I'm sure most of realise that we were all beginners once and felt proud of our first render even if it was a SSOW (Shiny Sphere Over Water).

We should remember that there are people of all ages and abilities here, and that some of us are lucky enough to have friends, admirers and fans who are willing to give encouragement and praise even though to the rest of us that praise might seem too enthusiastic for a particular work.

We had the same problem with the HOT20 which IIRC is one of the reasons we don't have it any more.

But you can help rectify this by adding your own comments to those works that you feel aren't up to the mark. I'm not saying you should go around saying that a particular piece is rubbish. But you could say things like: "This is an interesting piece, but had you thought about.......... as I think it would look better this way?"

I'm sure a beginner would appreciate this more than the "OMG!! That's fantastic!" comments you guys seem to be talking about. Even us old hands like getting a suggestion or two now and then. I know I always appreciate any comments I get.

In my opinion if you want things to change in the galleries you might consider leading by example.

Available on Amazon for the Kindle E-Reader

All the Woes of a World by Jonathan Icknield aka The Bryster

And in my final hours - I would cling rather to the tattooed hand of kindness - than the unblemished hand of hate...