About Dennis Brady Studios

I am a self-taught fractal artist with over 25 years experience with digital computer art.

I draw my inspiration from my very eclectic views of nature along with the psychedelic scene in the 60's. That eras music, personalities and light shows truly affected my perception of art and my fractals are the culmination of that journey.

I have used dozens of fractal generating programs in the creation of my art but for the past few years I have settled on a very powerful software program called Ultra Fractal. To maintain the highest standards possible, I personally perform all of the creative aspects of making my digital prints from the selection of the mathematical formula used in the structure of the fractal to the printing and framing of the prints. Enjoy.

What are fractals?

Let me try and define fractals for you. They are geometric patterns that are repeated over and over creating self similar shapes, many of which are found in nature. Examples such as fern leafs, trees, snowflakes and clouds are but a few fractal designs that naturally occur. Fractals are also a unique art form using mathematical formulas and rendered with the help of computers. I hope the beauty of my fractal art captures your imagination as much as it has captured mine.

Fractals as an art “style” first captured my attention during the psychedelic poster art heyday of the 60’s rock scene. Although the term “fractal” would not officially be associated with this form of art until the next decade, these colorful, free form designs that adorned these early posters certainly were created by artists with “fractalized” minds.

Trying to define fractals can be rather confusing but a common dictionary definition of fractal is this: "A geometric pattern that is repeated at ever smaller scales to produce irregular shapes and surfaces that can not be represented by classical geometry. Fractals are used especially in computer modeling of irregular patterns and structures in nature."

"The following words about me will give you a glimpse into my world of fractal art."

My family and I live in the beautiful mountains located in the northern tip of the state of Idaho. From the windows of my mountaintop gallery, I can see clear across the entire state of Idaho. The backside of my studio faces east and is situated close to the Montana border. From the front of our home/studio our view extends all the way to the state of Washington and up to the Canadian border. Some our visitors have compared their stay with us to times they’ve spent in Yosemite or Yellowstone National Parks. Where I live says a lot about me. I am truly fortunate to live and work in such a beautiful place.

While building” our “permanent” house, my family and I lived in a “yurt”. At the time of Genghis Khan, nomadic tribes developed portable structures with the strength of permanent buildings. To this day, yurts remain one of the strongest, most efficient outdoor living structures ever devised. For those of you who have never heard of a yurt before here is a picture of ours. Even though we now live in our "normal" house, we still use our yurt daily as our studio, our packing and shipping room and a place to get away from square corners.

Another unique feature of my home and studio is that we run it entirely “off grid.” I might be the only fractal artist in the world that powers their computers that crafts their fractals from energy produced from the sun. Our state of the art, alternative energy system gets its power from the 16 100 watt solar panels right outside the studio doors.

Living in such a remote area has it’s disadvantages also. My drive way is 2 ½ miles long and keeping it cleared of snow in the winter takes up a considerable amount of my time. After the road is plowed, horses, goats, dogs and cats are fed, all three of our wood stoves are stoked and providing us heat, I settle into my studio for a day of fractal creating. How I live says a lot about me.

”Making a living in the wilderness”

A friend of mine that made his living producing and selling handcrafted items through art and craft shows, convinced me to try that route. It offered a fairly low overhead and the direct connection with my customers that I needed. The excitement I get from having one of my fractal art prints viewed and purchased by the person who will be hanging it in their home it is truly worth the long hours I spend at these shows. The direct comments I get about my art is great and the immediate feedback I get is an invaluable marketing lesson. I know immediately if one of my new designs is a winner. The time I spend meeting my customers and watching the smiles my art gives them is equal to the fun I get from creating them in my studio at home. Even though the sale of my fractals over the Internet has grown substantially, I don’t ever anticipate the day when I will stop attending these shows and meeting my customers face to face and giving them insight about me and my art. After all, it’s my roots.

Many of my Internet friends that have not visited with me at one of the many art shows I do each year have no idea of what I mean when I say that I travel around the country selling my art at “shows.”

I apply to enter one of these shows by first filling out a rather lengthy written application which includes an “artist statement”, slides or photos of my fractals and usually a check which gives me the “privilege” of seeing if my art is good enough to be included into these shows. Sometimes there are over 2000 applicants for 100 spaces, the odds are enormous in most cases. Because of the uniqueness of fractal art, I almost never get rejected. I travel to 30 plus shows a year, logging almost 40,000 miles on the road to show our fractals. Most people aren’t cut out for this grind, but for us, for now, it works.

Dennis