Oily Reed

No relation to the great wine-taster Ollie Reed, but instead a photo of a reed treated in Photoshop to a touch of oil-painting.

This always brings up the question of whether it is cheating to use software to create an artistic work.

Could I have painted it the traditional way? Probably, but I don't have the time or space to do so. Is it still valid as 'art'? I think so, considering that I took the photo, chose the composition, chose how to process it, and chose settings which I felt gave a pleasing painterly style appropriate to the image.

Others may disagree :)