Hidden Fractalist Interview - lindelokse

Hello to everyone reading this journal! Before we move on to the interview itself, some of you may ask yourselves questions such as, ‘What is fractal art?’ or ‘Who are ‘fractalists’?’ Let me provide you with a very brief introduction.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, fractal is a curve or geometrical figure in which each part shares the same statistical characteristics as the whole. These structures can be found throughout nature, including in plants, minerals, and even in different states of matter such as gas (smoke), liquid (waves), or solid (snowflakes). In simpler terms, Fractal Art refers to fractals presented as an art form, created using fractal-generating software. Term "Fractalist" consists simply of the two words - fractal, and artist.

If you would like to know a little bit more, I recommend these brief, yet informative journals by C-91 and tatasz, as well as the following collection of Fractal Art across DeviantArt:

Finally, welcome to the latest issue of a project called Hidden Fractalist, led by me, @LukasFractalizator. I initiated this project with the aim of discovering new, emerging, exceptionally talented and/or underrated fractal artists within the depths of the DeviantArt community. My goal is to shine a spotlight on these artists alongside other fellow artists from various artistic disciplines, as well as offering them encouragement, assistance, and support.

In this special edition of Hidden Fractalist, I'm thrilled to feature a true icon of the DeviantArt fractal community, @lindelokse, a seasoned veteran whose stunning fractal art has captivated audiences for over a decade. Known for her intricate and vibrant creations, @lindelokse has elevated fractals into a mesmerizing art form, earning accolades such as multiple Daily Deviations and a dedicated following. In this exclusive interview, we dive into her artistic path, exploring her sources of inspiration, evolution as an artist, and the milestones that have defined her remarkable journey.

Hello and welcome to the Hidden Fractalist interview! For those unfamiliar with your work, would you please share an introduction about yourself?

Thank you very much for thinking of me (I've been quite a lazy lurker for years now on deviantArt). My name is Chiara, I'm from Italy (currently based in Milan), I turned 40 this year, and I am an architect. I mostly work in architectural visualization.

How did you discover Fractal Art and why did you decide to get started? Can you tell us about your first steps?

In 2007, I was at university and needed tree/people brushes for populating sections and diagrams for my design projects. I was also starting to learn more about 3D modeling and rendering for architectural visualization. DeviantArt had a very rich resources section, with lots of incredible artworks to draw inspiration from, so I had often been browsing and adding deviations to my favorites for a couple of years.

I first noticed @JoelFaber's, @MichaelFaber's, and @Zueuk's amazing Apophysis creations. Those were such otherworldly visions, I had never seen anything like that before. Then I found myself lost in the extremely vibrant colors of @magnusti78's Ultrafractal flowers.

I remember the day I stumbled upon this awesome picture by @imaginum:

under river by @imaginum

It looked so fresh, new, different...

And this one by @Nestalgica?

Baltic Dawn by @Nestalgica

...and also this one from @Zueuk (it was amazing!):

Field of Depth by @Zueuk

It's still one of my favorite fractals today. I had to learn how to create these. They were just too beautiful. I downloaded Apophysis (I think it was version 2.04? I later got the 2.06 3D hack by @Zueuk), tried to follow some tutorials and... failed miserably. Seriously, it was so complicated and discouraging... But then I tried again some time later, and things began to make more sense. I remember @esintu, @Fiery-Fire, @lyc, @Golubaja being very encouraging and helpful with my first flames. When I tried Ultrafractal, @Jimpan1973, @FarDareisMai and @OutsideFate were great mentors!

What media(s) do you work with? Do you have experience with other software?

For fractal art, I have used Apophysis, Chaotica, Ultrafractal, and experimented with Mandelbulb3D and Mandelbulber. I also used Photoshop for postwork, when necessary.

For my daily job, I work with SketchUp, Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, V-Ray, Lumion, Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Your 2D and 3D Apophysis tutorials for fractal blooms have become a cornerstone for many fractal artists, teaching them to create those instantly recognizable, vibrant floral fractals. What inspired you to create this tutorial, and what was your process for breaking down such a complex technique into something accessible for the community?

The fractal community on deviantART was amazing, there were tons of tutorials, resources, and of course lots of awesome people willing to teach, help, give feedback, collaborate. I remember playing with a tutorial by @skellorg, and got a result similar to the blooms by @AmorinaAshton (this was my first flower):

I was already making lots of flowers with UltraFractal but I was so excited I could now make them with Apophysis too. The day one of my flowers hit the front page (I don't know how it works now, but back in the day it was a huge deal!) I think I spent hours staring at the monitor, amazed.

I was very active in the #aposhack chatroom back then (which was led by the incredible @SuicideBySafetyPin). As for the 3D blooms tutorial, I took inspiration from a fractal by muzucya (which is sadly not longer visible), then after a few simple first attempts I got this more complex result...:

...with help from @zy0rg. He and Xyrus02 helped me refine the technique that I later shared in my tutorial.

So, well, I'm not the only one behind this It was thanks to the #aposhack chatroom and all the amazing artists there.

What is a favourite piece you made so far and why?

I remember having a lot of fun around 2012 when the fractal community was extremely active and the #aposhack was always full of awesome people, I made many collaborations and it was the best part of my fractal journey. I would choose any of my works from that period of time but if I had to pick only one, I'd go with Frost, because I really love that kind of flame. I'm very proud of the color scheme and lighting I achieved, and I managed to show many tiny details in a soft ambiance.

Frost by @lindelokse

Fractal blooms are one of the most iconic styles in fractal art, and your work, like "Queen of The Rain" or "Sprightly", showcases their magical, almost otherworldly beauty. How did you master the art of crafting fractal blooms, and what advice would you give to artists striving to capture that same magical quality in their own blooms?

Well, I was very lucky. I had a lot of great teachers, tons of daily fresh inspiration, and so many amazing artists to look up to. What I did was... try everything. There's no right or wrong if it works.

When you learn the rules, break them to see what happens. I was surrounded by people who actually knew how the theory behind fractals worked, who wrote software, plugins, scripts... I just knew how to use Apophysis to get something I liked.

So I could ask for help, feedback, fixes, and experiment as much as I wanted. I tried to find a personal style, get inspiration from nature and macro photography, use my favorite colours (I remember choosing the right gradient and colouring was the longest part of my workflow... I probably made at least thirty colouring attempts per flame before choosing the final one), adding all the details I felt were necessary or just pretty. I wanted contrast, depth of field, bright colorful things softly emerging from the shadows. I took all the time I needed, made tons of attempts, scrapped 99% of what I made, and only shared what I found good enough, keeping the rest for myself.

During your active days, were there any fractalists (or other artists) on DeviantArt, whose work served as an inspiration for you?

OMG too many! I'm sure I'll forget to mention many important ones, so many years have passed! Other than the ones I already mentioned before (@Zueuk, @JoelFaber, @MichaelFaber, @esintu, @Fiery-Fire, @lyc, @Golubaja, @magnusti78, @Jimpan1973, @FarDareisMai, @OutsideFate, @Platinus, @SuicideBySafetyPin, @AmorinaAshton, @zy0rg, Xyrus02, @fengda2870), I owe a lot in terms of inspiration and support to @love1008, @Kaeltyk, @silwenka, @Pasternak, @LeXXe, @Meckie, @penny5775, @depaz, @Lucy--C, @neonrauschen, @Jeddaka, @coby01, @theslider, @guagapunyaimel, @TaraRoys, @piethein21, @ChaosFissure, @tatasz, @SaTaNiA, @uncubitodehielo88, @TyrantWave, @NatalieKelsey, @ClaireJones, @Alterren, @sragets, @Deceneace, @CoffeeToffeeSquirrel, @Cosmic-Cuttlefish, @davebold370, @Liuanta, @Clepsidras, @ChaoticAtmospheres, @fractist, @dark-beam, @skulkey, @lucid-light, @Yasny-chan, @technochroma, @heavenriver...

As a veteran fractal artist, you’ve inspired countless creators through your art and resources. What’s one piece of wisdom you’ve gained over the years—whether about creativity, technique, or community—that you’d love to pass on to the next generation of fractal artists?

I’d say: always try to do something different. Always add a twist, something personal. You should be the one who likes what you make, your work should speak about you, your unique perspective, vision, sensibility.

What do you think is the hardest part about creating a fractal and why?

For me, it's choosing the right colours. It can dramatically change an image. Picking the right gradient, highlighting the details, finding a good balance and a pleasing mood... it takes a lot of work, but it’s also the most interesting part, lots of fun!

Over the years, your art has evolved through collaborations and even commercial projects like book or album covers. How have these experiences influenced your approach to fractal art, and what’s one moment in your fractal journey that you’re particularly proud of?

It's always great when you see your art appreciated for commercial purposes. Although I never thought I could pursue a career in this field, it was a nice way to challenge myself, have fun and earn something from my hobby. I obviously preferred when I was just asked to license an existing artwork, or when there were few artistic constraints. It’s quite hard to comply with clients' requests with these kinds of tools, so it wasn’t always easy. A couple of times, it was indeed quite frustrating.

In 2012 one of the best Italian archviz contacted me after seeing the awesome video fengda2870 made animating my "Not Here" flame, which got a staff pick on Vimeo
(click the image to visit the website):

I had the chance to attend his very renowned archviz course, and to talk about fractals and showcase my work to my coursemates. This was very helpful for my career, I learned a lot about architectural visualization at that course, and it was all thanks to fractals!

What was your reaction when you have gotten your first Daily Deviation feature?

As I wrote on "Caribbean Evening": Omg: a daily deviation???

It was such a huge boost in confidence and motivation! I can't thank Platinus enough

caribbean evening by @lindelokse , Featured by @Platinus

Given April 3rd, 2009

"caribbean evening by ~lindelokse has a stylish flair through great use of color,shape, and texture that is wonderfully abundant in her entire gallery. Definitely worth a browse!"

If you could describe fractal art in one word, what would it be and why?

Only one word? This is the hardest question of the lot. Is "visionary" too obvious?

Thank you so much @lindelokse for the interview and to everyone reading this issue as well! Have you come across a talented, skilled, but unknown fractal artist? Do not hesitate to send a suggestion via note, I'll be more than happy to interview them! Check the previous issue of my Hidden Fractalist project here: Hidden Fractalist Vol. XLII. - 2BORN02B

See you all in the next issue,

@LukasFractalizator

Hidden Fractalist Issues

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