ToAPP In reply to CygX1 [2009-02-10 13:10:58 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure Luc!

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ToAPP In reply to Xantipa2 [2009-02-03 13:18:43 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure Eva!

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ToAPP In reply to Velvet--Glove [2009-02-03 11:48:50 +0000 UTC]

It's my pleasure Chris!

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ToAPP In reply to ersi [2009-01-25 19:52:07 +0000 UTC]

It is my pleasure Ersi! You seem to really know what you're talking about when it comes to art. Do you teach it?

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ersi In reply to ToAPP [2009-01-26 10:56:20 +0000 UTC]

Oh, no. In fact, I went back to studying traditional painting about a year ago. But I did go to Art School when I was younger and art has always fascinated me, in all its forms. And there are a few basic "rules" that apply to painting as much as to music, architecture or... fractal making! They have to do with composition, contrast -or the lack of it- and, above all, INTENTION. To call a creation "artistic", it must be the result of a deliberate, meditated effort of its creator. One can churn out dozens or hundreds of doodles, musical fragments or fractals in their learning process but very few of them can lead to -or actually represent themselves- a work of art. Fractals can be extremely decorative but even decorative art has its masterpieces and its trivialities. To go beyond the trivialities, we need to STUDY ART. Because fractals, new and innovative as they are, do belong to the history of art and are a continuation of it.

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ToAPP In reply to ersi [2009-01-29 02:07:17 +0000 UTC]

My aunt is a professor of fine arts and tells me that even she grapples with the concept of when one can truly call something a work of art. So much of it extends beyond the artist or their immediate intention. Part relies upon a demonstrable understanding of precedent work, how the artist interfaces and helps shape their current zeitgeist and ultimately how their work comes to be referenced by future generations. The aspiring artist is mindful of all of these things. A firm understanding of antecedant principles and deliberate intention are not only implied but are crucial toward fulfilling this mandate.

I think that you are very wise to suggest developing a proper appreciation for the history of fractalism in this context. What it needed here is more than some simple "Blast from the past" features that the current FDM debate has spawned (among other things). There is little value in knowing what came before without knowing the "how" and "why". On the other hand, adding these key elements in a meaningful way would be a pretty difficult undertaking methinks and one that shouldn't be embarked upon lightly

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ersi In reply to ToAPP [2009-01-29 15:16:06 +0000 UTC]

You're right, of course. It would take an educationally structured 2-semester course on art to even explain the most basic concepts. The very idea scares the fractals out of me!

Also I don't think most fractalists are really interested in Art (with a capital A). Churning out pretty spirals is not necessarily a creative process. Creation is a hard experience, it takes lots of self-analysis, painful recognition of what we hate most about ourselves and time, long periods of time, to reach the artistic level. I say this because I firmly believe that art has to be about the truth, the intimate, fragile truth of each artist. And to shape this truth into a painting, a photograph or a fractal is HARD. "Meaning" is also a key word here. Many artists in the twentieth century argued against meaning in art and strived to empty their creations of it. But you see? It took decades of thought, analysis and debates to come to this conclusion, and those works of art that were deliberately created to "mean nothing" in fact mean a lot. They represent philosophical tendencies that cry out "20TH CENTURY", the history of this period, its politics and wars, the wretched break from the past.

What do our fractals mean?

I would also like to add that, in saying all this, I don't consider myself to be better or above the average fractal-maker. Just a bit more analytical maybe...

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ToAPP In reply to ersi [2009-01-30 17:00:24 +0000 UTC]

I completely agree. I don't think that many fractalists are concerned with "Art" (with a captial A) as you and I are thinking about it - nor should they be. Neither do I think that artists who are applying their craft to seek relevance are necessarily "better" or more skilled than those who only approach it for diversion. I do think that there are a few fractalists out there who genuinely do aspire to that however. I also think that there are some very interesting truths out there that a fractalist could explore. It would be nice to provide a more supportive context and resources here to encourage this exploration as long as it is clearly understood that only a few members of the community would be genuinely interested in availing themsleves of such facilitators. I'd say that this may very well be the core issue that FDM has been grappling with in her latest journals.

I think that one of the reasons that many of the arguments that are presented in the context of elevating the artistic merit of fractalism get confounded with concepts of effort, skill and technique is that many of the people who would like to find artistic truth with their fractalism are lacking an appropriate philosophical or aesthetic context. They learn the "how" but not the "why". It isn't their fault. Nor is it the fault of our community leaders. They were asked "how" and have been working diligeantly ever since to provide better answers to that question. It may be time now for the question of "why?" to come more to the surface. I would find that a most interesting question to explore. Wouldn't you?

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ersi In reply to ToAPP [2009-01-31 13:12:21 +0000 UTC]

I'm answering directly the last sentences of your comment:

YES, I do think it's time to ask ourselves "why". That's a great way of putting it. Any idea of how we could go about it without finding ourselves trapped in the computer 16 hours a day?

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ToAPP In reply to ersi [2009-02-03 11:45:21 +0000 UTC]

I have an idea of how to start...but I'll take the hint and stop talking and just do it...

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ersi In reply to ToAPP [2009-02-03 14:54:45 +0000 UTC]

Oh, no! I didn't mean that at all. I'd be happy to do it with you if it didn't mean spending long hours on this sole project.

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ToAPP In reply to ersi [2009-02-03 21:35:48 +0000 UTC]

I thought I'd start a tutorial series whose aim is to introduce aesthetic concepts in the visual arts as they may apply to fractal art. I'd start with some classicial concepts that a photographer friend showed me and extend into other concepts as I learn them. So that people don't get the wrong impression that I'm trying to impose aesthetic principles on the community, I decided to present it as my own journey of discovery but to also leave signposts along the way for others to follow and/or diverge from as they choose. I'd like to get help in reviewing the tutorials as I write them and also for other fractalists to suggest new directions of discovery along the way.

I've chosen the rule of thirds as the first concept largely because it was the first one that I've actively started experimenting with. Would you be interested in participating in the making and reviewing of the tutorial?

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ersi In reply to ToAPP [2009-02-04 12:30:58 +0000 UTC]

Yes, I would! And I agree on starting off with the "rule of thirds". Too many spirals centered dead on their frame

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ToAPP In reply to AmorinaAshton [2009-01-25 19:53:19 +0000 UTC]

It is my pleasure Amorina. I think that you really have an excellent sense of color and composition. It's a real treat to see your work in my devwatch

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AmorinaAshton In reply to ToAPP [2009-01-25 22:47:38 +0000 UTC]

awwww thank you very much for this compliment, i value your opinion very much

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ToAPP In reply to AmorinaAshton [2009-01-28 00:23:58 +0000 UTC]

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ToAPP In reply to Brigitte-Fredensborg [2009-01-03 22:38:50 +0000 UTC]

It's my pleasure Brigitte!

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ToAPP In reply to Xantipa2 [2009-01-01 22:08:11 +0000 UTC]

Happy New Year to you too Eva!

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ToAPP In reply to AmorinaAshton [2008-12-28 11:08:27 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure Amorina!

Thanks for posting such beautiful fractals.

Happy Holidays

Sasha

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ToAPP In reply to winklepickers [2008-12-28 11:07:04 +0000 UTC]

Happy Holidays Sue!

I like the way you integrated the rotational fractal into the photo in such a multi-faceted way (a hat, a flower, facial make-up). The model reminds me of Bjork. Very Interesting ...but would this be considered a FraM or would it be a PM?

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winklepickers In reply to ToAPP [2008-12-28 12:08:34 +0000 UTC]

Definitely a PM.

This young woman had a DD for this photo.
She is English and I've seen someone else think she might have Nordic origins.
She makes a lot of stock photos of herself. She explained that she cut to top off of her head by not being centred properly in front of the camera.
That's why I covered the top.
This photo is pleasant to use with fractals. She has regular features and a blank expression which somewhat remove human emotions, so I think that's why it's easy to treat it as a design and just to decorate it.

When I fancy making a PM like this, I look at what I have and try different possibilities. I don't plan very often.

It's always a pleasant activity.

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ToAPP In reply to LadyLyonnesse [2008-12-28 10:59:12 +0000 UTC]

Thank you Kat!

Merry Christmas and Happy holidays to you too! Sorry for the late reply. It's been hard getting to the computer where I am right now

I hope that your new job is going well.

miss you!



Sasha

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ToAPP In reply to synconi [2008-12-28 10:48:37 +0000 UTC]

Merry Christmas to you to Synconi!

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synconi In reply to ToAPP [2008-12-30 16:06:10 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!

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ToAPP In reply to penguin91 [2008-12-28 10:53:58 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure Martyna!

Happy holidays!

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ToAPP In reply to Blood--Stock [2008-12-26 12:45:02 +0000 UTC]

My pleasure. I've included your blood drop in a piece that I'm planning to post soon. I'll let you know as soon as I post it!

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ToAPP In reply to LL-stock [2008-12-26 12:11:47 +0000 UTC]

You are most welcome Chigs! I shall indeed

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