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beautiful compositions, the second you already showed here, which is giving incredible joy, amd the first one is a beautifulk altar!

Some purists may say it detracts from the beauty of a fractal pattern. I'm not pure so I LIKE!

I learned long ago that it is best to simply call it Art - calling it Fractal Art ruffles some feathers here.  But I do much the same thing as you  (though not always as nice!)

I like making 3D obj files and bringing them into Carrara for rendering with other elements.

Here's one I posted semi-recently...


http://www.fractalforums.com/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=9736

you are right sock, everything is art, but to make something exceptional that does not attract us computer nerds alone simple modifications of a pure digital image, using the right background, playing with lights, putting in something that gives the contrast is what makes something remarkable and extraordinary nice, but everything is art, it is the art of a photographer to choose the camera angle, it is the art of the painter to choose the colors, it is the art of a programmer to make complex algorithms accessible to others, it is the art of the sculptor to see more in a complex shape ...  haha, my 2 cents

I would say that it is "art" using "fractals", and that it is NOT "fractal art".

If you include elements which are not fractals, then it becomes something akin to mixed media.

I do find your images very interesting though.   
 

In my opinion, post processing is not going to make a piece less "art" or even less "fractal art".  I have seen some really fabulous fractal art where filters or mixed media were used to complete the expression.  And if the work is primarily fractal, I would tend to still refer to it as fractal art. 

I personally steer away from any post processing that cannot be accomplished from within the fractal plotter, for the soul reason of "printability".  If someone wants a grand-scale version of one of my works, I can confidently say that I can reproduce the vast majority of my art at any size and with perfect resolution.  The same cannot be said for a piece that was digitally enhanced while using an image of a particular size.

I think that if someone chooses to include non-fractal elements within their fractal art work or utilize outside filters, I hope that they would do so with a very large version of the image, based on the largest size they ever plan to print that piece.  That way if a customer want's a large print of the piece, all the elements in the piece will produce good resolution. 

This view might help you understand better why post-processing effects that are completed from within the plotter and saved within the parameters is considered acceptable to the "fractal purists" whereas outside enhancements are not.

I would not label myself as a fractal purist, but I do lean towards keeping my work raw so that: parameter file = print at any size.

And for those who enjoy enhancing their fractal art with filters or digital additions, more power to you.  I like looking at this type of fractal art too.

I have been saying pretty much the same thing for many years, and there are hundreds of others that have this same belief !!!