Decorative Fountains

Right after I got my shiny new computer monitor I decided I needed some shiny new fractals to put on it, and this was one of them. It's not my best work, and it's not my worst, but it is shiny. The widescreen version is the one I 'intended' when I made the thing. It lacks the negative space at the top and bottom which you can see in the preview image and the 1280x1024 version. I'm torn as to which one I like better; the widescreen fills the canvas better, but it's also more cluttered.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Fireworks Bombardment

This piece is hot off the processor, to use a horribly trite metaphor. I did it this afternoon, and I'm pretty happy with it. My brother pointed out to me that it's got a similar spiral pattern to what you'd see in the seeds on a sunflower--fractal shapes are everywhere, folks.

On the technical side, this flame is pretty tame. That's probably why it's more obviously fractal. No truly distorting variations are used; the least fractal element in here is probably the 'radial blur' variation that produces those lovely starburst effects. I generally don't like flames that have this little deviation from the perfect geometric shapes, but I think the colors and the starbursts are enough for me to make an exception.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Painted Conch

My mother owns a little seashell that has had the outer layers polished off of it in spots, exposing the mother of pearl underneath. (A little bit of googling leads me to believe it may be the shell of a Turbo Sarmaticus) It gives it a very unusual coloration; not quite like the flame at left, but pretty close. The real object has less blue. I wasn't really thinking of that seashell when I created and named this piece, but I was reminded strongly of it when I looked at this flame again. It's odd how stuff like that happens.

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Flash Flood

I figure this is a pretty good representation of a wall of water crashing down a ravine. The lighting must be pretty odd though, because the other option is the water being purple, and that just isn't right. Maybe there was a paint factory upstream.

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Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Lithic Photovores (recolor)

Sorry this is late; my computer monitor decided to go kaput last Friday, so I didn't have access to the computer with all of my fractal flame stuff on it. Anyway, moving on...

Those of you who are well versed in word roots can probably guess what this flame's title means: Rocky plants. I suppose it's rather similar to 'Silicon Autotrophs' for meaning, but that's okay. I just like the idea of rocks that eat light. Too much science fiction, most likely.

This flame started out purple, and I probably would have kept it that way if I could have gotten the light and dark patches where I wanted them to be. Unfortunately they were just about the opposite of what you see in this version, and it rather badly unbalanced things. I like the blue better anyway; I think the more muted colors work better with the overall feel of the piece.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Rotary Hummingbird

The unnatural merging of a hummingbird and a helicopter, the rotary hummingbird was created by a deranged geneticist. I really have to wonder why he bothered. I mean, after all...hummingbirds can already hover. And the poor thing must get terribly dizzy what with all that spinning.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Static Electricity

Bzzzzck! It's been a little while since I've posted a flame that requires sound effects. But this one certainly does. Probably something along the lines of those musical tesla coils. It probably doesn't play star wars music, though.

This flame uses the popcorn variation, which is nothing new by this point. But I really like the way the fractal pattern visible in the center of the flame gets distorted and wonky-shaped at the edges by it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Stellar Navigation Hazard

I find this flame's title delightfully vague. What are we looking at, here? Is the object seen the navigation hazard itself? The star exploding? Or just a warning beacon with bright flashing lights on it? Personally I like the last option, but it does have a little bit of an exploding feel to it.

This flame uses an orange/blue color scheme, but I'm not quite sure I got the correct hues to make it really work. I think the blue needed to be a little darker in comparison to the orange color, or the orange a little lighter. This just doesn't seem to be the right angle on the color wheel.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Ectofoliage

This flame was another experiment with the 'blur' variation, and I really like the way it turned out. What's happened, in essence, is that there's another copy of the thin lines of the flame overlaid on the first, but smooshed out from the blur effect. There are also some color differences between the two sets of lines. It's difficult to see what I'm talking about, so I recommend taking a look at one of the full sized images.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Lace Nebula

This is one of the first pieces that I tried using the blur effect on. I only used a tiny, tiny speck of it, but it was enough to soften some of the lines. There was a good deal of fiddling around with it to see how much was too much and how much was not enough. I wanted to add enough blur that it created a sort of out of focus effect that got more pronounced as it moved outwards from the center, but not so much as would make it really blatant.

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Waterslide

Anyone who's been to a water amusement park is familiar with their propensity for cool color schemes, especially in watery colors like blue and green. My memory of this flame's creation process is non-existent, so I don't know if I did the color or the shape first, but I think they fit well together and with the title.

WheeeeeeSPLOOSH!

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Snakey Swirly Thing

I think this is probably one of the most descriptive titles I've given to a flame (I'm literally describing the flame in the title, right?), even if it's one of the least articulate. I suppose something like 'Serpentine Vortices' would have sounded cooler, but I feel like this flame is pretty enough that it should have an unpretentious name. I like the irony.

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Frozen Flower

Another recent piece, this flame uses some of the same techniques as 'Beach Mosaic,' which I posted about a month and a half ago. I really think that the julian 'frame' (the notchedy circle thing) helps stabilize this piece. Without it the the upper ends of the spirals would just kind of fade off into fuzzy, pixelated oblivion. I really wish I could have kept the center section of the piece free of the frame's effects, though. I might have to go back to this piece and see if I can unlink the two sometime.

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Nebular Flow

'Nebular Flow.' It sounds nice and peaceful, right? Well, I'm no astronomer, but the only reasons I can think of for a nebula to be flowing are black holes and stars sucking it in. That would, admittedly, be pretty fun to watch. But only from a safe distance.

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Turbo Snail

While at first glance the turbo snail appears to be your typical paradoxical creature, he has a secret. He doesn't travel any faster than your average snail, he just fails his eyes a lot so it looks like he's moving faster. Please don't tell anyone. He's terribly embarassed about it.

I really like the orange, green, and blue sections of the color palette in this piece, particularly the gradations you can see at the upper left. They're nice, middle of the range colors, but they're still attractive. I need to use colors like that more often.

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Brain Mold

Is this mold that grows on a brain, or mold that's shaped like a brain? You decide! If it's mold that grows on a brain, I hope it's not growing on yours. That would be gross. Although maybe it would work like mycorrhiza do for trees, allowing your brain to...leach extra thinking from your surroundings? It's obviously not a perfect analogy.

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Water Orb

This piece probably falls somewhere on the high end of mediocre. I don't really like it, but it's still somewhat pleasing to look at and there aren't any truly glaring defects in it. The impression of motion saves this piece, I think. It looks like certain parts of it are swirling around other parts, possibly in different directions. I think it's just a little too chaotic and disorganized, though.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Executive Desktop Gadget (recolor)

By 'Executive Desktop Gadget' I mean the sort of thing that comes up when you search Amazon for "Newton's Cradle": Pointless, nifty little toys for people who don't have anything better to do than sit behind a desk and look important. I have a few of these on the desk in my room, and while they're fun, they tend to be dust catchers that don't get touched in months. I'm not certain what manner of gadget the flame at right represents, but I'd want one if I knew.

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Lightning Generator

It's alive! Alive! Muahahahaha!

Okay, so pieces like this might have just the tiniest tendency to bring out my inner mad scientist. I blame the interactive exhibits at museums. And possibly the time I spend practicing my maniacal laugh when there's nobody else in the house. (Seriously, you should try it. If you can get really into it, there's nothing like a good maniacal laugh for relieving stress.)

Flames like this one really fascinate me. It's only got three triangles in it, and only two of those contribute significantly to the shape. It's a simple flame, but it produces a really complex image. I think if I had to pick one style of flame to work with, it would probably be simple flames like this.

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Flagellated Mote

For those who don't remember either their biology or their Latin lessons from the dim mists of time, a flagellum is a whip or a whip like appendage found on some bacteria (and assorted other microscopic beasties). A mote is just a speck of dust. For some reason they're usually found in people's eyes. Hopefully there aren't any flagellated motes swimming around in yours, because that would be uncomfortable. Better than a flagellated beam, I guess.

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Strata

I'm fairly certain this title explains itself. It doesn't really explain why the flame is blue (Hint: It's because I like blue). I've been watching a set of geology lectures on DVD lately, and some of the ways rock can fold look exactly like this. It's pretty cool.

This piece is one that really suffers from the limitations of a desktop resolution. I have a version of it that's taller than it is wide, and it snags a much different section of the flame. If I were ever to get it printed, I'd choose to take a smaller, vertical section and get some more detail.

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Non-Euclidean Ripples

I like to imagine all of these ripple patterns were caused by a single event taking place in a bizarrely folded geometry. Of course, I also like thinking about how it would work to perceive time as a dimension instead of linearly, so that might just be my little quirk.

This piece is another startlingly simple flame. Just looking at it I would assume it was fairly complicated, but that's not the case. It only has two repeats; one creates the ripple effect, the other causes the spiraling repetitions down towards the center. This piece is about two years old, and it seems that during that period I was switching off between 'really simple' and 'really complex' as working styles.

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Nets 2

The original 'Nets' was virtually the same as this piece, except it had one additional repeat thrown in. I didn't care for the way that looked, so I pulled it out and rendered the flame again. This is the result. Getting rid of the added repeat enhanced the 'speed lines' effect and made the texture a lot clearer. I do wonder if I shouldn't have tried to adjust the colors while I was at it, though. That little patch of purple is a little distracting.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Nauplius

I couldn't come up with a name for this flame, so I asked someone else. My brother suggested the name 'Nauplius', which is apparently a crustacean larva, a figure from Greek mythology, or a type of flower. Take your pick. I think he was going for the crustacean larva though.

This piece is very much a 'many repeats' flame. There's not much distortion present in the basic repeats, although there's plenty in the peripheral stuff. This flame is another that used gradient 209, although it pulls from a different part of the palette than most of its siblings.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Swooshing Mists

While this flame is mostly just a 'look pretty' piece, I do think it looks something like what happens when you open a door into a room filled with smoke or fog from a machine. It's probably being lit by colored spotlights. Although it would be a neat trick if the vapor was actually that color.

This flame is an example of another distinct style produced by a specific variation ('Horseshoe' in this case). It likes to produce those swirly nodes like the one you see in the center there, with less tightly wrapped pieces as you get away from the center. 'Storm at the Terminator' is another good example of this variation. Where that piece uses the horseshoe variation almost exclusively, 'Swooshing Mists' has some distorted repeats that extend the initial shape into more complex forms.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Slice the Waves

Apparently we just missed seeing some sort of high speed watercraft go by. Oh well, at least it has an interesting looking wake. Consolation prize, I guess. I really like the section at the far left of this piece, where it has that little diminishing S-curve. There are some distorted repeats of that throughout the piece. If I were working with this flame today, instead of two-and-a-half years ago, I would probably try to isolate that piece of the flame by stripping away the other pieces, and then add in some less distorted repeats of it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Asymmetric Detonation

I was slightly distraught to discover that I had misspelled the title of this flame. I won't go into details, but it rather changed the intended meaning. Anyway, moving on...the combination of ragged, fractal edges and the circular 'shockwave' looking elements in this piece made me think of an explosion. Lots of flames seem to do that for some reason, but maybe it's just a little bit of innate pyromania. Or maybe it's because they're called 'flames' to start with.

The colors in this piece are a little odd. I think this was probably a random gradient that I didn't bother changing once I was finished with the shape of the flame. I might have to go back and work on this one some more at a future date.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Geometric Deluge

This piece speaks to me. It says "Splooosh!" I know, it's not a very deep and significant thing for a piece of artwork to say. But then, it's not a deep and significant piece of artwork.

I love the clarity of this piece. All of the lines are sharp and crisp, and there aren't any stray pixels. But despite that, it's still got an interesting, complex shape. The subtle color palette is also something I'm fond of. It's pretty much monotone, but there's still enough variation in saturation and brightness to keep it interesting.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Striking Mass

I'm pretty certain this is some kind of smiting. Maybe not the old-fashioned lightning-bolt style of smiting, but someone's definitely getting smote. I suppose if you rotated this piece about a hundred and twenty degrees clockwise it could also be a castle on a cloud. But the cloud part isn't balanced right for that to work very well.

I was very pleased with the two distinct sections of this flame. That dichotomy really adds interest. The colors worked out nicely to emphasize the separation as well.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Curious Plumage

This is a piece I did last month. I was pretty pleased with it, especially the color scheme and those little tufty bits that stick out from the rest of the flame (you may have to look at a large version to see them clearly). There are some birds that actually have weird ornamental feathers like that, although probably not in these precise shades and shapes.

This piece is a bit more complex than it looks, and it took a fair bit of time. I built it entirely from scratch, as that was the easiest way to maintain symmetry. I did a bit of messing around with xaos in this one, which are basically numbers attached to each repeat in the flame that tell it which other repeats it should connect to. It allows for cleaner shapes and less cluttered images, generally, although it is time consuming.

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Eddies

No, I don't mean the plural of Eddy, that guy in the office down the hall. I mean eddies, as in the swirling reverse current created when a fluid flows past an obstacle. I'll grant you that this flame represents a strange sort of current. Maybe it's an upwelling.

This flame is rather unique on the technical side, and it was very finicky to work with. The spherical variation (which is the only one used here) tends to change shape when you try and move its position on the canvas, so placing elements in specific spots is difficult. It's composed of four repeats, but two of those are simply duplicates of the first two for coloring purposes. What you see here is probably only about 10% of the total area of the flame. The rest of it was too nebulous and faint to make for an interesting image. Zooming in like that usually leads to longer render times, but the serendipitious simplicity of 'Eddies' prevented that in this case.

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Skeins of Sky

I'm quite fond of this piece. The little specks really sell the name. I think if I were to spend some more time working on it, the only thing I'd want to change is the color of that reddish section running through the middle. It doesn't fit, somehow. But overall I'm very happy with this flame. Somebody feel like giving me an excuse to do a print run?

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Lip of the Cataract

This flame was extremely difficult to place on the canvas. For some reason I just could not find an angle and position I was entirely happy with. The sense of movement (or speed lines, if you will) inherent in the piece made it really tough to figure out exactly where the focus for the flame needed to be. I'm still not completely satisfied with what I came up with, but it will do.

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Motley Hat of the Apocalypse (recolor)

What kind of jester wears an apocalyptic hat? I don't know, but I bet his jokes are terrible (Ba doomp KSHHH). The original version of this flame was darker blue and more reddish, but the colors were the same in relation to each other. Sometimes I render a flame and realize that I've just picked ugly colors for it, and then I have to go back and do it again. It's rather irritating when that happens, but I'd rather add a little more work in than lose what I've already done on a flame.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Trajectory

I've moved away from this style of flame, but I used to work with them quite often. I think these pieces based on the 'spiral' variation have a lot of good points, but I prefer the denser, smoother textures that I can produce with other variations. Still, I do like this flame. It feels very swooshy. And I can't quite tell for certain, but I'm pretty sure that's gradient #209. Not one of my better uses of it, really. This piece would be improved by an absence of beige.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Abstract 7-18-08

A lot of the flames that I label with 'Abstract' are pieces that aren't good enough to have inspired a title by the time I finish with them, but at the same time are too interesting for me to simply discard. Often they're pieces that I've spent a considerable amount of time on, as well. This is one of those pieces. I couldn't think of a name for it, but I was tired of working on it. And I didn't want to throw it away. So...'Abstract.' Looking at it today, I'd probably name it something moderately descriptive, like 'Hooked Fan.' But I'm morally opposed to changing the name of a piece, so it remains and 'Abstract.'

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Transdimensional Shellfish

I seem to end up with a lot of shell-themed titles. This is probably because shellfish grow in fractal shapes. Some species even have Sierpinski triangle patterns on their shells (imperfect ones, but the basic structure is there). When I finished working on this flame, that spiral pattern looked like something I'd find on a seashell. But the overall shape seemed unnaturally gnarled and twisted, like something that doesn't quite fit in three dimensions.

One of the really interesting things about this piece is the way the central spiral pattern is repeated in the arms. The distortions involved make it difficult to pin down where exactly the repeats are, but they're definitely there. You may notice other flames that have a similar color scheme to this one; the palette that it uses is one I draw on fairly frequently.

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It should be fairly apparent which title goes with which piece here. This pair of flames was created as a pair, and in fact they only differ by one repeat and a slight adjustment in canvas placement. It's often startling to me how very slight alterations can cause such fundamental changes to a flame. That's part of why I enjoy this medium so much.

Phoenix Molt

I've often considered that I stick the word 'Phoenix' into too many titles, especially considering that the original mythology claims there was only one in existence at a time. But I don't really regret the slight overuse; the idea of taking a peacock or other ornamental fowl and then lighting it on fire is just too wonderful.

Mythical incendiary avian origins aside, this flame has some rather interesting things going on. That hard yellow edge is a fairly standard fractal boundary, but then it has those long wispy tails swooping off of it. I quite liked the effect. Someday I might see if I could do something different with the colors, but for now I like the impression they create of the flame slowly burning away.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Flocking Wisps

This flame reminds me a little of a ball bait fish, if bait fish were amorphous and semi-transparent. Presumably their predator is equally amorphous. It's possible that the little wisps are more like some sort of pirahna, but I like the idea of them swirling around in a desperate effort not to be eaten better.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Dragon Egg

It takes a touch of imagination to imagine an egg shape in this flame, but I think the texture and color fit the title quite nicely. Besides, who says dragons have to have round eggs? I think misshapen, leathery, scale-covered sacks would be just the thing for a pyromaniac infant.

What's really interesting about this flame to me (besides the pretty-to-look-at part) is that it doesn'tuse any distorted repeats. It's all just flat, and all of the shapes you see are produced by rotated repeats, and maybe a little bit of stretching here and there. It makes for some interesting textures, and quite a bit of blurriness where the detail goes too fine for the computer to render it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Temple Throne

This piece is the sort of thing that turns up when I play with symmetry. I don't do it very often, mostly because it takes longer and it's harder to produce a good result. But I think this one turned out quite nicely. I encourage you to take a look at the larger versions of this piece, and look for faces. There are at least a couple spots in this piece that I think look like faces or people. I'll let you find them for yourselves, though.

Temple Throne (inset)

A closeup of what I like to think of as the statues and engravings above the throne. I like the main piece better, but I wanted a closer look at the details, and this was the easiest way to do that.

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Temple Throne:

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Temple Throne (inset):

Ice Cave

I like to imagine that this flame is a cave with fog and mist roiling out of the opening. Perhaps there are hunched over people trudging inside, hoping to escape a blizzard or storm. Or maybe it's a giant albino frog that's tricking them into walking straight down its throat. (I'm so sorry about that last one, but I've been looking at this thing for ten minutes and that circle in the upper left just looks like a dang eyeball!)

This flame is the sibling to 'Moondial', which I posted waaay back in July of '09. While they were posted six months apart, these two flames were done in the same session. I think 'Ice Cave' is the superior of the two. It doesn't have quite the same incomprehensible geometry, but the shape is more appealing. It makes slightly better use of its color palette as well. 'Moondial' wins for composition, though. I don't think that this piece quite fits on a 4:5 canvas. The widescreen canvas is a better size, but it's still not quite right.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Fossil Insect

This is another sketch piece, so I don't really have a whole lot to say about it. It's got some fun textures and shapes. I really like the hard lines that cut through the more solid part of the image, and I really like the way it seems to have multiple partially opaque layers to it (which it does, but usually when that happens it just looks like some parts of the flame are colored a little differently than the rest).

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Pages of the Sky

I'm not really sure what to say about this piece. It's a cool image, but it's always seemed just a little off. I'm not sure if the texture is too dense, or if the contrast between the heavily textured area and the edges is too too extreme, or if the shape is wrong, or if the color is wrong...there are a lot of things that I could probably improve, but I think I would rather spend my time on new flames, or improving flames that have a better base to them in the first place. Still, this piece is interesting to look at, at least for a little while. Hopefully it will be entertaining to some of you.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Architecture

This flame may seem fairly abstract at first, but if you look at it and think about the title for a bit, it may go 'click' in your mind. If it doesn't: Imagine you're pointing a light up at the ceiling of a cathedral or some other ornate building, with a domed roof and perhpas some pillars. That's how I like to picture this flame. Being able to interpret it like that makes this one of my favorite pieces, even though from a purely visual viewpoint (heh, visual viewpoint) it's not really that spectacular. Flames that really look like something get bumped up several notches on the list automatically.

I'm pretty sure this piece uses the same gradient as 'Purple Fountains' did. You can pick out each of the shades involved in that flame in this one; they're just not grouped together in quite the same way. The really scattered, un-coordinated color scheme that some flames have is caused by how the color palette was applied, not the palette itself. It's really hard to explain, and I don't understand the mechanism very well myself (not well enough to make it do what I want every time, certainly).

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Snowy branches in shadow

This is one of those rare pieces where if someone were to say to me "Oh, it looks like such and such a thing!" I would say, "That's nice. But it's actually what the title says. It just is, okay?" And then I'd glare at them if they continued to insist. For some reason this piece got set in my mind as representing a specific object (or perhaps the ideal of a specific object). So that's what it is for me, and since I made it I can feel free to tell people how to interpret it. Hopefully it looks enough like the title that I won't need to.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Spiny Pattern

I really like the fractal elements of this flame. It starts at the right with the undistorted, base shape, and as we go further left that shape shrinks, stretches, and twists. It doesn't look like much of anything, except maybe a fin or a wing of some sort. I think it's most interesting if viewed as just a shape, though.

'Spiny Pattern' is very nearly as simple as a flame can be. It only has two elements in it. It's always fun to find a flame that can be done with so few pieces, but it's also difficult to get it to look exactly the way I want. Small changes have big effects with flames like this. I'm reasonably satisfied with this flame, although the spiky bits do make it hard to fit comfortably on a canvas. It's always trying to poke it's way out through the sides.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Haunted Ocean

Between the slightly creepy color scheme and the thin protrusions that could be mistaken for masts or spars, I feel pretty good about the name for this piece. Haunted oceans have to have ghost ships, right? The stormy, heavy seas sort of look helps, I think.

I couldn't tell you how this flame is put together precisely right now, as I'm in the middle of a batch render. I'd rather not joggle its elbow by digging around for flame parameters. But just from looking at this I can tell you what a couple elements of this flame are. See where there are those very defined curved lines coming out of the orange part? The way those scale and twist indicates a plain repeat with down-scaling and some rotation on it. You can see this along the top edge of the flame as well, same thing (probably the same repeat, actually). There's also a foreshortened repeat of those lines coming off at a ninety degree angle to the first, but it's a little hard to see. The rest of the piece is probably foundation material, but it's hard to make distinctions as to which bit counts as what with these. Every piece influences every other piece, so it's mostly a matter of what came first when I was building the flame. It doesn't really matter overall.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Purple Quartzite

I feel terrible about this title. Just terrible. Quartzite is an actual rock, and it is nothing like the flame at right. Metamorphic sandstone, feh. If you're of the geologic persuasion, just imagine I named it Purple Generic Crystalline Structures instead.

The repeats on this flame are a little different than usual. Most of the time if I'm adding multiple repeats I'll add them one at a time in different spots. In this piece I added sets of two repeats at the same vertices, but with different rotations. I think that's what created the dense branching structures, as well as the two lobed purple shapes. I might have to play around with that technique again sometime soon, as I appear to have forgotten all about it in the two years since I made this flame.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tunnel of Bubbles

This flame is best viewed with someone standing behind you blowing bubbles through a straw in a glass of liquid, preferably chocolate milk. If you don't have a friend around to do this for you, I recommend doing it yourself. Just be careful that you don't spill any bubbles because you weren't watching how high they'd gone.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Explosive Chrysanthemum

Whose idea was it to make 'chrysanthemum' so hard to spell? I had to look up the spelling when I named this flame. It doesn't look particularly like a chrysanthemum anyway, but I couldn't think of a kind of flower with lots of spiky petals. Perhaps the petals are spiky because the Explosive Chrysanthemum is a rare variety. (Bred by the same people who brought you the Detonating Daisy, Blast Buttercup, and Incendiary Iris! Buy yours today!)

Since I'm starting to make up fake infomercial segments I'd better cut this short. I'm not entirely satisfied with the composition of this piece. I suspect it needs either a square frame or a skinny rectangular frame with lots of dead space. This flame shares a color palette with 'Prismatic Splash,' among others. I tend to slap this gradient onto flames a lot to see if it will work. It usually doesn't.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Purple Fountains

In an odd coincidence, I think this flame uses the same color palette as yesterday's. They weren't done at the same time, so I don't know if it's entirely by chance or if I decided to reuse it on purpose. It's probably one of the preset gradients that come bundled with Apophysis, so it's quite possible that the randomizer selected it twice.

I'm really not sure what to say about this piece. It seems to be just abstract enough that it's hard to compare it to an object, or any kind of 'real' thing. I'm writing this at 2 AM though, so I don't really trust my brain for this artistic stuff. If you don't really want to think about it too hard either, just go with the title: It's fountains, and they are purple. It doesn't fit perfectly, but it's the closest I can come.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tentatively Tenebrous Tendrils

Tenebrous: An adjective meaning dark and gloomy. So...I guess the tendrils are only a little bit sinister. They're not really sure if they should be looming, threatening, and being generally creepy. Give them a little time. I'm sure they'll be properly gloomy in a few days.

I really like the basic structure of this piece. It only has two real 'shaping' elements in it; they form that blueish section with the pink tinge that runs along the long axis of the flame. Everything else is just fractal repetion of those, and some color changing. I will admit to overusing my vocabulary in the title. But a chance to use alliteration, at least one type of rhyming (I don't have the formal education to tell you which one. Assonance or consonance, maybe both.), and an obscure word at the same time, and have it fit the piece? Too good an opportunity to pass up.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Speed Lines

I'm not exactly sure what left these speed lines behind in its wake, but I suspect it may have been some manner of futuristic car. The glowing blue patches are probably skid-marks, or possibly patches of pavement heated to searing intensity.

This flame was really just a 'sketch' piece. It's a mutation and recolor of a flame I spent a considerable amount of time on ('Troubled Waters', although I don't know when it will find its way up here). I have quite a few pieces like this kicking around. When I finish editing a flame I usually render it right away at desktop resolution, which takes about 10-15 minutes on average. I don't like to go do other stuff while that's going on, because I'm impatient to see how it turns out. So I'll spend the time fiddling with the flame some more; mutating it, messing with the colors, fine tuning this and that. Sometimes this leads to a superior version of the original flame. But more often it leads to a second flame that shares elements with the first, but is its own entity.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Nightmare Carnival

Are those ambulatory carnivorous ferris wheels? Why yes, I think they are! This might be because of a disaffected carny who's been taking mad science correspondence courses, but I myself blame the funnel cake radiation.

The fractal flame medium seems to be good at making eyes and mouths, but I suspect this is really just a trick of the human brain. Eyes and mouths are generally the more important bits of what people look at. Things that look just a little bit like an eye get the benefit of the doubt.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Sea Sprites

No, I'm not referring to the soda. Or to pixelated animations. The word 'sprite' in the title is "a broad term referring to a number of preternatural legendary creatures" (thank you wikipedia).

This flame is somewhat more fractal than most of my works, but you may have to look a little closer to see it. There's a sort of 'S' shape that seems to be the main repeated element. It gets twisted out of a shape a lot, though, so it might be hard to pick out. I think that shape is what makes it look like there are grotesque little faces* in the flame.

*Grotesque faces not guaranteed. Your mileage may vary. Do not look at this flame while operating heavy machinery, because that would be a really stupid thing to do.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Wallpaper Motif

It's not any wallpaper I'd ever want to buy, but to each their own. This piece is really just fractal repeats of cutesy flowers. Still, it's surprisingly relaxing to look at. Even though parts of it are trying to imitate double vision.

This is a very artificial flame; no mutations or random elements are present. The basic shape is four circles arranged like petals. Most of the rest of what you see is just undistorted repeats (or repeats that are simply stretched in one direction). Every now and then I like to experiment with this kind of thing, but most of my best flames have some random element to them that I didn't choose.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Crystalline Beast

This isn't your ordinary looks-like-an-animal-only shiny crystalline beast. This is the kind that blends perfectly with rock faces and shambles out at you unexpectedly, screeching and vibrating hideously.

Okay, so the previous paragraph may be evidence of an overactive imagination. But something about this flame begs to be...de-abstracted. How you go about it and what you de-abstract (Sorry, english language! You know I don't really mean it.) it are up to you. I merely offer a suggestion.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Mystic Diadem

This flame breaks the mold a bit. I make symmetric flames only very infrequently nowadays, although I did do quite a few of them early on. I like the B-movie prop effect this piece has going for it. It looks like it could be an object, but only if it were an incredibly chintzy and cheap looking object. Clear plastic, maybe some glitter to bring out the pointy bits. And all sitting on the head of an actress who's doing her best to keep a straight face while reading terrible dialogue.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Supervibration

The blurring and lines in this piece have convinced me that it is some manner of strange plant, vibrating to attract pollinators or deter predators.

This piece makes use of pastel colors. Usually when I do this it's to avoid too jarring an image. Some of the more intense shapes and textures aren't enjoyable to look at when they've got a vibrant color palette. Of course, it's also possible that I just like pastels.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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People in the Mist

This is a rather interesting pair of flames. They're really the same flame, rotated to different angles. The canvas is mirrored on the second one, as well. Anyway, these came about from a desire to make a flame that actually looked like a specific object: A dam. My first attempt was rather lackluster, and is not something I'll be sharing. But I wasn't ready to quit yet, so I fiddled with it some more, and came up with the image at right. It's less of a dam and more of a waterfall, but I still like it. It may be a bit tough to figure out the reasoning behind the title on this one, so I'll give you a hint: Imagine the white speckles in the really crashy part of the image are faces, or lanterns, or something like that.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Downstream

While I was working on 'People in the Mist' I was having a terribly tough time figuring out how it should be oriented on the canvas. Something about the shape of the piece was just awkward. If I zoomed out far enough that no elements were cut off, it looked lonely and incomplete, with funny edges sticking out all over the place. If I moved it so the funny edges were cut off, I was also cutting off bits I wanted visible. And the big long lines that faded away to black really wanted to be parallel to a canvas edge. I couldn't find a 'perfect' orientation for the flame, so I went with two not-so-perfect renders instead. I'm rather pleased by the way they turned out.

By the way: Yes, I do think this one looks like a dam.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Surfing

I'm not too certain about the title on this one. Maybe it's an indoor wave simulator, and it's being lit with brightly colored spotlights for some sort of crazy party? Literal interpretations aside, the shape of this flame conveyed such a feeling of fluid motion to me that 'Surfing' was the only name that seemed to fit.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Coelocanth

It's rather abstract, (which is as it should be) but if you squint your eyes and contort your brain just right, there's a fish in this flame. It is perhaps not the most accurate reproduction of a Coelocanth ever, but I'd be interested to see a fractal flame representation that beats it. This piece makes use of a spherical/waves repeat, which is what produces those partially opaque curving triangles. You can find several other flames that use the same technique on this blog, the most recent being 'Thumbprint,' from a couple weeks ago.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Feather Fan

I think this piece comes closer to the texture and shape of something real than anything else I've ever done. The fact that it looks good is really just an added bonus. The colors may need a little tweaking if I ever get it printed; that green is just a little hard to see.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Maintenance Port

I no longer remember if the effect was intentional (this flame is from March of last year), but I love the way the components of this work 'stack' to create an illusion of depth. As the title implies, it looked to me like a panel or cover had been removed from a piece of machinery to get at the plugs and wiring inside. The second iteration of repeats in the center there look sort of like S-video sockets, now that I think about it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Waves2

I consider the bottom half or so of this flame to be rather boring. Interesting textures, perhaps. I think the fun part of this piece is the swoopy part with the white and blue highlights. It makes this flame cry out for sound effects and cheesy onomatopoeia. "Ksshhhh! Sploosh! Crash!" I always find myself mentally inserting surf noises when I'm looking at this piece.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tectonics

Not a very good title on this one. It looks a little bit fissured and cracked, but I'm not seeing any subduction zones in it looking at it now. Maybe there's a mid-ocean ridge in there somewhere?

I do like the fractal 'edge' you can see running throughout this flame. If you're familiar with Brownian Motion (and if you're not, click the link. Although the article about Random Walk has better pictures.) you may see some of the similarities. Brownian motion and random walking are often used to generate realistic looking coastlines and terrain. The general outline of this flame would make a pretty nifty island, wouldn't it?

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Cloud Arches

I don't really have anything to say about this one; it's an intact work without commentary. I hope you like it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Hot Spring Scum

If you've ever been to Yellowstone you'll know what I'm referencing here. I've never been there myself, I simply watch too much documentary television. Do a google image search of 'Yellowstone hot spring' and you'll see what I mean. It's cool stuff.

This flame has some very interesting fractal patterning going on. It happens to have been highlighted by the green color, which makes it one of the more noticeable features. But there is also a very pretty repeating pattern that starts in the middle of that blue are. It has smaller repeats going out to the edges of the piece, although most of them aren't as variably colored as the initial shape.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Spiral Inversions

Far too many of my titles end up being half-hearted attempts to describe the flame. By the time I finish with a piece I'm usually ready to move on, so unless I've thought of a name while I'm working, I don't want to spend much time on naming it. I suppose that's one of the failure points in my 'process,' and I should change that. Old habits die hard, though.

Today's piece didn't really get the consideration it deserved come naming time, but I rather like the piece itself. It's a little difficult to make sense of at first, which makes me want to keep looking at it. That's usually a good sign for a flame.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Stained Lace

I really like the way the colors are distributed in this flame. For the most part, they merge seamlessly. The dark red and blue down at the bottom don't, but I think the piece would be boring if the colors were that uniform. The observant may recognize Gradient 209, but I have no shame over using it in this particular piece. It's a much more recent work, and I hadn't used it in months, I'm sure.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Leaf Tones

I actually got pretty green colors in this flame. Not very many, but some. Greens are incredibly difficult to make look good on computer monitors, for some reason. Something to do with the way the RGB color scheme works, I guess. Anyway, I was really pleased with the color palette for this flame. It's got a rather interesting texture, as well, but the color is mostly what I wanted to show off with this one.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Exploding Submarine

Probably a sign that I liked the movie 'Red October' way too much when I was a child. Ah well. You can't beat Sean Connery. This flame is 'Disentegration's sibling, produced by mutation and a little fiddling. As you can see, they've got an identical color scheme, and a lot of the elements are the same. The textures in 'Submarine' are a little bit smaller and more complex, and the shape has changed a bunch. I almost wish I'd missed a day so I would have had an excuse to post both of these at once, but it's probably better this way.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Disintegration

This flame really needs sound effects. Something along the lines of a rattling, vibrating electrical hum. Maybe a bass rumble to go along with it. I really like the wobbly, teetering feel to this piece. Add in the wavy blurs that make it look like it's vibrating and it really is a good fit for the title. You can clearly see fractal repeats of the main shape, too, which is a little unusual for this kind of flame.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Abstract 8-12-07

Maybe some sort of bird plumage? Palm fronds that are inexplicably cerulean in hue? Some manner of coral reef beastie? I couldn't decide, so this flame got saddled with an 'Abstract' for a title. This piece is a rather dramatic example of what I like to call 'artificial lighting' in a flame. It looks as thoughh there's a light source shining on just a segment of the piece, but it's actually just a trick of color and where the densest parts of the flame are.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Primordial Pasta

Primordial soup had noodles in it, right? All those archaic bacteria had to be eating something. Unlike yesterday's flame, 'Primordial Pasta' does beat you over the head with its fractal elements. The whole thing is made up of those little bowtie-noodle shapes. It's really a nifty effect. I especially like the way they tendril out over on the right. Even though tendril isn't a verb.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Parting the Sea

A rather vaporous looking flame, in my opinion. I really liked the wispiness in this piece. The actual structure of the flame is a bit unusual; I started off by putting together a symmetrical flame by hand, and then added a few asymmetries to it. Just enough to make it interesting, really.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tangled Streams

So, this is a pretty cool looking flame. Nifty textures, interesting colors, and GREAT GATSBY THERE'S FACES IN THERE! (No, I don't know why I picked that particular exclamation. Why do you ask?) Really though, look at it. That largest black space in the middle? Mouth. Next black space up? Eye. Also another mouth. Fractal faces, cool huh? There are even nostrils in there. Really creepy looking ones, I must say. I had not intended for this to be creepy faces. But it is, so...Happy Halloween! And no, the title is not meant to be a Ghostbusters reference. Never even seen the movie.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Anemones (second view)

I'm quite fond of the 'tentacle' effect in this flame, but it's unfortunately linked rather closely to the other things that make this flame interesting. Kind of hard to transfer without it being just a copy of the original with a few tweaks. The 'second view' business in the title refers to the fact that this was the second render of this flame I did. The first one had the canvas centered a little further towards the base of the image, and the colors in that segment looked unfortunately like blood in the water. So instead we have this nice, mostly-pastel version with an unwieldy title. Pay no attention to the red over on the left. It's um...algae. Yeah. Algae. Let's go with that.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Aurora

The title for this flame is one of those 'exactly what is says on the tin' sort of things. Speaking of the title, does anybody else think 'Aurora' is a really weird word? Try saying it. The double 'or' sound feels kinda weird on the tongue.

As for the flame itself: I love the shapes in this piece. That segment to the right is almost worth clipping out and turning into a long, skinny print. The piece would be improved by a little variation in color, maybe throw in a little pink and purple. But it does work with the monochrome scheme.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Star Violets

Far too many of my flames seem to be "In SPACE!" I think it's because I like using black backgrounds so often. Nonetheless, the idea of delicate little flowers floating through vacuum rather tickles my sense of poetry. I'm sure there's all kinds of deeper meaning in there. On the subject of this flame, though: It's just supposed to be pretty.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Stellar Reef

This is a recolor that I spent maybe two minutes on. I still like it better than the original color scheme, which was pretty much the same one I used in 'Chinese Cloud' with a little bit of purple thrown in. It wasn't very attractive. I love the textures in this flame, and the new colors enhance them a lot. This is just about the only flame where I've achieved that billowy, fabric-like effect that you see over on the right. I should really see if I can duplicate that in an interesting way. All too often a technique that's interesting in one flame is ugly in another, or just doesn't work without so many elements identical to the original flame that it might as well be the same one.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Flow

I like this flame for its simplicity. If you look at this flame and really think about each line, you'll see that the whole thing is composed of a couple different line shapes; one is a curve with a forked end, and the other is a hook. That's all that's happening here.

Also, I didn't notice this until years after I'd done this flame, but it looks like a stylized passenger jet. Weird, huh?

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tangle

I wouldn't be at all surprised if this flame made a loud electrical buzzing noise. That highlighted front portion really looks like a chunk of electrical arc from a tesla coil. I'm not sure what the swirly bits off to the side represent in this analogy. Maybe it's a visual representation of the really obnoxious buzzing sound.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Sand Garden

I figure that the monk who tends this particular sand garden has mastered some of the more unusual meditative principles, like how to control the very fabric of space and time. You know he'd use his newfound talent to make his sand garden the coolest one in the monastery. C'mon, wouldn't you? The widescreen version of this flame is matted. The edges that get chopped off were kind of ugly, so you don't get to look at them.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Eddy Current

This flame looked rather watery to me, so I decided to give it a watery name. Looking at it now it looks more like water draining through a small crack, but I still like the name. This piece is a fairly early one, right at the beginning of the period where I started learning that color in a flame is a good thing. Even so, I think the colors here work quite well.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Dragon's Spine

Another recent work, and one that I'm quite pleased with. The patterning on this flame almost seems like zebra stripes or something similar. I'm always delighted when I get an effect that makes use of the 'negative' space in a piece. At the same time, though, this makes it a bit awkward to try and transfer the piece to a different color of background in the future.

Note that the widescreen version of this is matted; I wanted to keep the same aspect ratio on the actual flame this time.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Whirligig

Towering complexity, wildly varied colors, incredible detail...oh wait, that's tomorrow's. Today's flame, 'Whirligig,' is all about simplicity. There's no real color variation, so all that's there is the shape of the flame and a little bit of texture. But that circular portion over to the left is really quite fascinating. It's got this strange oil-on-water thing going on, only the surface of the water isn't flat.

Anyway, lots of black space in this one. I could have reduced that by putting the flame at an angle, but that would have made it something different. 'Hatpin' or something instead. Disclaimer: I blame any crazed, pseudo-artistic ramblings on my influenza. It's probably not the influenza's fault, but we'll go with that anyway.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Abstract 4-25-07

My nominative creativity failed me with this one, but I really like the spidery, squiggly lines. The overall shade of the piece is one of my favorite colors. I really like blues in that range. I think this piece would end up with a name if I did it today, but it would probably be a weak one. I have no idea what I would call this. Chances are it might just get abandoned; that happens sometimes with flames I can't name.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Swooping Down

The first word that comes to mind when I look at this flame is 'frothy.' I think that's mostly the color scheme, although the feathery edges at the bottom aid the effect. I think the texture in the upper right portion of the flame is my favorite thing about it. The thin, bi-colored lines overlaid on the solid surface appeal to me. This flame is part two a three flame set. You can find #3 a little ways down the page. #1 wasn't quite as good as its younger siblings, so it doesn't come out in public much.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Motion Blur

With this flame, the first word that comes to mind is more of an onomatopoeia. "Whap" or possibly "Swish!" The exclamation point is crucial, though. It is interesting to note that both this flame and 'Swooping Down' use a signifcant amount of black or near black coloring. Since they're on a black background, those portions of the image effectively disappear. I usually don't use black when I'm coloring a flame, but in this case I think it turned out well.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Chinese Cloud

It seemed like a perfectly reasonable title at the time, but I suppose some people might see it as offensive. It's called 'Chinese Cloud' because it reminded me of some of the stylized artwork from that part of the world. So put down your political correctness hammers, please.

If you're looking closely, you might notice some similarities between this flame and 'Wings Ascending' in the gallery. I used something similar to the base repeat in 'Wings' in this piece, then muddied it up and blurred it and flipped it around every which way. But it's still there, if you look.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Bird in flight

This one is definitively a bird. My brother insisted that it was a shark, and I can sort of see where he might go wrong. But it's a bird. It even has a little beak and a little eye. I like the vibrant colors in this one, even though they trend a little far towards neon. The shape was very serendipitous. It's very difficult to make a shape on purpose, so when I get flames that just happen to look like objects, its pretty exciting.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Orthogonal Cloudscape

This flame is a recent one, from the end of last month. I was really happy with it; I think it ended up staying as my desktop background for at least a week. The tesselated square pattern is very fun, even if it's not a true tesselation. What I really liked, though, ws the patterning inside the square pieces. Add in the colors and the impression of 'lighting' that the shape of this flame creates, and it's pretty high up on my list of favorite pieces.

Note: The widescreen version of this piece is matted. It just didn't fit in the wider aspect ratio correctly.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Blue Moon

I got at least one 'That's no moon!' and at least one musical reference from the people I showed this one to. Since those are an awesome movie and a pretty cool song, respectively, I'm okay with that. This flame is pretty simple; I think it only has two or three elements to it. But I liked the sharp lines a bunch, and the different densities of the segments of the image are fascinating.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Nuclear Rainclouds or Atomic Ocean

So interesting that I had to give it two names. Well, not really. The way it's oriented right now, it's 'Nuclear Rainclouds.' If it was rotated 180 degrees it would be 'Atomic Ocean.' Anyway, this flame is another of those with lots of densely packed repeats. I'm fairly certain I've used this color set in some other flames as well, but I can't think which ones at the moment.

Also: Sorry this is a bit late; I completely forgot I needed to do one of these this morning.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Zephyrs

Today's flame strikes a nice balance between complexity and simplicity. There are enough shapes to keep the eye interested, but not so many as to make it feel cluttered. The swirling, moving feel to the piece inspired the name. The idea of little puffs of animate breeze dancing and frolicking made me smile.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Rapids

This flame sticks out a bit in my memory because it was one of the first I did using a new version of Apophysis. The new version really did have a lot of nice features in it, and a lot of my flames after this point have a decidedly different style to them (Although I don't really have one single 'style' as such, so it's hard to say). A major part of this is that the new version came with about five times as many pre-packaged color palettes. I think I stopped committing visual assault using neon purples after that. Mostly.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Exploding Gas Giant

Do gas giants come in pink? Does anybody know? This flame is the sibling to 'Boiling Planet.' I figured I might as well stick the two of them together and save the trouble of a hyperlink. Overall I think 'Gas Giant' is the superior of the two flames. I can't really point to a specific reason, that's just the way I feel. Go figure.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Skylight

This is one I did three or four days ago. Sometimes I like to play around with more geometric effects than I usually use, and this was the result. The 'tile' shapes around the edges of the focal area are particularly satisfying; that's a new trick for me. I need to go back and rotate the piece about 20 degrees counter-clockwise sometime. The widescreen version of this piece is matted.

Starting today I will no longer be providing the 800x600 copies of the images on here. There didn't seem to be much point, and it cuts out a quarter of the post-processing to get rid of them.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Pathways and Vortices

Another flame made up of lots and lots of close together pieces. I liked doing that sort of thing quite a lot for a while, but I can never seem to make it work right anymore. Maybe I've become pickier, I don't know. This flame doesn't have anything I consider particularly noteworthy; it's just kind of cool. You can definitely see the fractality in it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Purple Peacocks (inset)

Occasionally I'll do multiple camera views of the same fractal. This was the second view of this piece, and it was zoomed in from the original, hence the (inset) label. Like yesterday's piece, 'Purple Peacocks' gives the impression of having a light shining on part of the image. I always enjoy that effect when I can produce it; it's not one I've figured out the trick to yet.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Fibers and feathers

I like the impression of lighting on this flame. It looks like it has a spotlight aimed at it, or as if it's partly in shadow. I have no idea whether that was intentional or not. I'd like to think it was, but it was probably serendipity. Most of the truly interesting flames I come up with are at least half accident.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Coral Garden

While there are things about this image that I don't like, the overall resemblance to coral and sponges and other underwater beasties wins out. This flame is a bit messy, especially over on the upper left. I think I'd need to mess around with the 'weights' a bit to get it to work. (Those of you who have used Apophysis will probably know what I'm talking about.)

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Wave Bouquet

The polished-metal effect in this flame is very cool. The shine is mostly from the texture, although the shift to a lighter color on the parts that appear shiny helps too. This is another flame in a class with 'Molten Wave' and 'Conch' that has a large number of repeats overlapping to create a smooth texture. In this case, though, the repeats are rather swirly, which creates the round areas in the body of the piece.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Abstract 2-15-08

Another one that I couldn't name. I absolutely love this flame, though. The combination of the blurred zig-zags in pink and the sharp lines and gentle curves of the blue and brown areas is quite striking. Someday I'll get around to thinking of a name for this. It really does deserve one.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Water Serpent

A lot of fantasy has magic snakes made of water or water elementals or suchnot: this is one of those. I like the vaguely bubbly produced by the light specks on darker portions of the flame, as well as the scrolled, tendrilous look throughout the image.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Light from the Surface

I decided I needed to recolor this one when I did the renders to post it online. It was originally a rather hideous electric royal blue shade, very monotone. The new colors bring out the feathery textures in this piece much better, as well as avoiding retinal damage to the viewer.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Fractal Lozenge

It's off center on purpose. It probably needs to be just a little further off center, actually. I don't have a lot else to say about this one; nice, subtle colors. Funky texture. It's fun!

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Watersquiggle

Slightly more chaotic then I generally like, but the colors are good and there are some interesting shapes in the central area of the piece. The 'Squiggle' in the 'Watersquiggle' as it were. I really don't care for the sharp edges up near the top of the canvas, but they're a side effect of some of the more interesting variations.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Ballistic Armadillo

I find this flame particularly amusing if I imagine a tiny armadillo scream dopplering past. "EEEEEeeeeee...." Whether armadillos actually scream I don't know, but it makes me smile.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Snowflakes

Yes, I know they have eight-fold symmetry instead of hexagonal. But it just didn't look as cool with six, so there you go. The shape of this one reminded me quite strongly of looking up in a snowstorm (which is really disorienting and really, really cool), so I fiddled the colors to something wintery and slapped the title on it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Illuminated fountain

The title on this one is pretty obvious. But I suppose I could have called it 'Roman Candle' or something along those lines just as easily, although the color scheme isn't quite right for that. And I like these colors quite a lot; I can't remember off the top of my head whether there were actually purple shades in the color palette I used, or if the overlapping red and blue segments caused those, but either way it's a cool effect.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Mandibles

Little tiny pincery jaws, all hooked onto each other, just waiting for something to bite. Chomp, chomp, chomp...'Mandibles' has always seemed to me to be very easy to look at. None of the elements of the piece are overly jarring or out of place, and the color scheme is neutral but intereresting. Fun fact: this is gradient #209, hue shifted just a bit. Sneaky little thing, isn't it?

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Particle Trace

Here's one for the physics buffs out there. This flame reminded me of the images produced by particle accelerators (like this one). Shinier colors, of course. Shiny colors improve most things. I'm pretty sure I've used this color set on a few other fractals...I can't think which ones at the moment, though. I'll try and point them out if I post any of them on here.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Waveshell

I love the combination of shape, texture, color, and title in this flame. I don't have a whole lot else to say about it; this is one of the few flames that I'm genuinely happy with when I look back at it years later. I hope you like it too.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Spaceflow

'Spaceflow' was a runner up for both runs of 8"x10" prints (six in the first, four in the second), but it just didn't make the cut. I really, really wanted to get it printed, but I didn't think it would appeal to a wide enough range of people. I hope I get a chance to get it printed off someday, but unless I get a request for it specifically, it's probably not going to happen. (Hint, hint.)

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Froth

I'm pretty sure this flame is comprised entirely of little fishies. It might be dolphins instead, I guess. But they're splashing enthusiastically. Maybe one of them is caught on a fisherman's hook. Or maybe they're trying to jump for the moon. Perhaps it's a bait ball trying to escape from a whale. You decide.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Clef

This is the second flame I've done that has reminded me of a musical clef. In this case, it reminded me of the Treble clef. I like the strong central line in the body of this flame, with the projections and swirls coming out from it. The color placement in 'Clef' really helps to emphasize this.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Storm at the Terminator

This piece reminded me strongly of a satellite image of a hurricane, with half of it in sunlight and half in shadow: Hence the title, 'Storm at the Terminator.' I really should have fiddled with the placement of this one a bit before I rendered it, but this was done before I really understood composition. If it were done today, I would probably slide it over about 20% to the right. I wouldn't touch the color, though. I like that shade of blue.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tree of Gold

I really wasn't that happy with certain aspects of today's flame, 'Tree of Gold.' I love the way the color scheme turned out, and the twisty 'branches' were really close to what I had envisioned when I started on this one. But the messy stuff between them bothers me a bit. I'll have to figure out a way to clean that up before I do more fractals this way.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Aperture

This is one of those pieces where my first reaction to the finished render is 'Oooooh...shiiiiiiiny.' I'm not ashamed to admit it. This has always been one of my favorite pieces compositionally. The actual textures and shapes aren't as interesting, which is something of a pity. Still, I hope some of you can get some enjoyment out of it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Conch (pearly)

If you've looked around the site just a bit, this flame may be familiar to you. (For those of you who haven't: look here) This is a very striking example of how different color palettes affect the final appearance of a piece. This was the second color palette I tried for this flame, and I actually prefer it to the one that I had printed off. But I already had several pieces with blue as the dominant color already, and I wanted a more balanced selection. So the brown version went to the photo lab, and this one got to sit on my hard drive.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Wings

Today's piece, 'Wings,' has a lot of fun shapes in it. The central shapes have blurred 'echo' images out towards the edges, and the middle part of the flame really looks like you could just turn it inside out and have dozens of those scalloped shapes spill out. I was particularly pleased with this one from a technique standpoint; only three fractal repeats went into it (compared with dozens in flames like 'Conch' or 'Molten Wave'

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Chaotic Flare

I both really like this fractal and am subtly dissatisfied with it at the same time. I can't quite say why, either. Maybe it's the orange. Anyway, 'Chaotic Flare' is interesting mainly for the textures. The impression of the surface of something roiling and bubbling and reaching out wispy tendrils is pretty cool too, I suppose.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Tubular

Alternate titles for today's flame include 'Nightmare wiring job' and 'Attack of the Slinkies 2: The Slinkening.' Officially, however, it's titled 'Tubular' and that's what we'll refer to it as. This piece is unusual because the visual elements that make it interesting are not the central focus; instead, those elements 'frame' a section in the middle with not much going on. I kind of like the effect produced.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Line of Asymmetry

Another flame in the style of 'Molten Wave.' Again, you can see striations in parts of the image which are an artifact of the technique used to produce the smooth, blurred effect found in both flames. In an interesting coincidence, both images use the same color palette, although 'Line of Asymmetry' uses a larger section of it.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Dueling Saxaphones

I am at a loss to explain how fractal saxaphonists ended up in this flame. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Hm. You know, it still seems like a good idea. 'Dueling Saxaphones' needs no other comment.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Spectrum Flow

This flame reminds me quite a bit of some of the video of lava flows I've seen on TV, with that kind of dip where the surface slides almost out of sight in a fold and then flows up again (Essentially I'm thinking of the stereotypical stock footage that the National Geographic channel always uses whenever they have a shred of an excuse). Just...more colorful. The shiny-bumpy texture and the slide through most of the rainbow are a fun combination. I tried this flame with a blander color palette, but it really needs the range of colors to shine.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Shipkiller, parts 1 and 2

This set of flames really needs to be seen together for full effect, so you get a double today. 'Shipkiller' and 'Shipkiller 2' are essentially the same fractal. As I recall, I only changed one variable and fiddled with the color a little bit between them. I wasn't even intending to make a set at the time, but I really liked the way it looked when you put the two of them together, so here they are.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

Shipkiller:

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Shipkiller 2:

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Lights in the mist

'Lights in the mist' is a very atypical work for me. It's a very busy sort of picture. But I like the shapes in it; you can't really see on the preview image, but if you look at the big ones you'll notice that a lot of the little 'lights' are shaped like whales or fish.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Moondial

Today's piece, 'Moondial,' is particularly interesting if you look for a three-dimensional shape in it. The ribbed section in the left becomes a flat surface with an arching ceiling, which leads through a bizarre twist to spin back in the other direction on the right. It's not exactly Escher, but it's pretty cool.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Liftoff!

I have to grin every time I look at this fractal. 'Liftoff!' has a delightful sense of movement to it. I almost wish I could add sound effects to this: 'Pyew! Pyew! Whoooosh!' The lower half of the image does a fair impersonation of a body of water reflecting the objects above it, too.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Giant Clockworks

'Giant Clockworks' is actually one of the flames I had on the short-list when I was selecting which ones to print. It's just so shiny! Something about it just didn't click right, though. I still can't quite pin it down. But still, shiiiiiny...

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Array Number 23

Occasionally I'll make a flame that looks really good, but doesn't really resemble anything. In such cases, I like to indulge my whimsy when it comes to naming. Hence, 'Array Number 23.' An array of what? I don't know. Think of something. Are there twenty-two others? Maybe. I haven't made them yet, though.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Metal Crystals

Today's fractal, 'Metal Crystals,' is one of those odd flames that appear almost spotlit. The center of the piece has very bright, light colors, which fade off quickly as you approach the edges. For me, this makes me think of some sort of deep sea rover shining its lights on some unknown lifeform or rock formation.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Seafloor

Previous entries have been a little heavy on the reds and yellows, so I thought a blue one would be a nice change. 'Seafloor' has some interesting darker-on-lighter patterning that doesn't turn up very often. I was quite pleased with how very blue the blue was on this piece. It's hard to get deep, intense colors that aren't eye-searingly bright.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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Shards

Today's fractal is titled 'Shards.' This piece is quite a bit different than what I usually do, but it's still one of my favorites. I was very happy with the way the colors turned out on this one; usually it's difficult to get well defined shapes that are a single color.

Download links: Right click and hit 'Save Link As' to download. If you just want to look at a larger version of the image, simply follow the link.

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