This week I have decided to incorporate a mini interview and feature into my normal features. I will be choosing various artist’s I have not interviewed before from different genres…so, you could be the next one to be EXPOSED! This week I am including various prints which have under 50 s.

**Please note that all the features have under 50 s, and I am also featuring some of our emoticon artist’s as well as prints. Also, if you are one of the artists I have featured in this article, please put one of the stampies below in your journal to spread the word around. As a many of my friends will tell you, I love to EXPOSE everyone! ss

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THIS WEEKS FEATURES


SPOTLIGHTED ARTIST OF THE WEEK
1arcticfox Gallery--->[link]
This artist is very versatile. She has done a wide variety of different fractals, and she also does photography. If you have not had an opportunity to visit her gallery, you are definitely missing out!

Where do you find your inspiration?
I had to think long and hard about this question. I would have to say that my inspiration comes from many different sources, but the main source is the driving passion that comes from within to create – it’s always been there. Another source of inspiration is anything emotional. I can look at the beauty in nature all around me and be inspired to create a work of art, or a poem. Sometimes painful situations inspire me and I will pour all of the emotions into my work. Looking at other art inspires me – it is like the spark that starts a fire. Seeing a particular object can inspire me. One time I saw this shocking chartreuse neon sweater and it inspired me to write one of my best poems. (someday I’ll share it here and tell the story)


How long does it take to create a fractal
It really varies, depending on the program I use. However, I am a tweaker and play and tinker with an image for hours, most of the time. It’s very rare for me to turn out an image in a few minutes, particularly in Apophysis. I’ve literally spent days, developing my Jelly series and my Dreamcatcher series, which resulted from a random fractal in which I deleted and added triangles, and then moved them for hours. Each new fractal in the two series can take an entire day to develop.


What programs do you find useful in making your creations?
For fractals, I use mostly Apophysis, which I love! It’s capable of generating such a wide variety of fractals, especially nature-like fractals. I also use Fractal Explorer, which is more difficult for me, because of requiring more hand movements on my laptop. I use FraxPlorer because it is capable of creating the wonderful, “flowing” leaf-like images which I love. Although there are less adjustments and tweaking in this program, it’s quite a challenge to come up with a unique quality image in it.


What other genres are you involved with?
I’ve been pretty much a “jack of all trades”, when it comes to art. I’ve worked with watercolors, fashion design, advertising art, graphic art, interior design, leather tooling, jewelry making/design, photography and poetry. I had my own business for 10 years, designing and making jewelry and only stopped when I developed severe carpal tunnel. I’ve always had a love of nature so I’m doing more photos now to give my arm a break from computer work. If it has anything to do with art – I’ll try it!


What advice do you have for new deviants?
The first and most important thing I’d say is to develop your own style. It’s fine to try to accomplish someone’s type of work in order to perfect the technique, but do not spend time copying someone else’s style no matter how much you like it. Think about what your likes are. What are your passions? Are they color, black/white, shape/form, abstract things, geometric arrangement, beauty, dramatic presentation, soft/calming things? You will always be the best at what you love. My passions are color and beauty and are reflected in most of my work. The other thing is time – something most of us have little of. Doing anything over and over will make you better at it – it is no different in art. Spend as much time as you can, learning the tools of your art and perfecting your technique and your piece of art. Don’t be satisfied with the “first thing out of the box”!

Here are just a few wonders I have selected from her gallery.