I always thought of writing software as part science and part art. Jared Tarbell has followed this ideal and created beautiful works of art through software. Jared uses relatively simple algorithms to "paint" an electronic canvas in styles ranging from abstract to surreal. Even though the images are completely computer generated, they exude warmth and texture that belie their origin.
His artwork is hosted on Complexification - The Gallery of Computation. Enticing names like "city.traveler", "guts", "strange.attractor" and "happy.place" each different, stunning and thought provoking.
Most people are familiar with fractals, specifically the Mandelbrot Set - a mathematically generated world of infinite depth and beauty. Jared's work feels warmer to me, more attuned with nature.
Complexification shows more than images - there are interactive Flash versions that run on your browser and source code is available for the intellectually curious who want to experiment on their own.
What can I say, I guess I'm strangely attracted to Complexification.
For more computer generated art take a look at the exhibitions on Process.org.
