I actually got the vision when I was coping with my dosage of meds that are suppose to keep my heart beating and the only way I can do that is to lay down and wait for the side effects to disperse (usually takes about a couple of hours) so I day dream. In this case, the statue contest. I had a vision of a Hershey bar in the middle of Times Square.

While I felt that a Hershey Bar would be too much on "the nose", not to mention the nightmare of copyright, I searched through about a thousand photos to find a chocolate tower, (a picture that didn't reflect any form of commercialism) then I searched through a thousand other photos for a city square with the perspective that matched up with how the chocolate was sitting.

Placing the two pictures into photoshop, I selected out the chocolate tower, and used several functions to cut it out. (The original photo is dark on dark) I think that's one of the things you do in photoshop. As I am disabled and can't afford the "modern photoshop online" I use the White Rabbit Photoshop which serves my needs. I then thought of the great brass/bronze sculptures in city squares I was granted the joy of reviewing in my meager travels around the US.

I do enjoy the occasional abstract.. the Miami fried eggs the size of Studebakers and the giant glove in a public park in San Diego. This is my creative process. Childish I know, but that's how my brain works.

I then matched the texture of the Prague photo up with the chocolate using a variety of filters to give it a more convincing look. De-saturating the nuts and nuggets in the chocolate to make it more into a sculpture was my goal. I erased the base of tower with a super soft brush to give it a ghost edge then repeated it (layers) about 7 times and merged it into the brick pattern in the Prague photo, then lightly burned the ground and the blurred edge I created to make it sit properly to the best of my ability and eyesight.

I'm sorry that you feel my work is "nothing" but a cut an paste job and I just humbly disagree. I love your work, and I think you are probably one of the most talented people I've ever seen on this sight. You opinion is very greatly appreciated. I just happen to disagree with you on this one.

That was done on purpose, the framing was actually a stroke bar frame that I faded into the image. It exists around the whole image. I know that framing is a no no in photography, but photoshop does give you a little freedom in this area... I used to use plastic wrap and lens flare all the time and now I don't (due the the frightening negative reaction from everybody.) I still use it in my private work and it's a lot of fun... I just don't like being governed by the norm, never have and never will... that's just me