A bucket of grease tipped over a chair isn't art to me. It's just a mess. To someone else it's art. If I tell them it's not, that doesn't make it any less artistic to them. Art is in the eye of the beholder. As long as ONE person believes something is art - then it IS art. I create images for fun. Purely for fun and for my own enjoyment. If someone else likes them, that's a nice bonus, but not the reason I created the images in the first place. Realism or not, if the image I'm looking at doesn't provoke a reaction from me, then something went amiss. There is room for artistry and realism in one image. If the realism isn't there, but the artistry is, then it may lessen the impact of the image, but it will still leave an impression on us. If the realism is there, but he artistry isn't (the part that makes us feel something when we view something) then the image has no impact at all and we will forget it in the blink of an eye. So in essence - realism on its own isn't worth squat. Realism with artistry - now you're talking. Artistry without realism can easily survive on its own. Did I confuse everyone now? :) Anyway... that's how I see it. Silke

Silke