By Brenda Molloy
The image that leads this post, “Waves of Energy,” is from my new series, SOURCED FROM THE INFINITE. It is accompanied by a quote from Richard Thieme:
“Once we break through fear, there is nothing but space, sheer possibility.
Then we can fly.”
In making fractal art I work with formulas and use the computer as a tool to create an image. Shape, color, lighting and textures are all created with mathematical formulas. Each piece is made up of many layers that are merged or blended together, using technology. There is much more to the process than that, and I know there is more to life than can be seen. This is about making the invisible visible, and I see myself as an artist who works with the non-tangible.
I’ve been aware of non-ordinary reality since I was very young. I remember, for example, waking from a nap when I was five, walking down the stairs and seeing an angel walking with me. Later, when I was in the third grade, I was awakened by a blinding white light that scared me and left me trembling. It had a presence, and even though I didn’t know what it was, I knew there was an unfamiliar side to life.
I’ve been an artist all my life. At first my medium was fiber art. I used hand dyeing, silk screening, stitching, beading and quilting in what I created. Then one day an intuitive urge told me, “Go to the Lewiston Fine Arts Fair this weekend.” It kept grabbing my attention, so I went even though I did not know why. My intuition nudged me, and I acted on it. While I was there I met an artist who created fractal art. I was already attracted to it but this woman’s art was unlike the brightly colored, almost garish fractals that I had seen on calendars. Hers was subtle, beautiful, truly fine art and she became my teacher.
Originally, I struggled with my new art form but now it’s my bliss, and the images feel inspired. My intuition continues to be involved in the art that I create. When something seems to want to come through, I step aside and allow it. That which is sensed, but not seen, attracts me.
Fractal art is art that reaches deep into the soul, speaking to our essence. It affects each of us personally and individually as it reaches our emotions, sensations and deep awareness. Fractals involve harmonics and vibrations that can touch and heal the body, mind, and spirit. Researchers, in peer-reviewed journals, have been documenting the calming and soothing effect that fractals have on the human body.
Books have played an important role in my life and as I read, I copied down passages that spoke to me on a visceral level. My book, ART THAT RESONATES – Harmonic Art for the Body/Mind/Soul, has the premise that, “Wisdom is Wisdom, no matter the source.”
Quotes from people with a wide variety of beliefs are paired with each image. I felt that my daughter and son grew up so fast that I was left with the question, ”Did I expose my children to enough wisdom as they grew up?” That question has kept me searching, wanting to know more about wisdom now.
We are living in a troubled time, a time with many strong emotions – especially fear. I believe strongly that we are all connected and that even our thoughts about somebody can reach out and affect them. My new series creates a portal to another realm, another dimension, one which has a soothing and calming effect on the human body and spirit. I wish to add to beauty in the world and to be a part of making the invisible visible.
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From Celia:
What is a fractal? Here’s an explanation from https://www.fractalfoundation.org/resources/what-are-fractals/
“A fractal is a never-ending pattern. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales. They are created by repeating a simple process over and over in an ongoing feedback loop. Driven by recursion, fractals are images of dynamic systems. … Fractal patterns are extremely familiar, since nature is full of fractals. For instance: trees, rivers, coastlines, mountains, clouds, seashells, hurricanes, etc. Abstract fractals – such as the Mandelbrot Set – can be generated by a computer calculating a simple equation over and over.”
If you would like to know more about Brenda’s art and her books,
please visit her website: https://www.brendamolloy.com
A free download of her eBook, FRACTAL MANDALAS – A Book for Meditation and Contemplation, can be found at
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fractal-mandalas/id851354914?mt=11
It works on iPads and iPhones only, and includes a video.