Several blogposts ago, I wrote about investing in myself and jumpstarting my surface design career, which had been a bit derailed. Life threw some twists and turns, and I shifted out of the fabric industry and into desktop publishing, doing layout design for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, and educational aids. Along the way, I discovered fiber art and embraced it wholeheartedly...until a rotator cuff tear (from cutting through thick layers of fabric and batting with a rotary cutter that was too dull) forced me find gentler forms of artistic expression. I turned to paper instead of cloth, embracing watercolor, acrylic, collage, stenciling, stamping, and art journaling.

This year I jumped head-first into two new computer programs: Adobe InDesign (because the other programs I used are pretty much obsolete) and Adobe Illustrator (because analog surface design is extremely old-school). Learning both programs was daunting. After my first and second InDesign course, I nearly cried in the bathroom at work and thought about quitting my job...and I love my day job...but I decided that technology would not defeat me. While I am nowhere near an expert, I am becoming more adept at both programs.

However, creating a website was not so simple. Yes, there are many free and inexpensive templates available. I found them hard to navigate. Since I was spending my time learning two new computer programs and working on my surface design portfolio, I opted to have an expert build the site, and I added all the visuals and language. (Thanks Sadie!)

It was so much fun to see the work I have done over the last 20 years on one platform. My "published work" section was especially rewarding to compile. I had forgotten about some of the work and enjoyed revisiting the magazine pieces. It was also really interesting to clearly see my own style once everything was on the website. While I create a variety of art, the website makes it easier to see that I do have my own style: swirly, painterly, loose-handed art, with a bold use of color!

Here's the link to my website. I hope you like viewing my site as much as I enjoyed creating it!