website update

Web Design Client Updates for January 2014

Posted by Hannah West

I wanted to let people know about my Web Design Client Updates and additional news for January 2014.  I’ve been busy and it looks like I’ll be getting busier as word continues to spread about my web design skills and work ethic.

Fly Fishing, painting by new web design client, artist Joan Pechanec
Fly Fishing, painting by Joan Pechanec ~ Click to see more on Joan’s new website!

New Web Design Client, Artist Joan Pechanec

First, it’s lovely to announce the completion of a new artist website for Joan Pechanec of Mt Shasta, California. The website is built on the WordPress platform, using the Emphaino theme with lots of custom modifications so the resulting site design would suit her aesthetics. She had a budget and a target completion date in mind, and we finished under budget and on time. She has art works in two categories on her site – assemblage/collage pieces and more recent oil paintings. As she and her husband, author Charlie Price, were on their way out of town for a 3 month writer’s residency at Fairhope on the Gulf Coast of Alabama, it was perfect that they were both able to come up and meet me in person before they left. Working with Joan by remote (a good bit of it while they were on the road to their destination) went smoothly and I’m delighted that both she and her husband are pleased with the results!

Joan wanted visitors to her website to be able to see all the works on her home page, so we chose a theme that’s designed with the masonry technique (like Pinterest), yet with a dark background that really makes the saturated colors in her paintings pop. The masonry style image blocks on the home page are each linked to a post with more details about the painting. Since she will be away for a while, we decided to post the paintings with just the most essential details for now. It was a joy working with Joan’s art! We’ll add text and artist’s comments when she returns home, along with the new paintings she is creating while on the Gulf Coast. I hope you will visit joanpechanec.com and have a look!

Website Update for Artist Christina Madden

Web Design Client Update: Adding 'Nature's Views,' mixed media painting by Christina Madden, to www.christinamadden.com
Nature’s Views, mixed media painting by Christina Madden
Web Design Client Update: 'Adding Autumn at the Green Springs,' oil painting by Christina Madden, to www.christinamadden.com
Autumn at the Green Springs, oil painting by Christina Madden

 

Artist Christina Madden has been painting away since I last wrote, and these two pieces are among my favorites of the new works we have recently updated her website with. The two seem to bookend the range of her style; both are landscapes, but one is a bright and colorful mixed media painting in a more abstract style, the other an oil painting in an impressionist style, with colors a bit more subdued than we usually see from her hand. Christina is working hard to create a style that’s all her own, and it appears to me that she’s succeeding. She’s very excited because she will be going to ArtExpo in New York City this year! It’s been wonderful to watch her style grow and change since we began working together, and I know she will be successful at this prestigious New York show.

Bill Stanton’s Art Exhibit at the GoodBean Cafe

Landscape, by Bill Stanton, on display at the Goodbean Cafe in Jacksonville, Oregon until January 31, 2014
Landscape, 4′ x 4′ oil on canvas by Bill Stanton

I’m sure I must have mentioned that among the things I do to have some regular in-person facetime with artists and their work is curating and managing the art exhibits at the GoodBean Cafe in my hometown of Jacksonville, Oregon. December was a group show with the theme of “Angels,” which drew great enthusiasm from the shop’s clientele, so much so that the owner decided she wants to do the same theme every December from now on! This month we’re featuring artist Bill Stanton, whose landscapes painted in deep impasto oils are in high demand in the area. Bill isn’t entirely reclusive, but he doesn’t do a lot of shows or promotion…it’s mostly locals who are in the know who support his work…so we’re fortunate to have him. We would love it if you could come in and see them for yourself – we just renovated the back wall to make more room for the art, and his large (some huge) paintings look terrific in the space! If you’re not in the area, take a look at this post about the show to learn more.

Web Design Projects in Development and Coming Soon

That’s all I have completed and ready for you to view right now…though I’m working on a bunch of other projects that will be ready soon:

  • Helping Stefan Baumann complete his artist website

    • Stefan started on his own, but became too busy to finish the project himself. In addition to a grueling art instruction schedul which involves a lot of travel, he’s painting like crazy to prepare for a big southern California show in September. Want to watch as Baumann’s website develops? Visit www.stefanbaumann.com

  • New concert posters, video editing and website updates for Christina Duane’s Romancing the West 2014 tour.

  • Redesigning the website for Community Works

    • Community Works is the parent organization for the highly respected Dunn House in Medford, Oregon, which helps women, youth and families impacted by domestic abuse and sexual violence. I am delighted to be working with Development Director Misha Levee Hernandez on this project. (Need help yourself? Visit their current website here. )

  • Updating artist Pegi Smith‘s existing website with new paintings.

    • As with Christina Madden, I did not design Pegi’s site, but her previous webmistress is stepping aside from website work and Pegi brought her maintenance work to me just yesterday! I can’t wait to work with her beautiful paintings! pegismith.com

In addition, I’m beside myself with glee that I’ve gotten two new web design projects to begin soon. One is an artist website. Just yesterday I went to visit this artist’s studio and nearly wept at the beautiful work I saw there! We should be getting underway soon. The other is a WordPress based wine club website. I will hear for sure on that one Friday, and we should be getting started around the 27th if it’s confirmed tomorrow that it’s a go.

I hope you’ll check back again to see my very erratic updates on how things are going with these web design and site maintenance projects, and more!

Don’t miss Judy Elliott’s Dragonfly Designs West show at the GoodBean!

Posted by Hannah West

Note: I just started working with Judy Elliott of Dragonfly Designs West to take over the maintenance on her existing website, an exciting development that follows a year of getting to know her. I’m posting an edited version of the article we submitted to the Jacksonville Review to promote her current show at the GoodBean Cafe in Jacksonville to tell you more about her. This show comes down Friday afternoon (May 31), so be sure to stop in before the end of the month…and again after the first, when we will not only have a new featured artist on display, but one of Judy’s new large wall hangings will be installed on the rafter where the koi are now!  I’ll post a link to Judy’s website once it’s been updated (www.yourkimono.com), and more on the projects I worked on last month once we’ve finished wrapping them up.      ~ Hannah West

Calla Lilly with Frog and Gadflies Wall Hanging
“Calla Lilly with Frog and Gadflies” Wall Hanging

GoodBean owner Mary Kell and art curator Hannah West of Art Presence fell in love with the hand-painted silk creations from Judy Elliott’s Dragonfly Designs West last summer, featuring a handsewn kimono in the guest artist spot above the coffee counter and a spectacular hand-painted black and red hibiscus wall hanging that fluttered delicately above our heads when we opened the front doors. Judy didn’t have much work to share at that time since she was also exhibiting at Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts. She sold nearly all her inventory at the festival, became a member of Art Presence and the Southern Oregon Artists Resource, and we were so impressed we invited her to return the following spring for a featured exhibition.

Judy has since gotten married, moved into a new home, started a new career and painted a lot of silk ~ you’ll be treated to an array of stunning pieces that will make memorable gifts for someone special – or for yourself! – if you come in the cafe for a cup of something warm (for chilly spring days) or cold (for hot spring days – we’ve had plenty of both this year!). Along with handsewn cotton kimonos and Happi (pronounced “hoppy”) coats with authentic Japanese prints, hand-painted silk scarves, handheld fans and wall hangings, we can also expect to see hand-painted paper Japanese-style umbrellas!

Handsewn Happi (pronounced "hoppy") coats with handpainted silk fan
Handsewn Happi (pronounced “hoppy”) coats with handpainted silk fan, on display now at the GoodBean in Jacksonville.
Hand sewn kimono by Judy Elliott
Hand sewn kimono by Judy Elliott

Judy shares a glimpse into her past and highlights of the process behind her creations:
“Growing up in Hawaii, I absorbed the tastes and cultures of the Islands. My father, a photographer, blessed me with an artistic eye for exotic colors and shapes. Early on I developed an interest in Japanese fashion and design, particularly the Kimono and Happi (pronounced “Hoppi”) Coat, which I often wore as a child while dancing.

“In 1991 I brought these passions with me to Oregon. To expand on the skills I developed while attending interior design school in Hawaii, I began offering hand-painted silk scarves, wall hangings, and mid-length kimoros, often worn as a robe. Now I frequently receive commissions to create custom pieces to wear or to decorate a home or office.
“My line of kimonos are made from Japanese and Hawaiian printed polished cotton. I’ve found that cotton is a far more comfortable choice of fabric for everyday wear, and the variety of prints are more accessible.

Judy paints a silk wall hanging.
Judy paints a silk wall hanging.

“Silk comes from the silk worm and is spun into threads to weave into various items. While visiting a silk carpet manufacturing facility in Turkey, I learned more about how the threads are formed and used. While silk appears to be a very delicate fabric, it is actually very strong and durable. Silk is a unique item to paint on and requires trial and error before beginning the process. I enjoy working with silk, experimenting with new ways to use it. Some of my hand-painted scarves and wall hangings are outlined with gutta, a rubberized substance that prevents the dye from traveling from one section of the scarf to another. Some of my newer scarves are painted with dye and wax, accented with the use of salt to create beautiful effects. Each scarf must be heat-set after a four day process to prevent colors from bleeding. They can then be handwashed with a mild fabric soap.”

Hand painted silk scarves by Judy Elliott on display at the GoodBean
Hand painted silk scarves by Judy Elliott on display at the GoodBean

Though she didn’t get the Mother’s Day sales I expected with all those colorful and beautifully hand painted silk scarves on display, Judy has had a very successful show, selling two gorgeous kimonos (including the one pictured above) with magnificent Japanese crane prints to one enthusiastic buyer last week! Better check out those scarves before they’re gone…

When I asked Mary how she liked what Judy had done with her exhibition, she said “I feel so fortunate! Not everyone has beautiful art like this in their business!” A known mermaid who loves spending time by the ocean, it’s no surprise that Mary finds this show close to her heart. I’ll have to bring her to the reception for the Art Presence show in June, as Judy will be exhibiting two works not seen at the GoodBean now as part of the “Coastal, By the Sea” show of member works.

"Koi" handpainted silk wall hanging by Judy Elliott
“Koi” handpainted silk wall hanging by Judy Elliott
"Koi" handpainted silk wall hanging by Judy Elliott
“Koi” (reverse) swimming…overhead?!

 

 

 

This is a wonderfully colorful show with graceful designs that create a lovely ambience in the GoodBean’s cafe ~ please enjoy it enjoy while there’s still time as it comes down at the end of this month. If you miss it though, all is not lost, to calm her wedding day nerves, Judy created another spectacular wall hanging called “Tropical Splendor” which will replace the one pictured on the left.

Site Update for Jannie Ledard Glass Art

Posted by Hannah West
Serene Mandala, Stained Glass Art by Jannie Ledard, Talent, Oregon
Serene Mandala, Stained Glass Art by Jannie Ledard, Talent, Oregon

 

 

Just completed an update for jannieledardglassart.com, including several new stained glass mandalas! Check her Stained Glass page to see her newly added objets d’art, and when you find yourself in Jacksonville, Oregon, stop by the Art Presence Art Center to see them in person!

Home Page Update for London Hummingbird Arts

Posted by Hannah West

Though Janet has boldly updated various parts of tamlondonhummingbirdarts.com numerous times, her site’s home page remained unchanged since its launch early in 2008. During this time she has done many creative experiments with her art and her workshops, growing and learning in the process, and recently decided that the Luminous Mandala workshops she facilitates with friend and colleague Diane Tibbitts have so outshined the others she has done that she wanted to showcase them and the path she took to reach them on her landing page. The luminous mandalas she and her students create are beautiful, and the success of the therapeutic healing work that accompanies the art is far beyond what she has seen with other techniques. Have a look and enjoy reading the outline of her wonderful journey!

Tree Mandala by Janet London
Tree Mandala by Janet London

Valentine’s Day Site Update for Cowboy Flowers

Posted by Hannah West

Last weekend I finished up a flier and site update for www.cowboyflowers.com to showcase the Valentine’s Day arrangements owner Barb Wallgren will be featuring. She’s also offering a 10% discount off online orders to be delivered Feb 10 & 11, so if you ‘re planning to give flowers to a loved one, you might want to take a look! Not all the arrangements are shown on her flier below, or even on her website, so you may want to like her page and connect with her on Facebook, too.