Meet the Fractal Community #19

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Fractal Art Week

Hello and welcome to a new edition of Meet the Fractal Community, a forthnightly series of interviews that highlights a member of our community. The series will go back and focus on fractal artists.

Today, let's have a closer look to aartika-fractal-art.
:iconaartika-fractal-art:




Hello aartika-fractal-art! How are you today?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

I'm well, thank you. :)


Can you introduce yourself to the community?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

Hello! :)

I’ve recently returned to DA having abandoned my old account a few years ago through disuse – my previous account was aartika. I’ve been working with fractal software on and off for about fifteen years, almost exclusively with Ultra Fractal (versions 2, 3, 4 and now 5!).

I live in the UK and am a little older than I’d like to be. ;)


How did you discover fractal art?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

When looking for a screensaver in 1999 I came across Doug Harrington's 'Amazing Seattle Fractals' website: fractalarts.com/ASF/ , which houses his own fractal art galleries as well as many fractal resources and tutorials.

I became fascinated with these strange forms with their bright, psychedelic colours and wanted to know more.

At the time there were a number of freeware programmes written by Stephen Ferguson available so I started out by using Tierazon and Sterlingware, with Doug's expert help and guidance.

One of my very first fractal images (Cathryn's Wheel) is still displayed in one his many guest galleries.

Before too long I found Ultra Fractal version 2, and quickly became hooked! The rest is history :)



What do you love the most about it?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

That's a difficult question, but it probably boils down to two things - firstly, it's great to have the ability to create and share something artistic without having the traditional artist's skills and training, while at the same time using intellectual skills to learn the intricacies of what is quite a complicated programme and creative process.

Secondly, there is the social / communication side. Over the years I have made many, very good friends with people from all over the world who share my love of fractal art, with whom I have stayed in regular contact with over the years.

Plus, as an additional bonus, there is no mess to clear away at the end of a creative session!


Your gallery shows the great versatility of a software like Ultra Fractal (other than your great skills!). How did you manage to get all different kinds of fractals from one software only?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

I guess that's probably down to the specific choice of formulas and algorithms chosen for each image. For the “geometric pattern” pieces, which are obviously very different from the more typical Gnarls and Julia-type spirals, I mostly use a couple of sets of algorithms written by Andreas Lober and Samuel Monnier.

For a number of years I worked closely with a small group of artists and formula writers, (who are all far more talented than me!) bouncing ideas, sharing parameters and testing out new formulas. As a result I became familiar with using some of the very big colouring formulas as they evolved into their final published versions, which has stood me in good stead when trying out new and unfamiliar ones since.

I also take inspiration from many other artists' work - traditional, digital and photographic, which often leads me down new and experimental avenues, with usually quite different results - some good, sometimes not so good!


Have you ever wanted to learn how to use another fractal program? If yes, which one and why?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

Yes - Xenodream and Apophysis. I bought Xenodream when it came out but never properly got to grips with the 3D concept and only ever made a handful of images with it, none of which looked anything like the amazing art works I had seen.

Similarly with Apophysis, although I stuck with using it a little longer than Xenodream, because of its compatibility with Ultra Fractal.

Some of the art I've seen recently on DA using Apo and Chaotica is quite stunning – so I'd definitely like to learn how to make these types of images in due course.


Is there any other deviant you'd like to recommend, and why?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

Like so many other fractal artists, the person who provided the most inspiration for me in the early days was Janet Parke infinite-art. I was, and still am, in awe of her talent and her beautiful fractal art. I had the good fortune to be able to do her on-line courses in 2006/7, which improved my technical skills in UF no end. Janet’s courses are now available as an ebook. I also worked with her on an exhibition at the Nature in Art museum in Gloucestershire in 2007, which was a great experience. Whenever I’m feeling big-headed about a new piece I’m particularly pleased with, a quick visit to her galleries will usually knock me down a peg or two.


Janet Parke's Ultra Fractal Courses on E-Books!As we all know, the epic fractal artist, Janet Parke, had been teaching at the Visual Arts Academy website for a number of years. She had grown quite a following and reputation on VAA. Recently, however, she had decided it was time to take her material down. Well, it wasn't as if it weren't for good reason! Janet has decided to make e-books out of her work and they are now accessible from her Infinite Art website.
In the following links, you can learn about what her courses cover and how to purchase the e-books. The prices and packages are an incredible bargain considering you're getting Janet's three exceptional courses. If you've ever wanted to take Janet's courses, now would be the time!
http://www.infinite-art.com/index.about.courses.php
http://www.infinite-art.com/index.purchase.php
Art of Infinity - Fractal Art Exhibition - 2007

INEFFABLE ACCALMIE NEOLITIQUE by Etienne Saint-Amant EtienneSaintAmant 
In September 2006 Simon Trapnell, the director of the Nature in Art Museum at Wallsworth Hall, Twigworth, Gloucestershire contacted Tina Oloyede aartika-fractal-art to discuss a proposal to stage a fractal art exhibition for the spring of 2007. At a meeting a couple of months later, the format and logistics of setting up the exhibition were finalised. Janet Parke infinite-art  was invited to join Tina as a key exhibitor and to begin the selection process for the remaining exhibition pieces. Invitations were sent out to members of the international fractal art community to submit twelve images each to be considered for inclusion.
The response was fantastic - twenty seven artists submitted over two hundred and fifty

Pilgrimage by infinite-art Dulcedo by infinite-art FMOFWB by infinite-art

:iconaartika-fractal-art:

One of the formula writers I worked with in our small group was Samuel Monnier s31415. As well as being a good friend and brilliant mathematician and formula writer, I consider him to be one of the most talented fractal artists globally. Without his generous input I would not have been able to create half the images I have - thank you Samuel!



:iconaartika-fractal-art:

One other artist whose work I have discovered since returning to DA this year is Kirsty Tudan fractek. I love her fractal art, with its rich colours, clean, elegant lines and painterly quality, it’s just fabulous. I am hoping she may start posting new work here again soon.


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<da:thumb id="190363993"/>

Thank you for your time! Any last word you want to share with the community?
:iconaartika-fractal-art:

Just a very big thank you for the warm welcome and support offered by the fractal artists on DA in the last couple of months - it’s been really great coming back to such a thriving art community, and with some really inspirational work on show. :)



Be sure to visit aartika-fractal-art's profile and gallery! :love:


Osteospermum by aartika-fractal-art Singing In The Rain by aartika-fractal-art Sprung by aartika-fractal-art
Dardybots 178 by aartika-fractal-art Pomegranates by aartika-fractal-art Gammon by aartika-fractal-art
Bistred Mandorla by aartika-fractal-art Flornnes by aartika-fractal-art Twisteroonie by aartika-fractal-art

Have fun and keep fractaling! :heart:


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infinite-art's avatar
It's great to see Tina back again. For those who are relatively new to the fractal art community, her name and work may be unfamiliar, but her singular style and artistic eye, her passion for the art form, and her leadership in promoting fractal art have inspired many of us for a long time!