So, this is my first "news" submission and giant, daunting feature! (This is what comes of finally having the Internet at home.)

I thought I would chime in on the topic of fractal art as well as feature some works by fractal artists and friends whom I watch on dA.

The big, ongoing question seems to be, Is fractal art really art? I guess you could call me a "fractal artist," although I consider myself an artist. Like many artistic, creative people, I don't do just one thing. I take pictures; I write; I "fractalate" (my BF's term); I do photomanipulations in PS7; I draw; I paint. Three of those things - digital photography, fractals and Photoshop - are digital art, which I think is the real issue. Because it isn't a canvas and a brush and paints, or paper and lead pencils or pastels, does it mean it isn't art?

I think that, when you first pick up any digital media, at first it isn't so much art because you haven't learned the skill yet. If you open up a photo in Photoshop and apply a filter, and those two things are all you do, then IMO it isn't art. But not simply because Photoshop essentially "did the work for you." When you have a few years of practice and tutorials in Photoshop and you know what you want and what to do to produce it, then you're doing the work.

I think the same thing applies to photography. If you point a good camera at a good subject and click the shutter, you're going to be hard-pressed not to come up with a good image. (Substitute the word "good" with any other adjective and it still works.) But once you study photography for a while, read about it, take a few thousand pictures, look at other photographers' work, you start to develop your own style, and what you are producing at that point is art.

It's the same with fractal programs, like Ultra Fractal or Apophysis - which is what I work in. Well, half-work, half-play. I downloaded it for free at Sourceforge.net, did a couple quick online tutorials to get started, and started making and posting fractals. At first it was just clicking and seeing the results, clicking some more, seeing the results, and then saving and rendering when I had something I liked. The program did the work for me and I was pretty much along for the ride. But, over the years, I've learned my way around Apophysis and gotten comfortable with it. I still don't make fractals from scratch, which some people do, but I exercise enough control over what I am doing to feel that it's mine. Consciously or not, I have developed my own style, and if you look through my or anyone else's fractal gallery, you will get a sense of it right away. Some people's fractals are all about subtly and texture. Some are wild and bold. Some are very organic-feeling, while others have a sci-fi edge to them. Like any medium, every artist is going to produce something uniquely their own.

Here are some of my own fractals. My personal style ranges from dense and textured, to blurred but with a sharp edge, and I am working on making fractals that don't feel like traditional fractals.


Here is a small selection of fractals from just a few of the many, many talented fractal artists you will find on dA (really hard to pick just a few!!). Notice how each artist's style really shines through.






























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