Before I was making kaleidoscopes, neon fractals, album covers, or generative visualizers, I was simply experimenting—pushing color, shape, and emotion into raw, unfiltered artwork. My DeviantArt gallery, stretching back to 2013, has quietly documented that evolution. Looking back at those early uploads today feels like opening a time capsule of curiosity, instinct, and discovery.
These two pages of artwork highlight the foundations of my creative identity: bold color, experimental distortion, surreal symmetry, and an obsession with patterns. Here’s a closer look at some of these early explorations that still inspire my current work.
The Era of Pure Color & Shape
The first thing you see in these early pages is color—loud, unapologetic, and full-spectrum.
Pieces like the rainbow grid cubes, psychedelic contour waves, and vibrant tree silhouettes were my first attempts to blend structure with chaos. I was fascinated by how repeating shapes could feel both mechanical and emotional depending on the colors wrapped around them.
This period was all about learning how hue and contrast can guide the eye, shape a mood, and even imply motion without animation.
Eyes, Trees, and Organic Symmetry
The repeated motifs of eyes, tree clusters, and complex fractal branches show how early I gravitated toward biological symmetry.
- The multi-colored iris tiles
- The giant swirling blue eyes
- The electric-branch trees against glowing skies
These weren’t planned themes—they emerged naturally while I pushed filters, layering, and photo-manipulation techniques in GIMP. What looked like abstract scribbles suddenly formed faces, roots, nerves, or cosmic patterns. That sense of “accidental discovery” still drives my modern kaleidoscope work today.
Photography Blended with Art
Scattered among the hypercolor pieces are moments of quiet nature photography—like butterflies, tree bark blossoms, and winter fields. These were taken during outdoor walks and later became texture sources, color palettes, or emotional grounding points for later digital pieces.
Even then, I loved the idea of nature influencing abstraction—pulling real textures into an otherwise chaotic digital universe.
Characters, Faces, and Surreal Portraits
You can also spot early experiments in portrait manipulation:
- “JK” self-portraits processed into sketch-like cyan prints
- The expressive red-toned dog head (“Dog”)
- Warped blue-and-black silhouettes and face masks
These works mark my first attempts to blend photography with surreal digital editing. Instead of drawing faces, I sculpted them using contrast, inversion, and stylized overlays.
Experimental Symmetry: The Birth of the Style
The symmetrical works—especially the fiery red pieces, mirrored blues, and the dripping molten-shape artworks—foreshadow the kaleidoscopic style I’ve now become known for.
Pieces like:
- Red Emote
- Abstract Figure
- Alchemy
- Blue mirrored melts
…were direct experiments in reflection, mirroring, and rotational balance. I was learning how symmetry could transform randomness into something iconic, structured, and emotionally charged.
The Playful, the Chaotic, the Unexpected
Some works were purely instinct:
- A yellow wire-scribble explosion
- A neon skull-like “Abstract Baboon”
- A tall vertical piece screaming “Aaaaahhhh”
- Pattern bursts, rainbow grids, stormy textures
They’re strange, expressive snapshots—evidence that creativity sometimes emerges messy, loud, and unfiltered. These early pieces helped me trust my impulses and embrace experimentation.
Looking Back, Moving Forward
It’s surreal to scroll through these 2013–early 2020 pieces and see the roots of everything I make today.
My evolution from simple shapes → abstract chaos → refined symmetry → immersive kaleidoscopic art is all laid out in this gallery.
These works aren’t just early uploads—they’re the blueprint of my artistic identity.
If you’d like to explore the full gallery, you can find it here:
https://deviantart.com/onojk123
Thanks for taking this walk through my visual history. There’s much more to come.
