Art?

I cannot say that working with a computer and software is any form of art.  Maybe it is, but I don’t see it.  To me, the computer is a tool, and mastery of the tool is one way in which art can be created.  Writing and designing the software is an art – it requires a vision and a goal, and like art, software evolves and changes, sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worst.  (A lot of times, software becomes increasingly kludgy as it evolves.)

This is what I mean . . . here is an original picture, below, of water lilies taken at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

This next image is edited in the pixel bender filter in CS5.

Finally, this is the same image, with increased contrast added in CS5.

Is any of this art?  Or is it just manipulation?  I don’t think I would ooh! ahh! over any of these, nor would I pay good money to hang these on the wall.  But, they are fun to do!