My wife Sandy and I met artist Joe Hopps many years ago at his studio gallery in Edom, Texas.  At that time, most of his works were bird castles, and we loved them.  We re-visited Joe's studio year after year, and in 2022 he had transitioned from bird castles to abstract impressionist paintings.  We were very impressed by Joe's paintings, but it wasn't until a his gallery closing sale in 2023 that we were able to purchase one.  The choice was hard because each of Joe's pieces used different palettes and structures, but they were all very strong compositions.

In 2024, Joe Hopps and I were invited by Aaron Hinds to be founding artists in a new artist collective in Tyler, later named the Tyler Fine Art Gallery.  I was delighted that Joe was going to be part of the collective, and I've enjoyed seeing Joe's many new paintings as they have been installed in the gallery since we opened.

As a fractal artist, one of my goals has been to create mathematical works in a style similar to Joe's impressionist abstracts.  At first this seemed impossible.  After a year of trial and error with no success, I finally came close with Hopps Inspired One in September, 2026.  Joe Hopps approved the image, as shown to him on my iPhone, during the gallery's re-opening event on October 3, 2026.  By mid-October I had produced three mathematical compositions that I consider Hopps-inspired.  The image illustrating this post is Hopps-Inspired Two.  You can view the others by visiting my fractal art gallery.

Joe Hopps has moved on to adding heavy textural elements to his latest artworks, and that's impossible for me to do with my favored medium, dye-sub on aluminum.  But I plan to continue developing mathematical artworks inspired by the impressionist abstract style of Joe Hopps.

Artists of the Tyler Fine Art Gallery inspire one another.  We don't copy, but we are free to try new things that the other artists have awakened us to.  We raise each other's bars like Joe Hopps has raised my bar.

On October 3, 2026, fractal artist Don Bristow visited with Machelle Lewallen at the Tyler Fine Art Gallery.  Don credits Machelle for relocating him from Sacramento, CA, to the Tyler area in 2007.  The Sip & Shop gallery re-opening event was well-attended and enjoyed by many art appreciators like Machelle.

On October 1, 2026, several additional fractal artworks by Don Bristow were installed at the Tyler Fine Art Gallery.  The gallery will be re-opening on October 3 from 4-8PM with a Sip & Shop event.

There’s a particular kind of silence inside black‑and‑white fractal art — a stillness that color often masks. When I create these pieces, I’m not chasing vibrancy or spectacle. I’m chasing structure, tension, and the hidden architecture of mathematical worlds.

Fractals are, at their core, equations made visible. But when stripped of color, they become something else entirely: portraits of form. Every curve, filament, and recursive echo steps forward. The composition becomes more honest. More architectural. Much simpler.

Working in monochrome forces me to think like the photographer which I am. Light becomes my ink. Shadow becomes my negative space. The fractal itself becomes a landscape — sometimes soft and atmospheric, sometimes sharp and crystalline. I often find myself treating these pieces the way I treat black‑and‑white portraiture: emphasizing character, contrast, and emotional weight.

The creative process is a blend of mathematics and intuition. I start with a formula — Mandelbrot, Julia, flame, or something more experimental or random — and then sculpt it using depth, perspective, and lighting. The final image is less about the equation and more about the mood it evokes. Some pieces feel architectural. Others resemble metal, liquid, or even plants. The beauty is that none of it exists without the math.

Black‑and‑white fractal art invites viewers to slow down. Without color shouting for attention, the eye wanders through the details: the micro‑textures, the repeating motifs, the way light grazes the surface of impossible geometry. It’s contemplative. Meditative. A reminder that complexity doesn’t need to be loud.

For me, these works are a celebration of structure — the skeleton beneath the universe’s skin. And in monochrome, that structure finally gets to speak.

My first black& white prints on aluminum are on display at the Tyler Fine Art Gallery in Tyler, Texas.  Click here for my online gallery of black & white fractal artworks.

Don Bristow participated in pARTnership IIX at the Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy at UT Tyler.  The art was installed in 2025 and removed July 14, 2026.  Don's work was hung adjacent to the atrium at the college, perhaps the best location across three floors.  It is always a pleasure to participate in the pARTnership exhibits which are provided in collaboration with Art Connection of East Texas, the Tyler Museum of Art and the College of Pharmacy,  Don was able to install Celebrating 250 Years of Independence in place of the pictured works for pARTnership IX.

In late 2024, Don Bristow was invited by Aaron Hinds to join a collective of highly acclaimed East Texas artists.

A lot of time and work later, the Tyler Fine Art Gallery was opened on The Square in downtown Tyler with a grand opening on June 27-28, 2025.