*AmorinaAshton was kind enough to nominate me for a DD, which I received for What Lies Beneath.
  

It's very early yet, but it has had 500+ page views so far this morning.  This might actually result in my account reaching 25,000 page views today!  Thanks to all of you for all your support and encouragement.  It wouldn't have been possible without you.  Everything I know about fractals and how to do them, I learned from you guys.

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UPDATE: My piece ([link] got 3,050 views in the 24-hours after it was awarded the DD.  I'm blown away.  But my joy at the occasion was trashed.  Just like the insurance company trashed my joy of feeling creative and productive once before by suggesting that my art reflected the fact that I'm not disabled, some self-appointed copyright czar comes along and, with the most popular piece I've ever posted, accuses me of "art theft" and says he's going to report me for copyright violation.  I've lived a long hard life, but I've *never* been such publicly insulted and had my integrity questioned in such a malicious manner.  I'm no thief.  People that know me, know that. But it is upsetting and literally bringing me to tears.

This self-appointed copyright czar found a site by a Russian guy that was a tutorial on how to do the effect used in the background.  I'd never been there and never saw his images.  Without looking closely at the two and *assuming* that the random placement of the water drops were identical between Vlads tutorial example and the background piece I used, he ranted on and on about me "stealing" Vlad's final example and just cut-and-pasting it into my own work without permission and how it was "theft" because I didn't post that I had Vlad's written permission.  I admit that I did not initially mention that the background was not part of the fractal and the fractal was mine but the background image, Dmap image, and several texture images were not original.  As soon as he mentioned it though, I clarified it in both the piece's description and the comments.  Even went so far as to get Vlad's written permission to use his *similar* image if it were not for profit.

So here is what I am going to do.  I'm going to re-post both the DD piece and the full size piece with the water drops in different locations and mention that the new background was compliments of Vlad.  I'm also removing the ability to purchase a print of this (if it will let me).  I'm doing this because I honestly don't remember the original source for this image.  I have *several* friends that are graphics designers/artists.  Over the years, they've sent stuff to me and I to them. Got four DVDs full of stuff from one friend just a week or so ago.  But because I'm not sure the original source, I'm re-doing the images.  Hope you guys like the news ones as well as the old.

I'd like to address one other point in ~Axertion's baseless accusations.  He (or she) basically said it was inexcusable for someone to use something that they didn't know the source of.  It, like any other facts, isn't going to matter to him, but he has no idea of my mental issues from my disability.  I don't do Apophysis any more because I don't remember how.  It's that simple.  I've done thousands of pieces with it, but when I loaded it up two weeks ago, I couldn't remember how to "do the magic".  With my poor blood circulation and running 5-6 pints of blood below what I should have, I just don't have the oxygen to the brain that I should.  Memory and concentration really suffer.  Does it make my initial failure to mention every part of the image that others were instrumental in "excusable"?  You make the call.  At the very least though, I'd hope it makes in *understandable*.  

So I'm at the point where I do my best, but my best obviously isn't good enough for some people.  The public insult and accusations on a day which should have been a joyful one for me really stinks.  And it may take some time before I decide to try this again.  Right now, the desire is gone.  And if I'm not going to enjoy it, I'm not going to do it.  It isn't like I make any money at it.  So I have one last (for now) piece that I've been rendering for 3-4 days.  I'm posting it ([link] and dedicating it to all my friends here that still believe me to be flawed, but a man of integrity.  Then I'm taking a break.  I'm not leaving mad.  I'm not permeately leaving.  But I won't be back posting any new stuff or my own (just looking at yours) until the joy returns.  
Daniel