> Please introduce yourself, in your own words. What are your interests?
Hi, I'm Jess! I'm twenty-three and I'm on deviantART mostly for fractal art. I also like to write and I am fascinated by linguistics: I read too many fantasy novels and web-comics. If you ever want to talk to me there's a good chance I'm lurking in Aposhack.
> Where did you begin with artistic endeavours? How did you come across Abstraction or Surrealism?
I've been drawing since I could hold a marker. I actually remember the first time I head the word 'abstract', too: I was really young - definitely single digits - and painting with watercolours, when I got the idea to do just produce a design with no objects. When I showed it to my dad, he called it abstract.
> How would you explain the concept of Abstraction or Surrealism to someone with no experience with the genre?
I would say that abstract art focuses on raw form and colour rather than on depicting objects and portraying realism. Even when there are some recognisable objects, they are usually obscured, altered or made delightfully weird in some way.
> What inspires you to use Abstraction or Surrealism in your work?
I really love the exploratory aspect. With fractals specifically, it seems like there's this huge possibility-space of things you could do that nobody has ever done before. Maybe the necessary software hasn't even been developed yet! It makes me feel like I'm wandering around on an as-yet uncharted part of the aesthetic map.
> What do you want to express with your artwork? What is the idea you're trying to put across?
Maximalism. I love bright colours - without getting psychedelic - and depicting lots of fine detail. Theoretically infinite detail, in fact; this is fractal art, after all. You could say I want my art to make people feel small in this world. Beyond that, the mood and inspiration varies a lot from piece to piece, although perceptive viewers might pick up some recurring themes.
> What are your 'tools of the trade'? How do you create your art?
Primarily I make use of Ultra Fractal, Apophysis, and Chaotica, which are all designated fractal programs.
> Do you think the quality of a piece depends more upon technical perfection, or the message contained therein?
The latter, but I also think that 'message' is too concrete a word. I once argued that if poetry were only about communicating, poets would be journalists instead, and I think the same sentiment applies to visual art. Sometimes the reason we make art is to express things we can't quite put in words. Another thing is that 'technical' might mean different things in different media. When I think of an overly-technical fractal, I think of one where the person has focused on the mathematical concept and advanced software features, but not given much thought to aesthetic things like composition or colour. So, I guess I would say that in addition to making the viewer think or feel something, a really high-quality work should be aesthetically interesting (not necessarily pleasing!) but that I don't really consider that to be a matter of technique.
> Who are your favourite visual artists, and why?
Well, I'm not super-knowledgeable about either art history or the 'contemporary art scene' (whatever that is), so this answer will mostly be a bunch of fractal artists. That said, I really enjoy the paintings of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Caspar David Friedrich, and Claude Monet. rougeux was the deviant who first inspired me to try fractal art, and his pieces remain some of my classic favourites. I also love the work of Beesknees67, IDeviant, s31415, and infinite-art. Fractal art is a fairly collaborative medium, especially on a social site like deviantART. I've had a lot of highly productive art sessions with esintu, Platinus, ChaosFissure, and OutsideFate. They are all wonderful artists and hugely influential to me.
> Which dA Groups would you recommend to someone looking to get involved with abstract and surreal art?
Honestly, I don't use the groups feature all that much, and most of the ones I do know are fractal specific (and often software specific). However, non-real is pretty great.
> What advice would you give to an absolute beginner in the genre?
Experiment, practice, don't expect it to be easy, have fun! Try to see even figurative/representational works in terms of line, colour, and form.
> Any final words on abstract and surreal art?
Hmm, not really! However, thanks for picking me for this interview.
> In conclusion, pick nine works from your Favourites that you particularly enjoy.
