So sad....Another copyist

I've just come across this conversation. I really appreciate the depth of thought, over-all. As most of you know, I post mostly "Digital" images created using various painting software.   This long Diatribe is just an attempt to explain where I am coming from.  I was in the print and newspaper fields beginning in the early 80's. I was given the job of learning Adobe's first graphics program. I loved it, and have continued exploring that path. In the mid-80's, the newspaper I worked for was the first to go digital. I took classes in computer graphics through C-Net, which is now a site that does appraisals of new software. In 2009, I joined the Beta team of ArtRage as they were developing their version of Corel's paint. (Concurrently,) I have painted mostly in acrylics on canvas, with many commissions, etc. When I retired, I lived in a small house with little room for a studio, and dived into digital painting to satisfy that urge to create. I had a show last year for the first time in years. I demonstrated the process, as well. I made more than I spent, so I guess it went pretty well.  Now, getting to the subject at hand, I have "copied" many master works, mostly to discover how a particular artist achieved his/her images. I have also been commissioned to produce actual "Copies" of specific images. I always signed them "following...(artist name) and then my name.  I don't think I would feel right passing off a copy as my own original work.