Hi everyone. I just came back after some days of work and discovered my WMD pic high in the Hot20, lots of comments on it (and no insults, this is great!) and the thread about this in the Forum. I think it's better to clear out something. I've left the picture, some day ago, at #19, or 18, don't remember so well. And I wasn't happy with it, because I knew that it would stir up something. And, frankly, in seeing my black screen as high as Hobbit's last work (ok, he was descending, but the fact reamins) I didn't feel okay at all. I'm not excusing myself, mind me (I'll talk later about the pic, bear with me a tad longer, please). But I do feel a bit embarassed about this. So, I want to make public apologies to all the people who felt (to some extent rightly) bad about my empty black screen being in the Hot20. I'm sincere, really. I've read the other thread way down to the bottom, and I think I can understand what people said. And it's clear and positive that there's absolutely no jealous issue in the debate. The postings were from people whose work I admire a lot, like Doug, Striving, MadDog, Angela, TJohn, Brendan, Alvin just to name a few, so I just can't avoid to consider the opinions posted. When someone whom you admire says something, you feel like you have to listen very well. This said, I must add that I'm happy that my WMD pic got so many comments. I wasn't expecting at all to receive such great feedback, and with my surprise, a great part of the commenters are people that I didn't have contact with before. I got some insulting IMs, but this was expected, and frankly I didn't care too much about it: way more important are the comments, both agreeing and disagreeing, that I got on that one. I'm happy because that picture is not a joke nor a prank, as I said in the caption. I was so pissed off when I heard on CNN that another of Colin Powell's pre-war statements proved false that I felt I had to express something. And I could've put a black paint-bucket screen made in Photoshop instead of rendering a Bryce black sky, but this just didn't feel right to me. Apart from writing, in the past months Bryce has become my elected mean of expression, and mostly because of this community and this forum. Being here I discovered, along with the marvel of graphics, that a Bryce black sky preset could be angrier and more emotional than a whole article I could write. And I'm glad that people reacted to it. Many approved, and I didn't expect this. Others disagreed, but with absolute fairness. I don't think that picture has any artistic merit, but it does express strongly what I felt in that moment. The Hot20 is a completely different issue. Hot20 is something of a goal, it was a goal for me when I started posting images here and I know it is a goal for many valid brycers here. You all know that I'm serious when I'm brycing (and in the other thread you expressed it... really thanx for it), both when I make serious images and when I make humorous ones, and it's exactly for this reason that I understand fully the irritation that someone felt seeing a 1 second black render up there. I repeat, I felt embarassed in the first place to see WMD with the same number of votes of Hobbit's or Alvin's. But I do think that people reacted to the image for the right reasons: because they felt something strong in it. And I'm really happy about it, because I really didn't think that I was able to convey my message like this. Ok, I'm done. Thanks to you all for having read this long message and for the very balanced and serious discussion that went on in the other thread while I was out. May Your Renders Be Short :) Stefano

Stefano, Do not feel badly or embarrassed about this. It was never your intention for it to get votes. You purely made it to make a statement, an artistic statement, an emotional statement. It was a success! I may not agree with it being a hot20 but I certainly feel it belongs in the gallery. What a boring place this would be without some stirring up. We can't let Drac have all the fun ;). Angela

I agree with Ang. DC, the thread wasn't bashing your image, it was questioning the motives behind the voters... but after reading your entire post above, I see that you know this already. don't feel embarraced. brholte,

Stefano, there's no need whatsoever to feel embarassed. Unless you voted for it yourself LOL...kidding. Whatever you feel strongly about, certainly let that come out in your work. Also, it's not really fair that WMD only took a second to render, cause I'm on day 2 of an 8 or 9 day render ;-( May your renders be LONGer lol... Doug

IT WAS ME! Ok, I admit it I voted for your image but I felt strongly about what you were saying and agreed, my only excuse. I read the debate earlier and the comment made by a newbe about jealousy. The newbe just didn't understand that we all talk to each other, expresing our views and feelings and since we are all family this is a good thing. I don't think you should be embarraced Stefano, it may not have the right quality for the hot one but your words and feelings gave the emotion nessecery for people to vote. Anyway we all still love you sweet thing. ;} Catlin

You're a class act Stefano! Really. I appreciate that you appreciate the situation. As you said, WMD having the same amount of votes as Hobbits is a bit over the top. But that all being said. You have nothing to be embarassed about. Just those that clicked the "VOTE FOR THIS IMAGE" button on it should be (to some extent). Again, youre a stand up guy, and I am happy to see you post this. Best to you and your work in the future. -Bruce

Oh I do feel embarressed striving, I can get far too emotional and silly sometimes. See above post. 8)

Ahhh, Doublecrash...a great message which just shows that you're a great person! I appreciate that you took the time to read the post...I hope you weren't offended in any way. I think most of us were in a discussion about the Hot 20, not you personally! Heck, I jumped ship off into a new topic altogether so that thread covered a lot of things...hehe :) I'm glad you took the time to post though, as everyone else has said. Just makes me respect you as an artist AND as a person even more! Regards, Ian :)

I can see that members did not (truly) vote your pic into the Hot 20, beacause they thought it would be a good chuckle. You sparked on their thoughts and emotions, that's why they voted on it. Sometimes art is ALL about statement. And, art is almost always about what affects us. That's whay your pic is up there. AgentSmith

IM ONE OF THE GUITY ONES! yes i did vote for your picture not because it ws so damn humorous or it was like one of your outstanding ones, it wsa because of the message that you imparted... seeing that a lot of people look at the hot 20, you could spread your message much more if your image was there... now that it climbed in the hot 20... well i guess a lot of people feel the same way i do... waht can i say? HAHA? EYECON

Your'e a great guy Stefano. I just had to leave a couple of statements on that issue cuz your'e a very important member of our community, and I just couldn't leave without commenting. No need at all to be embarassed, just smile and be merry cuz this community loves you! Amen to ASmith's comment above. =D Alvin

We all know your a great artist, and art is a self expression. WMD is art as it provokes the viewer to think. Afterall you could'nt stop people from clicking the vote button.

It's what is known in the trade as "conceptual art".

Orbital is right. If people vote for it it's ok. WMD hit the galleries at the right time, and it was an excellent statement. Right place, right time - Vote. J.

Stefano, I agree with what everyone else has said--don't feel embarassed. You made a statement--that's what art can be. And I know no one doubts what you can accomplish with Bryce! Michael

I am in complete agreement with everyone else in this thread.... You felt a need to make a statement about something you felt strongly about and you felt the best way was via an artistic image, in this instance a Bryce image. There is no need to feel embarrassed because we all know what your talent is. In a word... Great! 8) Also because you have no control over whether or not someone votes... accept the votes as a confirmation that your statement in that image made a statement that touched some people somehow or another. Take the votes my friend and with a good conscience. Keep on Brycin' and havin' fun with it. And keep on making statements how ever you feel is the best way whether or not it is an image like WMD or something extreemly intricate. It doesn't matter. It is your art. 8) 8) 8) ~ Swade ~

In answering privately to an IM sent me by a fellow Brycer, I realized my answer expresses better what I feel, so I'm deleting the previous post and copy that one instead. ________________ As I said in my post, I do understand why people got itchy about a black screen being in the Hot20, but I also said that I'm not feeling embarassed for the pic itself. So, thanks again for your words, they are really precious... and you can't imagine how glad I am because ANYONE mistook my picture as a joke or a prank: it was serious, and I'm incredibly happy that everyone understood it. Then, it's obvious that, when you post a political picture, you simply have to take into account that people not only can disagree with your POV, but that they have also the right to. I said I was embarassed about the Hot20 thing because I do think that Hot20 is the "slideshow" of the best Bryce art here, and this (in my opinion) involves not only the concept, but also the technical and artistic skills of the author. And my WMD image had the first, but lacked completely the second. It's just my opinion, of course, and this doesn't detract at all my gratitude for all the people who voted for it. Thanx again to all. This IS the coolest Forum on Renderosity ;-) S.

Aye Stefano no truer words could be spoken, you've just got to love this place and the people in it. Cheers Catlin

So who said life was fair? I've worked hard on many pictures and never gotten into the top 20 that I know of. You post off a 5 second render and make it. Is it technical, No! Is it art, Yes!!!!!! Can anyone in the community look at the reaction and claim this work has not produced an emotional response? Further to the point, Can anyone look at the other pictures in question and not admit they also produced an emotional response? Currently there are almost 1600 members online. I remember, maybe incorrectly, that there were over 100,000 members total. Each of us can vote for every image we view one time every seven days. The total number of votes in the top 20 when this started was 201. It took less than half a percent of the current members online to vote these images into the top 20, not a majority, not a quorum, 0.005 of the online membership voted. Hell, W got half of the 55% that bothered to vote to get elected and create the situation that brought about the WMD render in the first place. Members don't feel the community is correctly represented in the top 20. It's not! Less than half a percent of you are voting. I'm guilty too. I've voted 5 times total. The last one was "mooR redruM". There is nothing that says you can't vote for 1, 5, 20, 50, 100 different images within the seven day period. Don't like anything new, you can go back and vote for "The Siege" every seven days, again and again. You can even add the image to your favorites so you can reach it quickly from your own homepage. You can do anything except vote for the same image twice in seven days. You're all offended by what Bush has done in the world community to prase Doublecrash for putting up a blank image. What you fail to see is the same thing is happening in the Renderosity community. I'm going to try to find at least 5 images and vote every seven days. I can't really complain if 8-10 friends vote someone in when they're the only one's voting. I think Stefano would feel a lot better about his image diserving it if it got 50-100 votes instead of just 8 out of a community of 100,000.

Ok for being hanged outside the Corel Building, but now, being compared with George W... that's too much! :) Jokes aside, electro, I understand your point.