updates, redesigns, and a call for work

So much is going on this summer. I'm excited to finally be close enough to let some of the info out!

First, the gallery.

With the help of Laura Beth Lott we are repurposing about half of my downtown studio into a gallery and gathering space for creative minds. We've committing about 1700 square feet to this, and we're both very excited to be getting close to reopening the doors. As a matter of fact, Laura Beth is hanging artwork as I type this (thanks Laura Beth) !

That being said, we've already gathered some wonderful work but we're always looking for more. Our goal is to promote art and artists with ties to the Mississippi Delta, and be a place where more experienced artists can mingle and mentor younger, emerging artists. We're searching for all kinds of work --paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, weaving, jewelry, music, writing and poetry, hand crafted furniture -- if it comes from your heart and not from the mall -- we're excited to help you share it. So if you're looking for a place to show some work, or you know someone who is, please shoot me an email. I'd love to tell you more about what we're up to.

Another thing I'm really excited to be doing involves Delta State University and its different creative departments. We'll have an area set up just for the professors at the art department, as well as books written by members of the English and creative writing faculty. And one of the coolest things we'll do is create a sound booth where visitors can come in and listen to all the great work going on in the music department and the Delta Music Institute.

There are some wonderful instructors and students at our little university, and Laura Beth and I both are really striving to help promote them all as much as we can.

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Second, my website.

The image above is a screenshot of the new site I'm working on. I'm adding lots of new images and tweaking the overall layout a bit. Portraits and weddings will be fairly similar to what you see currently on my site, at least in regards to information. Lots of new images will be loaded, however, and they will be significantly larger than they are on my current website. But the gallery side -- what is currently the " . . .my Delta . . ." portal -- will have all kinds of new features.

It will be viewable in flash or HTML. And the best part is that you won't have to do anything; the site will automatically recognize the best way for you to view the images. So you can just sit back and feel comfortable knowing that you'll be able to peruse the work without any trouble. No more warning messages telling you to install any new software! If you're one of the millions of people that now make your phone calls using an iPhone, well, the images are formatted for that as well. You'll be able to see a specially designed version of the site if your web surfing on your phone.

But perhaps the coolest feature is the ability to search for images and create your own virtual lightbox of favorites. You will be able to purchase prints directly online, or just create folders that you can share with your friends and family. And as I add more and more images and create new collections, it will make it that much easier for you to search for photos and find just the right one for your needs.

Whew ! So there you go. It's been a busy summer and we're getting very close to the end now. The gallery should be open one day this week, and the website will be up and running in about two weeks. If you have any questions, please let me know. I'm excited to share all of this stuff with you for as long as you want to discuss it.

Take care. I hope to see all of you in the gallery very soon !


~wj