Baby’s (Nearly) New Dress

Why the screen shot of my website?  Well…soon it will cease to exist.

In it’s place will be a slick new website.

My dear friend and fellow artist, Tzaddi Gordon, also just happens to be an outstanding web designer and WordPress Ruler of the Universe.  It was through her gentle insistence that I ever ended up with a website at all.

Back in 2006 I was much less tech-savvy than I am now.  I was using the internet to do research on possible exhibition venues and research for creating my work but I didn’t know anything about maintaining a website or blogging.  The little light bulb in my head hadn’t flickered on yet – I hadn’t considered that I could be using the interwebs to disseminate my work to a massive, worldwide audience.

Tzaddi, bless her, continually encouraged me to let her create a site for my artwork.  I finally conceded after I got over the fear of having my work “plagiarized” once my images were Out There (I’m rolling my eyes and shaking my head at the moment, but at the time it was a paramount anxiety of mine).

How do I feel about having a website now?

Having a website as an artist has been a true asset.  If you’re an artist without a site and you’re sitting on the fence about whether or not you need one, I’m here to tell you that you do.  I can’t imagine NOT having a site.

Having a website was critical to me getting an interview with Sheryl MacKay on CBC’s North by Northwest radio program.  The gallery where I was exhibiting forwarded my website URL and Sheryl was intrigued enough by what she saw to contact me.  If I hadn’t had a decent website, it might have been too much trouble to hunt down info on me.  My radio spot would likely have gone to another artist…one that was organized enough to have a website.

The day after my interview aired I checked my stats.  Visitor traffic had spiked – an increase that was over 100x my usual daily average.  Think about all those people who wouldn’t have been introduced to my work if hadn’t had a website.

Original bio page.

Last year Tzaddi told me that she wanted to update my site and that I might want to start thinking about what changes I’d like to see.  As I researched other artist’s sites, and regarded my own site with a critical eye, I realized that, for the most part, I still really liked my site:

Original blog page.

There were, however, a few tweaks (cosmetic and otherwise) that would project me into 2013. 😉  It was time for baby to get a new dress.

One item on my wish list was a new gallery system.  We did the best with what was available in 2006, but I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with my SimpleViewer galleries:

Original gallery page.

I was so disenchanted with SimpleViewer that once I heard a new site was on the schedule I stopped updating the galleries with images of new pieces.  It’s a lot of effort to update and create galleries – I knew I’d have to do it all again for the new website so…I didn’t (I’m looking forward to sharing new galleries of my professionally documented work in the near future).

Two weeks ago we went over the wire-frames, and last week we consulted over some drafts Tzaddi had created.

I cannot say how thrilled I am.  There are no words to express my excitement at the new look she’s creating for me.  I want so badly to share a sneak peek of the drafts with you, but posting images of someone else’s work in progress is a huge No-No.

Sorry.

You’ll just have to wait, as I am, with bated breath for the finished product.

What can I tell you?  I can tell you to expect some changes.

Beautiful, sweet, radical changes.

Oh, and even though Tzaddi is MY awesome website designer, she could be yours, too.  Contact her here.

Do you have something new you’ve just released, or are just about to unveil?  Don’t be shy.  Share your story in the comments.