Outside Inspiration: Fractals and Random Paths
I don’t remember the actual moment I discovered fractals, just that my mind was blown and I became lost in searching them out on the Internet, in books and even going so far as to look at software that can be used to create these amazing designs. They look so complex but when you get down to it, they have a very simple base. They can be made to appear rather random and intricate but the truth is, everything in the design is a version of a single shape or motif repeated over and over in different sizes and sometimes varying colors.
How is this relevant to the polymer artist? Well, besides often embodying fantastic and inspiring color palettes, what fractal artists do with their design is only a few steps away from concepts used in kaleidoscope and similarly built polymer canes. Starting with a single pattern, immensely complex canes can be created by using multiple stacks and mirrored versions of the same design not unlike how fractal art is designed.
Also, consider the complexity that can be accomplished on a cane covered piece using the same cane design but in a wide range of reduced sizes. Making a pattern of the canes in the same basic design as the base pattern of your cane the way they do with fractals and you could end up with some mind-blowing and very intricate pieces. Look very close at all the tiny detail in this fractal and you’ll see that the ‘lines’ of the larger swirls are actually flowing rows of the same swirl. Amazing!
This fractal graphic is a piece called “Joyous” by a graphic artist named Cyd who lists art on DeviantArt as ShadowedDancer. Heading to her page will only be the start of what could be a very long journey through the world of fractals on the internet. If you want to get lost, let me suggest you start with this amazing fractal artist Cory Ench (my personal favorite) as well as just Googling fractals on Google images. Be careful you don’t lose the whole day doing so!
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