Tag Archives: Metal Prints

Patterns

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This piece is called Looking Through.

"Looking Through" Digital Art printed on metal, single edition 20x20" $325.00 Artist: Lianne Todd

“Looking Through”
Digital Art printed on metal, single edition
20×20″
$345.00 Artist: Lianne Todd

Looking through what?  A microscope?  A telescope? A porthole?

In a fractal universe, it doesn’t really matter.  Similar patterns are present on multiple scales.  Use your imagination!

This image is actually a combination of fractals – one for the thing we are looking through (the self-similarity on smaller scales provides the illusion of perspective and depth here), and one for what we are looking at (this is a flame fractal – more about them later).

As illustrated here, fractal geometry is quite versatile.  I’ve seen some discussion on ‘true’ fractals versus ‘near’ fractals and I would like to address that here for a moment.  There seems to be an opinion out there that for a fractal to be ‘true’ it must be a)infinite and b)exactly the same no matter what scale you look at.  Having read most of Benoit Mandelbrot’s Fractal Geometry of Nature, I have a problem with these stipulations.  First of all, the equation for Mandelbrot’s set is z_{n+1}=z_n^2+c, with n as the number of iterations, where c is a complex parameter.  

There is more to explaining the Mandelbrot set than that, of course, but that is the equation, and if n is a given number, then it’s not infinite, is it?  Perhaps the possibility of an infinite number of iterations exists, but that’s an argument for another day.

And even Mandelbrot’s set is not exactly the same on multiple scales. The PATTERN is there, it’s just slightly altered at different scales.  It is self-similar.  This is one of the things which makes fractal geometry so suitable for modelling the universe.

In my understanding, there was never a suggestion by Mandelbrot, the founder of fractal geometry, that a “true” fractal had to be infinite OR exactly the same on multiple scales.  Rather, a fractal is strictly defined as “a set for which the Hausdorff Besicovitch dimension strictly exceeds the topological dimension.”

So, perhaps I’m getting it all wrong, but if you would like to argue I would welcome your discussion.

And now, because I was once a biologist and if you’re anything like me you need a more highly magnified look at that thing, here is a zoom of what you were “looking through” at:

sea creature zoomed in

 

Butterflies and Moths

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Insects, and particularly butterflies and moths, are recurring motifs that I often encounter when I’m creating fractals.  Sometimes, it’s just the simple shape, and other times it seems to be a whole detailed creature.  Sometimes it’s done with what I call the ‘regular’ fractal generator and other times with the flame fractal generator (more on those differences later).  If a mathematical formula iterated over and over by a computer can randomly generate images like these in a matter of minutes or hours, imagine what the physical forces of nature and a few billion years of evolution can do with a periodic table of elements (and, shall I say, an underlying fractal structure?).  Oh wait, you don’t have to imagine.  You can go outside!

 

(All images are watermarked and copyrighted)

Butterfly Hub Digital Art printed on metal, single edition 20x20" $325.00

Butterfly Hub – Artist Lianne Todd
Digital Art printed on metal, single edition
20×20″
$345.00

Detail of Butterfly Hub

Detail of Butterfly Hub

Butterflire - Artist Lianne Todd Digital Art printed on metal, single edition 20x20" $325.00

Butterflire – Artist Lianne Todd
Digital Art printed on metal, single edition
20×20″
$345.00

Detail of Butterflire

Detail of Butterflire

Mother of Moths - Artist Lianne Todd Digital Art printed on metal, single edition 12x12" SOLD

Mother of Moths – Artist Lianne Todd
Digital Art printed on metal, single edition
12×12″
SOLD. Private Collection.

Pollinator - Artist Lianne Todd Digital Art printed on metal, single edition 16x16" $225.00

Pollinator – Artist Lianne Todd
Digital Art printed on metal, single edition
16×16″
$240.00

A thumbnail of the raw generated fractal - just to illustrate part of the process.

A thumbnail of the raw generated fractal – just to illustrate part of the process.

Phoenix

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First of all, thank you to everyone who made it out to see the exhibit at The ARTS Project in London.  It was so nice to see friends, family, and new acquaintances, when I was occasionally there, and share my art with you.  It was also very nice to see some comments in the guest book from very old friends who I hadn’t seen in quite some time! And new friends too!  (You all know who you are!).  If you did get to the show, and didn’t see me or sign the guest book, I would love to know.  Please comment below, or send me an email.

Today I’m going to share one of my very favourite pieces, a metal print called Phoenix, in case you didn’t make it to the show.  I’m choosing it first for two reasons: 1) It isn’t what those who are only a little familiar with fractals might imagine when thinking of fractal art, and 2) It is a prime example of the way a metal print shows off the digital art I have created.

I will let you first refer to this photo from the opening night.  See the piece second from the end on the long wall?  The one that doesn’t look like anything?  That’s Phoenix.  It’s actually quite dark, and from the angle of the camera, the lighting isn’t picking up the image.  That’s one of the things I like.  It’s kind of mysterious.

photo 1

Now, I will show you what happens when you walk by this image as it was lit in the gallery.

Walking Past Phoenix

Walking Past Phoenix

Now that you’ve seen it in action, I will show you a watermarked image I took of it with my camera in the light of day.  I think this would be fantastic in a very brightly lit minimally decorated room, don’t you?  Alternately, it would be wonderful in a very darkly decorated room with a few track lights focused on it.  I hope it captures your imagination the way it does mine.

Phoenix, (c) 2014 Lianne Todd 24x24" original metal print (single edition)

Phoenix, (c) 2014
Lianne Todd
24×24″ original metal print (single edition) $450.00

Last Night’s Opening

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A big thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate the opening of my exhibition last night.

Here are some pictures  (I didn’t remember to take any until the end of the night!):

photo 3 photo 2 photo 1 photo

The Fractal Nature of Our Universe

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Tonight is the night!  Yesterday we hung the art and it is all ready for viewing.  My husband helped, and he was wondering where I had been hiding it all.  Here is a sneak peak at some of the titles for you, and a photo of me hanging some of my first ones on the wall of the lovely gallery at The ARTS Project.

“Turbulence & Bubbles”; “Stardance”;  “Nature’s Drapery”;  “Negative Nebulae”;  “Mother of Moths”; “Fried Eggs”;  “The Mage Emerges”…  There are 39 pieces of art in all.

Here I am hanging "Happy Hill"

Here I am hanging “Happy Hill”

The ones  you see in the photo are watercolour paintings on paper.

I would like also, at this time, to acknowledge the excellent digital image printing services of Posterjack, of Toronto.  They are the company which I use to print my digital fractals on metal.  Over the course of three years they have consistently provided wonderful service and attention to quality.  The show consists of 18 paintings, 15 metal prints, and six photographs.  The photographs were printed using high quality archival paper and inks by Highlander Studios, of Woodstock, and I am so pleased with the results!

Some other tools I have employed to make my art are the software which I use to generate the fractals I start with.  I have primarily used Spangfract XTel, and Oxidizer, on my iMac.  These programs provide me with infinite possibilities and I thank them for that!  My frames and many of my other art supplies were purchased at Guthrie’s Art Supplies & Framing, of London – mainly because they also provide excellent service and reasonable prices – and Olga knows me when I walk in.  Richard and Sandra, at The ARTS Project, were very helpful with advice and equipment for hanging yesterday.  Finally, I would like to acknowledge the funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

I hope, if you are able, you will join me tonight as we celebrate the show opening.  7-9 pm!

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