• What IS a Fractal?
• Fractal Art Quilt Article
• Fractal Websites
• Suggested Books
• Fractal Software
• Fractal Song
• Fractal Prints

Fractal Art Quilts

This article was written at the request of Sylvia Landman and was used in May 2003 for her Quilters Page.

Mandelbrot Set

If you asked me how I discovered fractals I couldn't answer. In my school years the subject of mathematics was of interest to me but the theory of chaos and related research was not on the curriculum. There must have been a moment when I read a book or someone posted an interesting message on an Internet mailing list that hooked me. How can such gorgeous shapes and glorious colors not fascinate one? They are real and all around us. It's difficult to explain exactly what a fractal is but I offer a basic interpretation of a very complicated mathematical formula.

Fractal geometry can be applied to the rise and fall of the stock market, the orbit of the galaxies in the sky, even to the tidal ebb and flow of the Nile. Suppose you kept a daily record of these random numbers. Stretch those days out over a very long period of time and a pattern would emerge from the chaos. It would take a lot of people and many, many years to calculate the pattern of these movements and come up with an equation to link the figures together. With the advent of the computer it became possible to crunch the numbers and project graphs of these irregular time series. Magnify a small section of these graphs and they often appear very similar to a larger section.

Or think of it this way. Picture a twig. It has features just like the branch that sprouted it; in its turn the branch has the same characteristics as the tree it grew from. The equation to describe this self-similarity is a fractal.

Here's another example of self-similarity. Image a coastline on a map. It measures a few inches on the paper. Then think of walking that coastline - now you are talking about quite a few miles. Think of walking it again but this time taking a tape measure with you and painstakingly working around every grain of sand and blade of grass. It is the same space but different scales - another fractal.

As average human beings we struggle with such mind-boggling numbers but what we have, is access to the rendered images. Extraordinary designs can be created with fractal and graphic computer software. Do we need to know what a fractal is to use fractal software? Not at all. It isn't necessary to know what electricity is, as long as the lights come on. Artists can use computer-generated fractals as a frame of reference without understanding the mathematical parameters.

There is debate whether digital art is really art. Remember the same question arose when photography hit the scene. A camera is available to most of us, what we do with it is where the art lies. Apply the same philosophy to modern personal computers. Fractal and graphic software is available on the Internet, free to download. The art is in how we manipulate that digital tool.

The best known graphic rendition of a fractal is the Mandelbrot Set, an intricate and elegant image discovered in 1980 by mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot. At the end of this article there is a short list of links to fractal galleries on the Internet. Take a look at what people are doing with this simple digital map and dare to tell me these beautiful images aren't art. Each art form has its own unique grammar and technique. The challenge of the fractal art quilt is:

These are the steps I have evolved to take the initial computer design to finished artwork.

• Design an image using fractal and graphic software.
• Reduce the image to a black and white line drawing.
• Print out and transfer to a paper master template.
• Trace the master design onto clear acetate, dressmakers pattern paper or a large sheet of tracing paper.
• Reverse this pattern, lay a sheet of freezer paper over and trace again. Add register marks and numbering where required.
• Either use the original fractal image or work with the black and white drawing and choose fabric colors.
• Use silks, velvet, polyester or any other interesting textiles as well as 100% cotton.
• Choose prints that read almost solid from a distance. Hand-dyed cotton or silk, Bali's tone on tone and very small motifs are excellent choices. Floral and geometric patterns are occasionally useful as accent pieces but use stripes sparingly. Marbleized fabrics are gorgeous used this way.
• Simple curved sections can be pieced together. Complicated curves need to be appliquéd.
• The finished top can be embroidered, beaded, embellished and finally sandwiched, quilted and bound.

I didn't learn to do this all by myself, nor did it happen overnight. My husband created a monster by teaching me to use the computer. Once the basics were grasped I was off and running - no graphic software was safe from my meddling experiments. My friends in the small quilting guild I belong to have always been supportive and have patiently lead me through various quilting skills. There are also some terrific instruction books available. I already had good needlework skills, after all I am English!

To capture the look of fluffy bits I incorporated as many traditional skills as necessary. Most of the pieces are entirely hand-made using many of my own hand-dyed fabrics. Ribbons, threads, interesting novelty yarns and quilting cottons are part of my stash.

Sometimes there is a barrier of diffidence when approaching a piece of art. We are not always sure what we are looking at. Fractal art quilts go a long way to breaking down that first moment of uncertainty. The strange, complex images combined with the sensuous substance of a quilt are very compelling. The urge to touch draws us into the work, creating an immediate connection between the artist and ourselves.

Fractal images are so lovely and can express so much. After many years of painting stylized gouaches (opaque watercolors) I can explore abstraction and enjoy using the needlework skills needed to put these challenging works of art together.

For further study

Benoit Mandelbrot

Websites with information on fractals:
Cynthia Lanius' Lessons, A Fractals Unit for Elementary and Middle School Students - for those of us who are mathematically challenged this is a great site and goes a long way to explaining the fractal phenomenon.
The Infinite Fractal Loop - a gateway to many interesting galleries and information.

Fractal and graphic software links:
Ultra Fractal
Fractint
Fractal Forge
Adobe Photoshop CS2

Online fractal art galleries:
Amazing Seattle Fractals
Fractal Page by Paul N Lee by Paul N Lee
Fractivity by Janet Parke
Sprott's Fractal Gallery

Rose Rushbrooke
Artist, Quiltmaker,
Fractalist and Character Animator

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