_{Thanks to =kuschelirmel-stock for the CSS and ~Kip0130 for the individual gallery CSS}

To the fractal community and everyone else taking a look, here we are again. It's the end of the year and with everyone finding some way to recap the year or even the decade, I decided I would also join in, and share my choices for the best fractals created on deviantART in 2009.

The year started off with what could more or less be looked at as a reflection on the community as a whole, but it wasn't a happy reflection. A feature much like this one awoke a tempest in a teapot and everyone was involved in a discussion on what constituted good fractal art and whether or not we had lost our way in valuing the best pieces versus just the most popular.

However, while 2009 got off to a rocky start, it would soon emerge as one of the more diversifying years in the fractal community. With the emergence of groups like #FracStract, #Fractopia, and #FraCult establishing themselves, and older groups like #Apophysis and =Fractal-Resources going through changes, it was clear that everyone had a group (or groups!) they could belong to.

Join 'em!




Resources were also a hot trend this year, whether it was notable artists like =Fiery-Fire sharing the hit disc/julian tutorial, less well-known artists like =SaTaNiA offering to convert old tutorials to different languages, or *n8iveattitude1 and ^Platinus sharing their parameters in #ApoShack, popular styles began to emerge.

Hot Resources:




And while we may have had some very active and popular artists move on to different avenues, new artists have come into the fold to try and fill the gaps left, and hopefully the old shoes will be filled in 2010.

Despite the ups-and-downs that were the fractal community in 2009, great pieces of art emerged, and while there will only be a small sample of what was made in this feature, many great pieces, many original pieces, and many technically-trailblazing pieces were sadly left out. I combed through my favorites, others' favorites, news features, and some that may have slipped through them all to find my favorite pieces to recap the year.

--

In no particular order, here are my favorites for FoTY: 2009!



"20090507" by ~s31415 was a tough choice because Sam's gallery is full of amazing images and I only discovered him this year! Each one features great patterns and colors, but if you click on the accompanying link in each of his images, you can zoom even further into the details, showing the nature of fractals and how they repeat themselves exponentially. Incredible shapes that can be appreciated from a small thumbnail to a fully zoomed in image, beautiful colors, and sharp details; be sure to take a look at this thing in even fuller full-view! (see description on image)




"Hipnose" by ~Vibratum was a piece by an artist I discovered late last year and I'm glad I did. He delivered a beauty just four days into the year and with incredible undulating patterns, dream-inducing colors, and top-notch clarity, this piece will take you into a different dimension just like all of his other pieces. Certainly one of my favorite artists to watch in 2009 and one who made it very difficult to narrow down my choices.




"Crash" by =NinthTaboo was a great reflection on the year in Ultra Fractal. This was the year of abstract UF pieces and Keith's shows what amazing, unique, and creative designs the program is capable of. I love the entire scene, desert dunes being lit by a rising sun, while the stars in the sky begin to fall; it's straight out of a child's imagination and Keith managed to appeal to the kid in all of us.




"-AutumnSounds-" by =silwenka was a narrow choice over some of her other images, notably "Genesis." After years of seeing her icon on fellow artist's pages and seeing her fractals featured here and there, I took the plunge into a gallery full of amazing fractals. By the time I was done, I couldn't believe I missed out on all of them over the years. This one in particular captured Ewa's style and put in some extra touches that will make your jaw drop. It's digital art, but is it fractal art, or is it vector art? This hybrid style is 100% fractal and it is 100% beautiful.




"Flowerings90" by ~love1008 had to be my choice for this artist's best image of the year. Each one of his pieces is a world in its own, but it is this one in particular that showed the best use of the 3D version of Apophysis this year. The floral shapes, the garden colors, and the exquisite display of light versus dark transport us to a garden on the Apophysis homeworld. Lighting up the night, this magical display is a truly stunning piece that shines brightly amongst many incredible others in his gallery.




"Golden Secrets" by *Golubaja is a stunning display of what the right color scheme can do for an image. A white background presents a challenge if you want to bring strong colors into the piece as well, but Anna does it with a master's precision. While the fractal is nothing revolutionary, this is a piece that makes its strides through the excellent choices of color, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpening, and composition. Apophysis and fractals in general are not always about making a new and revolutionary design and it is the finer elements of creating a piece of art that are sometimes overlooked. Not here though, this is a very bold image that hits its stride with the aesthetic qualities.




"Endless Puzzle" by ~depaz is a magnificent quilted pattern of woven details. I find it amazing that a digitally rendered image, formed by mathematical equations can lead to a piece that looks so much like a quilt (organic), and yet so much like a photo-mosaic (digital). The complexity in the colors and the fractal forms is both superb and awe-inspiring.




"Debris" by ^Platinus was the highlight, for me, of our Gallery Director's adventures in exploring and refining his Ultra Fractal skills. There were many great pieces made with UF, but there was something different that really led me to choose this piece over many others - character. When I first saw this piece, I thought it wasn't that great, but the more I look at it, the more I see how great it is. This is not the flower spiral that is seen so often, it's a chaotic eruption of earthly colors and rich textural details in an otherwise "dead" looking fractal.




"Fish Rising" by =Velvet--Glove is one of many masterfully crafted UF collages in Chris' gallery. I am still astonished at how much time and effort must have went into this piece, not just in getting a perfect fish shape, but in creating all of the accompanying shapes. All of it paid off though, as this turned out to be a beautiful piece that shows the power of UF and the patience of a talented artist.




"Friendship" by *Szellorozsa was a surprise choice for me. I had seen more technical fractals and fractals that were better per se, but it was the connection between the artist and the "flaws" I saw in her piece that made it resonate in my mind as I narrowed down my choices. An interesting and unique spin on the stained glass pieces, I originally thought the bird in the foreground should look like the one in the background, and I regarded it as a flaw. The artist replied that, "But friendship is like that too ...friends are often different." It could not have been put any better way, I actually regretted saying what I did because the artist's reply made me realize that an apparent flaw was an obvious strength. When I look back at the year, the different people we have in the community, and the different styles they follow, I was reminded that we are all a community and we should appreciate each other for who we are, and to continue with what we each enjoy and love - fractals.


So, in saying that, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and I hope you enjoyed the pieces featured here.

_{Thanks to =kuschelirmel-stock for the CSS and ~Kip0130 for the individual gallery CSS}

Hey all,

Thought it would be a good idea to post up some of my thoughts about some of the fractal activities going on here on dA.

The first one is #FraCult. It's a neat little collab group that puts out a theme and lets artists submit a fractal that matches the theme submit it into a pack of sorts with other artists. You guys missed the deadline for the newest one, which should be up soon, but check 'em out, join, and get ready for the next pack!



The 3rd pack is up!



The second is our big fractal community project organized by Fractal Guru, Mr. Miyagi. No, that's not right, it's ^Platinus, and he's doing a project for a Fractal Tarot Card Deck!

In my opinion, this is a really great idea that most of us can probably make something for, but if you are up for it, make your way over to his journal: [link] and sign up before all the slots fill up!

Send Travii a note for what card you'd like to do and await further instructions.



Might add more to this journal later...

_{Thanks to =kuschelirmel-stock for the CSS and ~Kip0130 for the individual gallery CSS}

Hey all!

Thought I would post up a new journal to tell you how everything was going and what I am up to, what plans are ahead, etc. Speaking of new plans, I finally managed to get my career path/s all figured out, and I am now a double major in both Mass Communications (Magazine Journalism) and Political Science. Once I get these two degrees finished up (~ 3 more years), I'm probably off to law school and from there I'll see what job I can get in one of the three fields. I think I still want to do magazine journalism, but I don't know what it is with this political stuff, it's just calling me to do something in the world we live in. Change it from the inside out, you know?

On the fractal side of things, I have been stifled by a lack of creativity! Due to this, I'm going back and looking at some of my old fractals, some which I wanted to continue working on and some I forgot to render, so don't be surprised if they look a little similar to some of my oldies.

For example:



Based off of an old, but one of my favorite, set of parameters. I was dying for a fractal that was on a white background, but which the colors showed up on. It kind of reminds me of diversity, different cultures, the world coming together, all things Olympics related. Can't wait for Vancouver.

But, going back to old fractals doesn't mean I'm not gone. I'm keeping up with the gallery and watching what #Apophysis will do next since it is a group (finally!). I'll keep up my comments and looking for some unnoticed and/or under-appreciated ones. Speaking of which, I have a call to action: Make some interesting/unusual fractals! Try something outside of the norm, break out of the box, etc. The fractal gallery is kinda quiet and boring, but I do see some great fractals and original fractals popping up every now and then.

Anyway, life in general is getting better as time keeps going on, and I'm finally getting some clear, long-term goals in my head. If I can find a part-time job, my life will be complete - well, sorta.

_{Thanks to =kuschelirmel-stock for the CSS and ~Kip0130 for the individual gallery CSS}

Okay, everyone will hate this journal because it sounds like I'm whining or complaining, or whatever, but I just wanted to know - where is everyone?

I've been uploading a lot recently, but while I do get a good number of +fav's, there aren't a lot of comments, especially from people that used to comment on like all of my pieces (even the crappy ones) and personally I thought I was pumping out some good ones lately.

Or is it something to do with people leaving? I know a lot of the people I interacted with: WelshWench, Wick5ter, TwilightAmbiance, Nestalgica, etc. are all busy or on hiatus, and some big names have left the site...

Maybe I need to go on a comment spree and do the usual self-promotion thing, or does my art just suck?


Edit: Thanks to everyone who commented, I appreciate knowing it isn't my art, it's just that everyone is busy.

_{Thanks to =kuschelirmel-stock for the CSS and =Kip0130 for the individual gallery CSS}

I needed to do a journal update and figured what better way than to highlight some of the galleries I have been browsing lately and think that you should too.


First up are the "newbies" to dA:

~vodu2040 has actually been here 4 years, but I just recently discovered his very under-appreciated gallery. Full of dark, organic fractals, I can't help but think of an influence from H.R. Giger.



~The-Serpent-Realm is the "new" fractal account for someone who has been on dA for four years, but the pieces she is posting up are fantastic. What catches my eye are the very bold and interesting gradients that seem to me like they would ruin other fractals, but enhance the beauty of certain fractals like no other.



*Szellorozsa is probably not "new" anymore, but I figure anyone who has been here for only a little over a year could use some extra exposure, especially when they have a gallery full of fractals with a story to tell.



~infinite-art is no stranger to Ultra Fractal, but she has only recently started posting up some of her exquisite fractals here on dA. If the few pieces in her dA gallery aren't enough, check out her website: [link]




Next, we have the under-appreciated/overlooked deviants:

=IDeviant is one of the more-popular and well-known fractal artists on dA, but I always feel like he doesn't get enough exposure. What you will find in his gallery are the products of a meddler's meddelings. Always with something new or interesting, he is definitely one to watch.



~slavkox has a gallery that can best be summed up with one word: patterns. If you love patterns, you won't find many better than the ones in his gallery. Textures and perfect quality renders are also everywhere in sight, so be sure to check out his gallery. Oh, and try not to drool.



~neonrauschen is someone who, in my opinion, has an eye for textures and values each and every one of his pieces as a true piece of art (as evident by the nice framing on each). What you have to love about his gallery is the ability to take fractals that look somewhat similar to ones you may have seen in a different gallery and BAM!, just completely transform it into a stunning piece.



=espanacani has a small gallery, but like Janet Parke's, the fractals in it are incredible. If you are like me, you long for something new, different, bold, and incredibly well-composed. =espanacani has that gallery, especially if you like photography as well. Pop art fractals are alive and well.




Finally, we have the artists who I'm sure you have seen their names or pieces pop up somewhere, but whose pieces are just too damn good to pass up.

=silwenka seems to be someone everyone knew about - except for me. Well, after going through her entire gallery, I am amazed at the quality and the originality of each piece. Stunning fractals, exquisite light effects, and unrivaled Ultra Fractal skill, she is an artist you have to check out if you haven't already.



^Platinus is one of your friendly fractal gallery directors here on dA, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most creative users of Apophysis I have seen. Moreover, he has taken that creativity along with him as he learns Ultra Fractal, and he is 50% of the reason why I started liking UF fractals.




fin