The Ring :: Statement of Purpose : Guidelines :: Help :: FAQ :: What is Post Processing? :: Glossary

Tutorials :: List of Members :: The FAR info page at Ring Surf

The Fractal Artists' Ring

Art. Not Dogma.

Statement of Purpose

Dog·ma:

\Dog"ma\, n.; pl. E. Dogmas, L. Dogmata. [L. dogma, Gr. ?, pl. ?, fr. ? to think, seem, appear; akin to L. decet it is becoming. Cf. Decent.]

  1. That which is held as an opinion; a tenet; a doctrine.
  2. A formally stated and authoritatively settled doctrine; a definite, established, and authoritative tenet.
  3. A doctrinal notion asserted without regard to evidence or truth; an arbitrary dictum.*

If you're reading this, it likely you're a fractal enthusiast. You enjoy looking at fractals, or buying fractal-based art. Or, if you're an fractal artist yourself, you get excited by zooming in and out, cropping and filtering, searching and finding the little nuggets of color and shadow that eluded discovery until you breathed life into them. Perhaps a nautilus has been known to take your breath away. We can relate. We share your excitement!

Some fractalists, however, forget that fractals are more than formulae, equations and Julias. They are also art. And, like any art form, their beauty and mode of creation should solely be up to the artist. Period. Not cause for derision by anyone, especially those who share your passion but only if you create their way.

Make no mistake: in some quarters, the post-processing of fractals does cause derision. If you've hung around the fractal community for any length of time, you know that to be the case. There are the individuals who believe that you must create a fractal in a certain way in order to be "legitimate." They think that to change your finished fractals in any way ruins their "purity". You shouldn't "layer too much" when you use Ultra Fractal, nor should you submit your UF work in "anything but a parameter format". Because, that is, after all, "how it's done". You shouldn't add drop shadows, or frame your pieces in an interesting way. You must do all of your tweaking and retouching in your generator -- not, God Forbid, in an art program like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro. As if creating art, making the fractal truly your own, putting your own very special imprint on it, violates some sacred tenet in fractaldom.

What nonsense.

The Fractal Artists' Ring is a webring for fractal artists who value art over dogma. We accept all artists who are free-thinking and who don't let rigid thinking hold them back from creating art in their own style and according to their own vision. The FAR is open to fractal artists who understand that the emphasis is on the second word: artist. Fractals may have mathematics at their core, but the end result is, indeed art, and only limited by the breadth of the artist's vision. Just as no two completed fractals are just alike, neither are fractal artists, their vision or their tools. We welcome differing styles, and artists who don't necessarily play by the rules or get caught up in silly, dogmatic beliefs regarding what art and fractals must be. You do not have to post process any of your fractals to join this Ring. That's not what the FAR is about. All you need is an appreciation for fractaling as an art, and embrace all forms of fractaling, whatever they may be... post processing or not, UF or not, formulae comprehension or not.

There are no rights, and no wrongs. There's only the art. Welcome.

Your FAR administrators,

Tina Coggins
Phil Jackson
Marc Fraser

* Dictionary.com

It's beautiful and it's free!

Design and Sell Merchandise Online for Free

TCD uses Blumentals Software for all screensaver needs.
Art-AtlasNet, The Art Directory, L'Annuaire de l'Art
12 months. 365 days. Original art for just pennies per day. Frame it when you're finished.
The FAR Screensaver was created using Blumentals Screensaver Factory2.

All links will pop out a new browser window, which can be closed for your own convenience.

All images and text within this site copyright © T.C. Design - Eye on Design, 1998 - 2006. All rights reserved.