"TCA, enough of your tomfoolery. I think now, after all these years a simple solution is possible: regard to choice."

A simpler solution is possible. I choose to take a long vacation from Gridcosm until mid November. Starting NOW. I've participated lately only because I've been doing a little artwork with my stats.

...cosmost?id=TCA

There is a symmetry to TCA's 'Position popularity' in several different respects.

c3 (13%), a3 (12%), c1 (12%), a1 (12%), c2 (12%), a2 (12%), b3 (12%), b1 (12%)

Also the number of levels (969) is visually symmetrical in sequence.

Do I have OCD? No. There is another explanation. This is my meditation on mathematics and formal logic, which are essential to computer science and technology. I'm inept at math, so this meditation is something new for me.

"The panel that EHO demonstrated here, or series of them presents an example to start with."

I'm willing to admit that 2515 a2 and a3 were a mistake. You're free to forgive my trespasses. Or not. It's your karma, baby.

"EHO did the first panel and some adjacent panels, which were painterly, her primary style of expression. It seems that perhaps the grid might have been going slow, but for whatever reason you placed an absolute square, a play on the reservation square, a motif if you will, against her work. As well your other panels are typically inconsistent ( blend non blend )"

Sorry, EHO!

SNY, if you're saying that I never blend, I disagree.

"One might feel it fit to argue that your square took no effort, in the Blend School vein. But I think it is time to dig deeper and try to respectfully revitalize our thinking in regard to this matter."

OK. You do that. I'll be drawing cartoons. On my own and by myself.

"I have come to feel more deeply it is a question of choice and decision, more specifically: imagination."

Yeah, I'll be exercising my creative imagination elsewhere for the next six months or so. For me, Gridcosm was mostly about getting comfortable with using the graphics software and digital tablet. I upgraded hardware and software in January. Now I'm ready to rock & roll.

"I recently completed 2 panels on the current level, which took little effort, yes they blend but it took relatively little effort -- what struck me was a vision I had of the type of shot one might see while flying over Hawaii, or Rio de Janeiro, an aerial shot of mountains over a bay and I basically sketched out 2 panels to complete that."

Did you do those 2 panels with a Sunday morning hangover? And you wrote a long post for the bulletin board, too? BAZ didn't ghostwrite it for you? Congratulations, SNY!

"IN 2515 A3: To link to EHO's panel one might have done the same thing, a sketchy complement perhaps, continuing in some way, however basicly her idea or scene, not even having to make representative forms, perhaps continuing somehow with color, some semblance of effort that to the casual viewer would generate two understandings."

Mea culpa.

"1 -- the contributing artist had respect for the adjacent panel"

Fear of the adjacent panel? Otherwise Tony and the crew will break my kneecaps? ;-)

"2 -- the artist exercised some immediately discernable imagination and thought."

The biggest breakthroughs in art are often not immediately discernable as such.

"TCA I know you have the ability to present arguments that your panels do display this.... but let's be real: a square, with harsh line, which seemingly ignores 80% of *any* possible connections, keeping the subject image primarily as a 2D, flat ( some might say slapdash adhesion/collage ) image will always draw flak."

Mea culpa.

"The overall question that anyone might think is -- what made the artist choose this and for the artist the question is -- why am I placing this there? I know I have had my moments of mania, drunkenness and imaptience, yet I can say I made that choice and knew the flak would be a comin."

You're forgiven.

"Most times here on the grid I feel that the full possibilities of dimension and illusion within those 450 pixels are not fully explored and can say I do feel that square, harsh adjacent panels are the ones I understand and enjoy the least."

OK. Let me tell you what bugs ME. Generally speaking, with few exceptions, I loathe the concept of a 'theme level.' The late Johnny Carson used to joke about his rival Merv Griffin's 'theme' shows. Meaning no disrepect to Merv. I'm for spontaneity. I'm against anything that would make Gridcosm resemble a mural or wallpaper. Beautiful technique is so 19th century. It's bourgeois, it's corporate.

That said, I'm hoping you'll experiment with theme levels while I'm away. Because heaven forbid I could be wrong.

I've previously admitted that Gridcosm usually looks better when I'm not participating. Start at level 2348 ...gridcosm?level=2348 and end at level 2465 ...gridcosm?level=2465 and I think you'll see what I mean.

A parting thought. What if someday art dealers decide that Gridcosm is worth money? It would be a legal nightmare! The Robert Rauschenberg brouhaha would pale in comparision. Collages that sold for lots of money fell apart because Rauschenberg constructed 'em with cheap materials while a young starving artist.