Underground

Greetings Everyone and Happy Spring to you!

  People have been wondering where I've disappeared to and like a bear emerging from hibernation, eyes blinking in the bright, March sun, I feel as if I've been journeying in some underground dream-time. In actual fact, I've been creating a new website and I had NO IDEA how much work would be involved in such a venture! But there is good news to report....we are getting much, MUCH closer to getting this behemoth off the ground soon!

Since I can't show you any actual, live pages, I can only share some mock-ups and tell you about what's been cooking here in the underground cave the last few months. First, there are going to be TONS of slideshow galleries to look at!  The technical challenge was to figure out how to do this in a way that would not bog down the visitor with too much waiting around for images to load. I've been blessed with some web-savvy angels and am getting clear and professional guidance on how to make this happen so visitors should be very pleased with the results.

Here is a mock-up of the new Home page just so you can see what the new look will be:

The big window section at the top will have a revolving slide show that will feature all the major areas of coverage for the website. The juiciest, best images will be featured in this short show. Below that are 6 buttons to take the visitor deeper into the website.
The Greenspirit Arts button will take the visitor to over 10 different galleries featuring images made using both my Faerie house works and my Environmental Art pieces. Just for fun, here is Faerie House gallery page:

Here you can see how the pages are blocked in and how changes that need to be made are indicated (in red) as I go along. Space for text is accounted for, but may not actually written ( as the top and bottom paragraphs this this example) just yet. The point is to get an over-all feel that is fresh, clean and welcoming. But it has been a LOT of work as every image had to be refined and prepared for web delivery which is very different from the paper/print world I am used to and have all my images prepared for, generally speaking. This translating of my images for web is what has taken such a large chunk of time to get accomplished.

  The 6 buttons on the original HOME page will take the visitor to the following sections:

GREENSPIRIT ARTS- will take you to all the Faerie houses and Environmental Art galleries

PAINTINGS- will take you to 3 galleries featuring my painting works. I am so very excited to share this part of my creative life with my visitors because up till now most folks did not know my life as an artist had a whole previous incarnation! It will be such fun to share this with you now.

NOTES- will be my NEW blog...yes, finally my blog will be a part of my website, not separate destinations like I have now. While the transition process is in effect, I will still post here however...and you, loyal readers, will still find me here with updates and news located in both places while we all get used to the new location.

ARTIST- button will take you to information about me as an artist and offer up some unusual opportunities.

SHOP- will be a big make-over...many things on offer here both directly (my own shopping cart feature) and also giving you updates and links every time a new product using my work becomes available.  A big new feature is going to be my ability to offer my images as custom-made prints for my collectors. (more on that below)

NEWS- will be the announcements section where I post updates on what is happening on all fronts having to do with my work as an artist.


As mentioned above, the CUSTOM Prints feature has me very excited. Here is that page mock-up so you can get a taste:

There will be three different galleries to go to for inspiration...Corporate/Office environments that are imaginal ways to use my work in professional settings, A Home gallery to show how my prints could bring a fresh new impulse into the home environment and a gift-giving gallery that shows how small prints can be tailor-made for special occasions or smaller spaces.

Here are some examples:

 
 So there will be lots of new content and places to explore on this new website and I can't wait for it to be done so I can share all this work (both the images and the actual website as a work of love) with you. Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, please take note: I am now retiring my greeting card line of products. If you have any desire to get some of these cards, I would recommend doing so soon. I will give final warning when the website is about to switch over, but the greeting cards will no longer be offered online once the new website is up. Also, card sales now are limited to what stock I have on hand. I will make substitutions if needed to keep within similar content/themes, but my supply is getting low so order now if you've been wanting to get cards.

Also, I had some glitches with Paypal invoices last year. If you ordered cards but did not get them, PLEASE contact me so I can correct this oversight. Due to technical issues, I may have missed some orders and don't know it. I want everyone who ordered cards to get them....so if you did not, please do contact me. Thanks!

Also, for my Kickstarter Patrons....please know that the book project is still in progress. In the process of developing my website I have also been sorting thru and processing a DECADE of environmental art images and so this was an excellent time to continue work on the Kickstarter book. Once this website goes live I will be able to get back to that long-over-due project onto a "front burner" and off "back burner" status and I hope to bring it to completions soon.

I'll be wading thru this web-site building process a bit longer as I put all the pieces in place and get the whole thing up and running. It's just as complicated as writing a book...so please have patience!

Happy Spring Everyone!