Fractal Art

Fractals are basically photographs of mathematical equations that have been manipulated and colored by the artist.

With that simple statement, maybe a little more detail is required. From the early 1950s to the mid 1980s Benoit Mandlebrot, a Franco-American mathematician, discovered, refined and made popular the mathematics of fractal geometry. His contention was that there is a rhyme and reason behind seemingly chaotic forms of nature such as the shape of a cloud or the ruggedness of a coastline. Since the 1980s, other mathematicians, scientists, as well as artists have become interested in the possibilities that fractals and fractal mathematics offer. Fractal geometry has been applied to weather, the stock market, the structure of the human body, and art and music. Computer programmers have created powerful programs to allow anyone with an interest to explore this fascinating world. Many of these programs are free or nearly so, and software exists for both the pc and the mac platforms.

Fractal art as a new medium is changing rapidly and not without growing pains. Many in the small fractal world disagree on where fractal art should go and perhaps this is good. Without differing opinions, fractal art might stagnate where it is. I like a lot of different styles of art for different reasons, but I look at and judge all artwork using the same set of criteria. I personally look at art through the lens of design principles and the standard elements of art. Using form, color, space, rhythm, pattern, for example, as ways to describe and critique all art, I find that I better understand what is at first glance not familiar to me.

I create my art in Ultra Fractal, a powerful program that allows for layering, transparencies and merge modes. It has many of the features that a Photoshop user would be familiar with. Although my work is made on a computer with a program (in fact, without a computer, fractals as we know them would not exist), it takes knowledge, skill and a creative sensibility to make art out of a mathematical equation. I’ve used other programs, but find that Ultra Fractal has the features that contribute the most to the way I like to work.

I’ve included links on my Resource page to fractal related websites and information if you are interested in researching further.