WP - Black Dahlia

It's amazing how I can spot `SaTaNiA's artworks in my devwatch folder at first glance! Since I'm the author of the tutorial which this fractal is (at least partially) based on, I think I could easily spend some words to critique it in both a technical and aesthetic way (warning: this means I'm going to be cruel and picky <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/m/m…" width="29" height="15" alt="" title="EVIL Laughter!"/> <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h…" width="38" height="15" alt="" title="Hug"/> )
First of all, the composition. This is a wallpaper, so it's always a smart choice to leave "blank" space on one side for the icons on the desktop, and it's also correct to make it quite dark to make it less heavy for the eyes. This is nicely applied here, though from my personal point of view I find the subject too much moved on the right and too centered on the vertical line: the rule of thirds could have helped a lot to make it more dynamic, balanced and eyecatching. My personal choice would have been to move it a litte up and to the left, maybe rotating it a few degrees counterclockwise to keep the big petal on the left and its gentle invitation to the eyes to follow its soft flow.
Secondly, the design. This is the best part of this work in my opinion, for I think this is one of the most elegant and well crafted apo-blooms you've made: the petals' edges look extremely natural and the spiral unfolds effortlessly like a real flower, with the perfect amount of blurred surfaces and shadows to give it depth. I also noticed you applied your personal texturing style which I find absolutely excellent and fascinating!
I like your gradient choice (which I find very personal too) and how you made the highlights and shadows very strong and contrasting. The surreal / sci-fi effect you get is intriguing (I can also spot some glass-like "reflections"!!!), though I think the grey areas on some parts of the outer petals somehow harm the general harmony of the image: they contrast too much with the neat blue light stains (unlike the purple areas and pink/white light stains of the central petals which I find well merged and really pleasant) and it looks kinda weird, for that is the part of the image where the DOF blur is applied and it should look softer in my opinion. I had this kind of problem too in many of my fractals (hey, it's a problem for me, maybe not for the rest of the world <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/w/w…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Wink)"/> ) and it usually depends on gamma and vibrancy settings, or on transform weights. A very little slight postwork on specific areas could easily fix it too.
And finally, let's talk about feelings and mood! A strong sense of peace is the first emotion that this artwork strikes into me, but quickly followed by a wonderful flow of fresh energy: like a sudden wave of cool water on my skin while I'm staring at a calm sea scene <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Smile)"/> If the subject and the style are pretty common, this is definitely not an ordinary sensation you get from a flowery image! This easily awards the fourth star for originality <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/w/w…" width="15" height="15" alt="" title=" (Wink)"/>
What else to say? Keep on being amazing sweetheart <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/c/c…" width="20" height="20" alt="" title="Clap"/>!!! It's always so nice to see what impressive quality your fractals can reach <img src="e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h…" width="38" height="15" alt="" title="Hug"/>!