Paradise Discovered | A Fractal Art and Stable Diffusion Project

Thin vines moved easily to expose the flimsy opening. Not as thick as Matthew had expected, this discovery did surprise him. Looking over his shoulder, he didn't realize he was on a collision course with the heavy oak tree.

"Watch out, Matthew," Agnes shouted, as she reached for his arm.

At the last second, he extended his hand in front, not knowing from which direction the threat was approaching. He pressed his left hand against the trunk of the tree. Immediately, the outer bark crumbled. Before he realized what had happened, his hand rested against the empty cavern inside the tree.

"Yikes!" That was scary. Matthew jerked his hand back quickly and shook off the moldy substance he encountered.

Agnes smiled. "And what am I to do if I need protection from whatever we encounter?" She laughed nervously, then pulled back the canopy behind the tree.

The light-blue mist shimmered in the evening sun. Soon day would leap frog into night. They'd have to retreat. Danger lurked the farther they ventured into the dense forest behind the first line of trees.

The two had already searched the grounds in a two-mile radius. A small area to cover, but still it was a larger area. That was more than the authorities had performed.

Still, no sign of Bailey.

Now three days since he went missing, Agnes was beginning to lose hope that her Puli would be located this time.

Filing another missing animal report would make her look fickle if she owned a dog that kept running away from her. It would seem obvious that the pet preferred to be elsewhere. However, she worried Baily would fall victim to predators in the forest.

Turning back, Matthew glanced up. He spotted an animal shape outline that resembled a dog dart across the open forest floor. Still no barking; not even a whimper. It seemed as if this was a game of hide-and-seek.

He motioned to Agnes. "Look, there! I think it's him. This is the third time your canine has run away. What's in the forest that so intriguing?"

Bewildered, Agnes shrugged her shoulders. She wish she had an answer.

"I believe that animals are sensitive to energies. More so to spiritual energies. This may be what has happened to Baily. Something is here that attracts him. He's not only sensitive to it, he is happy being in its presence. All we need to do is find out what that energy is."

"You may be on point with your thinking." Matthew grabbed Agnes' arm and ran in the direction of the animal.

Dodging low hanging branches and almost stumbling over thick underbrush while talking, they both came to a sudden halt in front of wooden-like structure.

They stood staring at the strange abode. Matthew's jaw dropped as he looked up at the house on stilts. Thoughts of Bailey flew from Agnes' mind as she took a sharp, prolonged breath.

Encased in molding that resembled artificial leaves, the facade resembled a tree house. Matthew could tell an opening at the bottom existed. It was probably the entrance to the ten-foot tall lodging.

Should we knock? was the question that crossed their minds as adrenaline started to rise. They looked at each other, then at the structure. Agnes stepped back, paving the way for Matthew to take the lead in whatever was waiting on the other side of the wooden door.

Matthew knocked. No answer.

Before he could knock again, the door opened. Suddenly, Bailey barked furiously, then ran to greet Agnes. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly.

Inside was a sparsely decorated tiny home evidently meant for one dweller. The decor looked as if one had been transported to decades past and ordered the decor from a 70s green stamps catalogue. His furnishings were all antiques and collectibles.

"Welcome to our humble home, friends. We usually don't get many visitors. People walk right by us and never notice. Your canine friend is an amazing companion." Mr. Shalamaz smiled, then stepped back and opened the wooden door.

"Bailey must like you. He keeps returning to visit. It is peaceful in the forest, I must admit," Agnes responded lovingly.

"You are correct. Animals are indeed sensitive to spirits. They can sense them amongst our presence when we can't. However, there are no spirits here. Just me and my humble home." The old man grinned, then looked lovingly at Bailey.

Matthew and Agnes sat and engaged with the old gentleman. He was an odd fellow, with, of course a long silver beard and haughty sense of humor. A widower, he reminisced about his life in the urban community before he decided to relocate to a secluded tiny house.

"Don't you miss the company of others?" Agnes was stunned at what she thought of as his "primitive" way of life in a modern society.

Mr. Shalamaz brushed off her comment and kept talking. But it was his exterior disguise to keep his privacy that was of interest. Apparently, his wife loved all things fairies. Matthew wondered how inclement weather affected the facade.

They sat listening in amazement to the wisdom and insight of the old man.

Time to leave. Agnes picked Bailey up. He wiggled and nipped as her hands. She frowned, then placed him back down.

Immediately, he ran over to the old man and laid down next to his rocker. He was content. She could see it in his eyes.

Agnes looked at Matthew. They said goodbye to the old man. "Bailey's vaccinations are up-to-date," Agnes added. May we visit him and you sometimes?"

"We'd be pleased with your company."

She walked slowly over to her dog and placed near him his favorite treats she had brought along on the search. She then cupped his face in her hand and looked deeply into his eyes.

She smiled, then reached over and removed the tags from his neck.

Agnes was no longer Bailey's owner.

In developing this current fractal and generative art project, my theme focuses on spirituality in animals. I do believe they are sensitive to certain spiritual energies that the majority of humans are unable to connect with.

To complete the scene, I utilized the advanced fractal rendering program, Apophysis 7X. For my diffusion image, I called upon StarryAI, the stable diffusion software to deliver my forest spirit.

The two pure fractals I wanted to highlight are:

For the stable diffusion image of the fairy, I wanted to portray a being that dwells in the forest. The image had to appear as an apparition and frightening.

Below are my steps:

To blend my fractals and stable diffusion image, I utilized the design program, Canva. With my upgraded Annual Pro Membership Subscription, I'm able to use the features to remove the background of the images where needed.