lwperkins brought up the point about the ratings and comments being potentially a learning tool for the artist, and I agree. But then there are folks like me, who have no real input to offer besides encouragement in the comments. I'm a rank newbie, but I know what I like when I see it, so I keep my comments short and sweet. (the ratings I give do reflect what I have to say though.) Does this make me a member of the 'hug' club ? Maybe. Do I care? Not a bit.  I think encouraging other artists  is important. One of the real joys of my day  is going through the 'what's new' section of the gallery.  For my own work, I love it when folks leave a comment and a rating, but  for me its the process of creating and sharing that's important.. not the rank. Maybe if I did top notch work, I'd feel differently about it.

mystmaiden -

and I just love Prog's work