It looks just like a photograph

A fellow painter complained that someone told him his paintings look just like a photograph.
Here was my reply.

Go a little easy on your audience. They don't know the vocabulary and they aren't educated about the arts. They mean to give you a compliment, that's all. What they mean is that your painting has some of the pleasing features that they can recognize in a photograph . . . good drawing . . . nice composition . . . color harmonies . . . values well done. Ignore them or educate them instead of insulting them. It's IMPORTANT. They are the audience for ALL PAINTERS, and a snarky attitude will spoil them against all artists and you know we already have a bad reputation for being rude and insensitive egotists. So, just go easy on them. Be kind.

Then came a comment about people who comment on the frame instead of the painting.
I said, “educate your audience. don't make fun of them. they don't know what to say but they do want to throw some attention your way. help them out.”