ALICE KELLEY is interested in the link between fractals and crop circles…


Hello! Do you know of anyone in the crop circle community who would be interested in discussing the possible link between crop circles and fractals? I was reading the excerpts of Andy Thomas’s book ‘Vital Signs’ (which looks just wonderful, see www.vitalsignspublishing.co.uk), and it briefly mentions fractals. I see no dialogue between fractal artists and the crop circle community, yet there are some interesting similarities.

Crop circle patterns seem to be evolving. I have always been attracted to them, but the designs I'm seeing this year and the second half of last year have an extra-exciting feel to them. The complexity of the circles that have not been made by hoaxers is unbelievable. There is something energizing about the wonderful, detailed patterns. I never tire of looking at them. They seem to hit me on a subconscious level. What's interesting to me is that that's how people describe their reaction to my art. I am a fractal artist, but an unusual one. My uniqueness is recognized; I am the only fractal artist in the Unites States that has her own calendar published by a publishing house. People react to my images on a gut level, the same way I react to crop circles.

Fractal art has evolved rapidly over the last couple of years, just as crop circles have, but few people outside the fractal art community and its fans realize this. I can make images of great complexity with as many as 15 layers or more, using one wonderful program. One possibly interesting note is that though the programs are written by mathematicians, and the first people who were making fractals in the late 70's were mathematicians, I am not a mathematician. Somehow I am able to work with the equations without really knowing what I'm doing; I go into a sort of flow state, and my best images are the result of intuition and serendipity. Many of my own images astound me, and I would not be able to tell you how I made them, which seems unbelievable. The whole process is inexplicable and I am the bane of the true mathematicians, who believe that complete control over the process is the superior technique, though the popularity of my art might speak otherwise. The New Age community has expressed an interest in my images, claiming that they must be channelled, so my images share that sort of reputation with crop circles, too. I somehow feel on a deep level that there is a connection between the new, complex, evocative fractals, and crop circles. It may just be that they are both representations of the Golden Mean, or there may be a deeper connection. It could be, as Andy Thomas says, "Nature expressing its inherent form."

Thank you for listening. My fractals can be seen here:

http://www.AliceKelley.com