed them. One of my favorites has to be “The boys of Summer” because it was extremely successful for meshTheory. We welcome hunt organizers and love to get involve.

Jules, you are also a model.   How long have you been modeling?

I started modeling in 2011, and have enjoyed every opportunity.

Did you take any kind of training to work as a model?

Yes, I signed up with a school called MODA modeling School. MODA has an intense program that teaches student all aspect of modeling and how to market one self as a model. The team at MODA was amazing and provided with the essential skills to be a model.

You are part of MODA modeling school, tell us about that ... 

Yes, after I completed my schooling, I was able to apply and tryout for their Primetime Team, which is an exclusive modeling team that does runway shows. I am also an instructor for the school.

How would a person get started if he/she wanted to be a model?

There are many modeling school in SL, the trick is finding the right one that is a fit for them. Many blogs and groups can provide people information on what schools have a good reputation. It’s important to be diligent and research the right modeling schools because many claim they are modeling schools but don’t teach the student the right skills. I was perplexed by how many students were already models but didn’t learn how to walk on a runway. So they came to MODA and learned.

What do like to do in SL when besides business and modeling?

Spend my time with my loving husband Garik Tairov or at one of his DJ set.

You've started a group for mesh designers, what can you tell us about that? 

The group is called meshFashion, which is a platform for all mesh designers, users, builders and people who want to learn more about mesh. The group is also for mesh advertising if you have a store or provide services for mesh.  Best part is that the group is free and hoping it will grow.

Does meshTheory hire others as models for clothing?

Yes, we have some models on staff and also use our customer base. I love to give people the opportunity who sample modeling and get free new releases. I have also used some of the MODA models and bloggers from meshTheory blogger group.

Anything else you'd like to share with us, Jules?

I hope people enjoy meshTheory and know that we are continuously welcoming new ideas and suggestions.

What's the best way to get in contact with you?

Friend request me in SL, Facebook, or email me at belgar.juliet@gmail.com.

Thank you very much, Jules for taking time to talk with us today!  

Kristine Schomaker / Gracie Kendal

This week we have a performance artist, a curator, an instructor, a lecturer, a painter, and an art historian that we will be visiting.  Three people?  How about one fantastic lady named Kristine Schomaker (Gracie Kendal in SL)!  Welcome to The Spotlight, Kristine!

Kristine Schomaker

So tell us a little about Kristine, Gracie, and what you'd like to share with us...

Kristine is the brains of this operation. I am the beauty. No wait; she will kick my ass for saying that…LOL Kristine and Gracie are the same person. We don’t role play other characters; just wear other ‘masks’ per se from time to time.  When I speak about Kristine or Gracie, I normally use ‘I’ because that is who we are, an I.  I am a new media, performance artist and painter in both worlds. When I came to Second Life, I found it an amazing place for artists to show their work to a universal audience plus I saw the capacity for new art made entirely using the tools within Second Life. I love using the medium of Second Life for my performance art, for meeting new people, listening to my favorite singers and DJs and sharing my vision of art. I am not much of a shopper. (Shhhhh don’t tell my friends!)  I love watching people discover and share Second Life with the real world; mixing realities. Using SL with the Oculus Rift is going to be a game changer. I am so proud to be a pioneer artist among many others bringing Second Life to the real Art World. It’s scary right now, because a lot of people still don’t understand it, but we are working on that.

Gracie Kendal

What brought you to Second Life, Kristine?

My aunt and uncle actually brought me to Second Life. They came into SL in 2006 after reading about it in SPIN Magazine. They loved the idea of hearing musicians streaming concerts from their homes to people from all over the world. They met a few visual artists and thought it would be an amazing place for me to bring in my paintings. Within a week of being in Second Life I had a gallery with my paintings, a condo, the Avatar I still have today, a closet full of clothes, and well, ummm… a boyfriend…LOL.

Kristine, what's your history with the arts?

I have always loved art. Going to my grandparents I was always looking through their coffee table book of Norman Rockwell images, or admiring their faux Rembrandt hanging over their couch. My aunt and uncle collected contemporary art and I always loved visiting and looking at the brilliant color, design and patterns in the world they collected; Maxfield Parrish, Miripolsky and Mark Mothersbaugh.  My other grandparents were in construction and real estate. I wanted to be an architect from as early as I can remember. I used to go to their office and draw the plans of houses on graph paper. When I was in school, I realized how much I hated math and wasn’t very good at it. There went that dream. So I decided to take an Art History class. The professor was so inspiring and brilliant; her class made me want to continue on in the world of art. I started taking painting, drawing, color theory classes and more Art History classes. I have my Bachelors in art history and my Masters in studio art. I also had the pleasure of teaching art history at a community college for a few years. Over the last few years, with the help of Second Life, I have ventured out of my comfort zone of painting to performance art, installation and new media/digital art. It has been a really wonderful ride and I am looking forward to what the future inspires.

a scene from LEA16

Who are some of the artists that have inspired you, Kristine?

Oh gosh, there a quite a few. A major inspiration is the 2^nd Generation Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis. In 1998 my painting professor took us on a field trip to MOCA in LA for his retrospective. I stood in front of these immense colorful abstract paintings and knew that was my direction. Then I saw artists such as Gerhard Richter, Helen Frankenthaler, Pia Fries and Beatriz Milhazes. As I got more into conceptual and performance art I was totally inspired by Cindy Sherman and Yasumasa Morimura. 

Tell us about your art work in real life, Kristine, and does it tie in with your work in Second Life?

I believe my art work in Second Life is my art work in real life. Everything I do in Second Life is meant for a real world audience. I am just trying to figure out how to share it in galleries etc. Before I started Second Life, I was only painting and doing mixed media/collage work. Last year I was awarded a sim as part of the Artist in Residence program through the Linden Endowment for the Arts. I created a full sim immersive installation inspired by my paintings and mixed media work called Ce n’est pas une peinture. I wanted the viewer to get a feeling that they were floating through my colorful abstract paintings. I think it was very successful.

In real life, the painting I do cannot be translated in Second Life. It is very messy, watery and drippy. The application of pouring paint and using a blow dryer cannot be duplicated in its physicality over the computer. I hope it stays that way. With some things, the lines should not be blurred.

Kristine in My Life as an Avatar

Tell us about your project, My Life as an Avatar?

When I was working on my Master’s Degree, I showed my painting professor my work in Second Life. I showed her my avatar, the art galleries and the life I created in Second Life. She was absolutely blown away by what I was doing here. She asked me some very telling questions about my Avatar. Why did I create my avatar to look like she does; tall, thin, elegantly dressed, etc? She wanted me to explore this aspect. As I delved deeper into the psychological aspect of having an ‘ideal’ avatar, I started to see the potential for performance art.  I started comparing myself with my avatar. I took pictures of both of us every day, transformed into her and did a 9 min video and most of all, learned so much about myself and learned to accept myself for who I am rather than who I want to be. The whole project has been a life changing experience. 

There was a performance that you did, challenging society's standards of beauty, called The Bald and the Beautiful.  Tell us about this, Kristine.

One day over a year ago, I had opened up yahoo, and the first news item was about how Portia Di Rossi cut her “signature” locks. I just thought, wow, how is that news??!!! So what if a woman decides to cut her hair. I started thinking about how women are mostly seen as objects for their physical attributes. They are defined by their bodies rather than their talent, personalities, intellect, wit and character. That is normally the first thing that people see when looking at a woman. So I decided to challenge those notions of the woman as object and do a performance where I had my head shaved. There was the perfect moment when I was invited to give a talk about Second Life in a series called Artist21 at the Brewery where I live in Los Angeles. I performed a skit with a friend where we talked about body image, female sexuality, physical appearance vs. character, etc. Then she shaved my head. It was THE most liberating thing I have ever done. I was ready. Over a year later, I still wear my hair buzzed and every day I consider the question why. I still have people telling me it looks better longer or asking when I am going to grow it out. I also don’t get asked out on dates, I am thinking mostly because of my hair. Having a buzzed head has some stereotypes associated with it that I am trying to break. Anyone can have short hair.

You also did a project with 2,000 avatars.  What was the focus of this performance?

This wasn't so much a performance as a whole project/installation. After dealing with My Life as an Avatar, I wanted to pursue the idea of identity in virtual worlds. I decided to take portraits of avatars and showcase them in a huge installation. It started out with 100, then 200, then 1000 and eventually 2000 individual portraits. All of the avatars are shown from behind, because I wanted to focus on the idea of anonymity within Second Life. So many people keep Second Life separate from real life, mainly because they can. I wanted to show the diversity and the creativity that each and every one of us brings the Second Life table. I ended up publishing a 2 volume set of books featuring all 2000 portraits.

You have a blog, as well, what is the focus of your blog?

My blog is a place that I share what I am doing, or feeling or finding. Most of the time I share stories based on art that I am working on. It is mostly editorial pieces that get people thinking and asking more questions that offering answers. I talk a lot about body image, stereotypes, art and Second Life.

What can you tell us about the Linden Endowment for the Arts, Kristine?

The Linden Endowment for the Arts is an organization put together to help artists in Second Life with land and resources. They have 20 sims that they award to artists who submit proposals for unique artworks. They offer them for either 5 or 6 months.

a scene from LEA16

On August 11th, at 9:00AM Pacific (SL) time, on a sim parcel named LEA16 you started rezzing something.  What was that?

Funny, I can’t remember what the first thing I rezzed was…LOL Do you remember? LOL this was the beginning of a 5 month performance/installation called “Binge and Purge” where I am going to rez my whole inventory on an LEA sim I was awarded. Since we are only allowed 15000 prims per sim, I am rezzing a little bit of my inventory at a time every 3 weeks. When that 3 weeks is up, I will delete the sim entirely and rez 15000 more prims until my inventory is completely empty.

a scene from LEA16

What was the inspiration for Binge and Purge?

I can’t say what the exactly inspiration was. I am always conscious of consumerism and materialism. I try to live a more minimal lifestyle and don’t feel the need to own expensive stuff. I thought about reality TV and shows like Hoarders. I have an eating disorder, so I understand how people do stuff like hoard, drink, smoke and shop excessively. I eat to excess sometimes. I have learned through therapy and an eating disorder support group that it isn’t about the food but about an underlying need for something. For me it may be comfort or its filling a void. I am still working on that.  I honestly don’t have an exact answer to this question. One day, just like that, I thought, I have to purge my inventory. I have to delete everything. I know there are some deeper philosophical/theoretical concepts behind this piece of art, but I will leave that to the critics and historians.

a scene from LEA16

Now you have a few rules that you've made for yourself, what are those?

These are the rules I typed up on my blog. Of course, remember, rules are made to be broken!  







Rules of the game:

• Buy Buy Buy. I will spend the 20,000L I currently have in Second Life until it is gone. (Done)
• I will rez 15000 prims worth of ‘stuff’ from my inventory every 2-3 weeks. (Sunday morning 9am SLT/PST)
• After the 2-3 weeks, I will delete all 15000 prims. (This will include all my art, presents, furniture, houses, clothes, pictures, notecards, landmarks, calling cards, collected art, etc.) EVERYTHING.
• I will take pictures of my inventory window/the interface after each purging
• Each Binge and Purge will be documented through filming and photography.
• Everything I own in Second Life will be on this sim and eventually deleted.
• Then what?

a scene from LEA16

I had the pleasure of being there for most of the items that you rezzed on 8/11, as did Kiki Szetey and several others.  What was it like to have an audience?

It was really a lot of fun. It was nice having a sounding board. It was great hearing the comments. “I remember that.” Or “I had that when I was a newb.” Etc. Even with the embarrassing moment when I deleted the clothes Gracie was wearing, I felt it was important to have an audience. It wouldn't have been the same if I was alone.  I needed people to be there who understood, who asked questions and who supported me. Would it have been a performance if I was alone?

Overview of LEA16

So, now you have, what ... 15,000 prims rezzed at LEA16.  What will you do with these items?

On Sept 1^st, probably about 11am slt, I will delete all of those 15000 prims. They will go into my trash in my inventory where I will delete them again and they will be gone from SL never to be seen again. Well except in photos and video.

So you said that you will "empty out and delete EVERYTHING from your inventory".  Surely there will be a few items that you want to keep for sentimental reasons, yes?

Nope, everything will be gone. Notecards, calling cards, textures, landmarks, all objects, clothes, etc. I would like to say, I want to be a newb again. I want to bring back the naiveté from our SL youth, but I don’t believe that is possible. Everything is sentimental and nothing is sentimental.

a scene from LEA16

Your current performance, Binge and Purge, has been also been in Ziki Questi's blog too.  

Ziki is a great promoter and supporter of the arts in Second Life. She is a lovely friend and I am honored she wrote about the project. It is important for people to write about it. It has already brought up some controversy questioning one-of-a-kind objects in SL and what happens when they are gone etc. Writers like ZIki are important for keeping these conversations going.

What's next for you, Kristine?  Do you have other projects in the works?

I don’t really have any projects in Second Life in the works. Currently I am creating some new mixed media pieces in real life, getting my art ready to sell at an upcoming Artwalk and planning a new performance. It is going to be the bravest performance I have done yet. It will involve me being nude (in RL of course). Stay tuned into my blog for more details!

Kristine thank you very much for your time today, for letting us get to know you better, and for sharing your work with us.

Wheelerwood Oppewall

This week we have a gentleman in The Spotlight that sports a cool sense of humor, an artistic eye, a genuine humbleness, a flair to take his work seriously, and a desire to help others along the way.  Meet Wheelerwood Oppewall! 

First of all, thank you Wheeler for taking time to talk with us and participate in The Spotlight. So, tell us a little about who Wheeler is ... 
Well Wheeler is someone who doesn't take himself very serious. I try to keep out of the drama and the "Digital Junior High Mayhem" that runs very thick in here.  Yet the work I do in Second Life and in the real one I take very serious. I strongly believe that the work I do, I have an obligation to the models as well as the individuals who view the work. After all they are giving me one of life’s most important and irreplaceable commodities... They are giving me their time.


How did you get your start in SL photography, Wheeler?
I have been in Second Life in with this Avi for six years now.. I mostly shot pics just to take into Photoshop and edit them, but I really didn't do anything with them. In June of 2012 I returned to Second Life after a 15 month break and in the first week I was back I landed on Bianca Xavorin.  We struck up a conversation, she took me on a field trip to where she had some of her work up and that lit the fuse.

Tutorials - Opening and Fixing Body Lines

You have done some video tutorials for photography, is this something that you do often?
I think paying it forward is important so I started to do video tutorials because I was getting asked the same questions and it was turning into a ton of typing in world. Those who have had the experience of being in IM with me know, typing isn't my strong point. So I took the questions and made tuts on them. Video tuts, if they are made well allows the person seeking information to see how it works on the software interface and unlike a Second Life notecard, video can go pretty much anywhere now.  Currently I am in the middle of recording the video for the latest Real Life piece that I recently posted on Facebook. The tutorial will cover the entire process from the first opening to right up to posting it. It will have both video and written text with screen shots that will go along with it. After that I plan to do some tuts that are more focused on Second Life photography issues.


Are your tutorials geared towards the beginner or someone with more advanced skills?
They should have a basic understanding of layers, masking and selection tools. I try to keep them a clear as possible so new users can get information out of it and keep hair pulling out of it as much as possible.


Do you have an online gallery where we can see your work, Wheeler?

• Flicker - http://www.flickr.com/photos/84562328@N02/
• Koinup - http://www.koinup.com/wheelerwood/
• Website - http://sloppewall.wix.com/wheelerwoodoppewall
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/wheelerwood.oppewall

LA Woman

"LA Woman" is a pretty cool scene featuring an attractive lady in a cocktail dress by a police car. Is there a story behind this project, Wheeler?
I was on the morning train in RL smart phoning Koinup and looking at Meryll Panthar’s (the model in the piece) recent piece while The Doors was in the ear buds. "L.A. Woman" came on and that got the gears spinning . I IM’d Meryll and we talked about about the idea of doing the piece. Meryll who is a very, very good friend, an amazing artist in her own right, a huge influence and an absolute dream to work with. Any project we have done she leaves no stoned unturned and all I really have to do is push the button, She pulled the LM out of her grab bag and brought perfect styling to the shoot. Without her the shot would have not happened, in fact without her many of the other pieces I have done would have never happened. On the day of the shoot Second Life was being a total pain and it was a crash festival. This test is the only shot that I managed to get before Second Life became  completely un-shootable for me and the image did required some major pixel surgery to get it to the finished piece .




What about a gallery inworld? Is there a location that SL citizens can visit your work? 
I have permanent exhibits at Artist for SL and  ImagineNations Gallery.

Only in This Moment

One of your photos, titled "Only in This Moment — with Meegan Danitz", what can you tell us about this artwork?
I met Meegan, a few weeks before I and was “ I have to snap this person” I shot her a IM and after she figured out, well at least I hope she figured out that I’m not full boat nut job and she agreed to shoot. Meegan owns the music venue Rhi’s Poem, so getting our times to line up took a bit. I have a personal rule, first shoot nothing crazy and the model picks out what she wants to wear. Second Life was behaving that day and we spent a few hours, snapping, talking about life and exchanging tales from Second Life. Out of all the photos of her that I have shot this is one of my personal favorites as well. It captured a moment when a friendship was starting.

The Rose Theatre

I heard through the grapevine that The Rose Theatre Gallery will host your first show soon. Tell us about that ...
Yes that will be in September and I am very grateful to be asked to show my work there. The show will be set up in two galleries. Right now I am going in the process of selecting what will be in the show. Having my first at The Rose Theatre Gallery is not only an a wonder full opportunity , but in a way for me kind of a homecoming . The Rose Theatre has served as a backdrop for many pieces. My first formal shoot was with Bianca Xavorin in early October of 2012. During that shoot the image “Stillness” was captured and that piece was personal milestone for me. Kaylie Sabra has made this process smooth and treats you with complete kindness and respect. I am very much looking forward to the opening.

Ravens

Let's talk about another work of yours, named "Ravens". What was your inspiration for this?
This was a test shot. The day before a shoot with Cricket Palianta for the piece “Anguish” I went to the location to do lights. I pre-light everything.  Time is Money in RL . Time is lag in SL. Nothing I hate more then having a model stand around and not getting shot. I love crows and they where my “grips” on this shoot. The shot was done in flat light and most of the shadows where painted in editing.


I saw that you are a member of Artists for SL (inworld location). Tell us a little about the group.
Well I was lucky to be able to hang out and work there. Jim and Jewell are off the chart. Both of them have done so much for the art world in here, they are just great people and they make it about the artist, not them. I won the very first contest I entered there in June with the piece “Accession”.

Lexie McMasters

There's a photo that you took of the beautiful Lexie McMasters that features a powerful beach scene. Tell us a little about this photo.
Lexie showed me a photo of something she wanted done. I knew the final image was going to be done as a composite so where we shot it wasn’t an issue but I wanted to have most of the world look as flat and bleak as I could to make masking Lexi easier.  So we went to a digital desert.  Lexie popped the pose and I snapped the a few angles. In editing I masked Lexi
out with a combination of calculations, vector mask, pixel mask and alpha channel.  Now with her on a clean background plate I added a stock photo of a beach and painted the sky, the planets, did all the necessary level adjustments.

Do you use any special equipment when photographing inworld? 
I use a Lumi Pro 3 for pose control and base lighting. I also take color readings and gray scale of the scene for setting the white balance and other adjustments in Camera Raw. For this process I also open up a texture of a color chart that has RGB,CMKY, white, black and 10 - 90% grayscale the place it with in the scene and take a screen capture as well as taking
a readings with a Digital Color meter that is part of the Mac OS X to check the values of the "Highlights"," Mids" and "Shadows" of the scene prior to shooting the the master shot. That way I have a correct color reference if needed. This might come across as over kill, but spending years working as a cinematographer and a film editor in RL its just part of my normal workflow.

Kari's Spring

Kari's Spring" is very colorful and was taken with the lovely Kari Velvetleaf.  Do you and Kari work together often?
I was looking for a flower sim and I IM'd Kari. "Well I'm standing in one right now". Kari TP'd me in. I told her to hold still and got the shot.  The time zone thing and me not being in world recently has put a buzz kill on us working together. Shooting with Kari has always been a good time.  I look forward to when the planets do line up and we can shoot again.


What do you use for post-processing your photos? 
Adobe Camera Raw, Photoshop CS6, Corel Painter, and Crazy Bump 3D Texture Generator.

Inferno

"Inferno" is an interesting and intriguing compilation. What was your inspiration for this project? 
I was sim hopping. Landed... AH! frame, shot, log, Photoshop.












How would someone that wants to do a shoot get in contact with you?

Notecard or IM inworld, Website, Koinup, Flicker, or Facebook.

Wheelerwood Oppewall

What else do you like to do in SL when not taking photos, Wheeler? 
Chat with friends, explore, attend live shows, sip lag at Franks once and a while,  and wonder when Linden Labs will get their shit together.



Thank you very much for your time today, it's been a pleasure to get to know you better! 
Thank you very much Michael.