Hi syzygy,
Thanks for the screenshots and further links. I checked some of them out, and I agree that Google earth serves you amazing ready made 'artfull' images, ranging from pretty pictures to Mondrian abstractions. 'Eye candy' blt calls it.

What's the difference in art terms between your images and threads and those presented on this forum? Well, that is an interesting question (also check my other posts today). I haven't got a ready answer, but here's some markers for further discussion:
- its the action of an artist that makes a GE image into art, whether its a painting, a sculpture a digital manipulation of a GE image, or whatever;
- GE images are a source of inspiration the same way (being in) a landscape or an image of a landscape can be a source of inspiration.
- artists can make countless varieties of art using GE images as source of inspiration, in the same way that a naturalist painting of a landscape is fundamentaly different from an expressionist, cubist, naive etc. interpretation of the same landscape. This is why I think GE art is going to be a hit: we can recycle all earlier art concepts using GE images as inspiration and make a lot of totaly new art.
- as far as my own paintings go: I hope that they are more than just a pretty picture, they should convey the strong feeling (enhanced by Google Earth) of being part of this wonderful planet as well as the emotions of concern, fear, anger at what we're doing to it. Of course that's only my personal view, and I'l let others judge if I get anywhere near that goal.

Any one care (dare) to comment?