Hello to everyone at =Apophysis and the rest of the fractal community!


We had a little idea to recap the past year in fractals and after a few weeks of getting our picks together, the staff at =Apophysis have come up with their picks for "Fractal of the Year: 2008"


^cmptrwhz's pick:



The Artifact by *kuzy62

"Everything is crisp and well-defined. It really does look like I should be able to actually touch it and feel all the texture. I imagine this piece to be in a treasure chest on a deserted island some wheres."


=pantherwitch4982's pick:



Fire in the Sky by *abenoking

"This is one of the best fractals I've seen since I have started working with the programs myself. The colors and lighting effects along with the textures *abenoking worked into the fractal make your eye wander down and down to see if you can find more. In a way it reminds me of a deck of playing cards that have been made into a neat spiral house."


=CoRayBee's pick:



Ladies of Gnarl by *AmorinaAshton

"Ladies of Gnarl" by *AmorinaAshton is otherwise known as "The Fractal I Can't Stop Looking At." I realize that choosing this fractal as my favourite for 2008 may seem a bit like overkill to some of you in light of the fact that it recently received a DD, but there's a reason why I suggested it as a DD in the first place. I am admittedly a huge fan of gnarls and all the quirky variations but this fractal takes the 'gnarl' to a whole new level of quirky. It is a fractal, yes, but it has a strong abstract expressionist feel to it as well. Original and beautiful."


`Phoenix-22's pick:



City on Fire by ^Platinus

"When we look back at 2008 in terms of fractals, one thing comes to mind: plugins. This is one of the earlier images utilizing some of the many plugins that exist now and you can see just what a profound impact these extra variations can do in the hands of a talented artist. Incredible depth, a beautiful textural pattern, and an amazing blotchy gradient to finish it off."


=ba8y6irl's pick:



Starfishing by =Colliemom

"Colliemom’s Starfishing is my pick for fractal of the year 2008. This fractal not only embodies the artfulness of Apophysis, but the creativeness of my dear friend Lorrie. I love how this fractal represents the ocean, almost as if this was a picture taken under the sea. Lorrie stepped out of her minimalist comfort zone, and began to create beautifully deep fractals like this one, and I am proud to have this fractal on my tea mug here at work. Thanks Lorrie for creating such amazing fractals!!"