The trip was planned for winter in the hope of seeing the Aurura Borealis lighting up the night sky, which we did. Other favorites: the Icelandic horses, their coats so thick they can stay outside all winter with their backs to the (frigid) wind. The horse ranchers are very protective of their breed: no other breeds are allowed to enter the country, and if an Icelandic horse is shipped outside the country it can never come back. More amazing things: in the north, the icebergs were stationary in frozen rivers; the basalt and lava form compelling shapes and structures; the beaches are black with ground up lava, the thermal features and lagoons are quite beautiful. Iceland is heated geothermally.

I have travelled with most of this group many times. All of us started out as film photographers but at this point in time, only 3 out of the 10 were still shooting film, all 3 of us black and white. I was dismayed to find that the digitalists (as I like to call them) were so fast that I, with my totally mechanical Hasselblad, would just barely have my tripod set up at whatever site we were visiting (never mind about meter readings, changing film, lenses or filters!) and they would already be done photographing.

Although Iceland is relatively small, the winter climate changes significantly from the frozen north to the rainy south. We circled the entire island in 11 days, starting and ending in Reykjavik. The sun was up for about 6 hours each day, and the sunlight was deceptively weak. Although one would have many more hours to photograph in the summer, this winter scenery was very dramatic.

see Cali’s new images at http://caligorevic.com/

http://www.swhois.net/

http://www.betterwhois.com/

are two places to look. For instance I plugged in my domainname referenced in the below email

Expiration Date:08-Aug-2010 20:13:17 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar:Tucows Inc. (R11-LROR)
Tech Email:hostmaster@ipowerweb.com
Name Server:NS1.IPOWERWEB.NET
Name Server:NS1.IPOWERDNS.COM

(Tucows is who Ipowerweb uses to purchase domain names)

This email is fro search engine registration which is free and optimized during site construction but a lot of the times you will get us mail reminding you of renewal which is a way they Hihack your domainname.

Just check your whois first.

Attention: Important Notice

DOMAIN SERVICE NOTICE

Complete and return by fax to:
1-646-385-7542

47-47 36th Street #16452
Long Island City, NY 11101
United States of America

ATT: STEPHEN BEVERIDGE
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTACT
–
MAIL@SCOTSTYLE.COM
4395 BROADWAY 6E
NEW YORK , NY , 10040
1.212928835
Phone: US
WWW.NRGART.ORG

Domain Name: NRGART.ORG
Search Engine Submission

Requested Reply
September 15,2009

PART I: REVIEW SOLICITATION

Attn: STEPHEN BEVERIDGE
As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification for your business Domain name search engine registration. This letter is to inform you that it’s time to send in your registration and save.

Failure to complete your Domain name search engine registration by the expiration date may result in cancellation of this offer making it difficult for your customers to locate you on the web.

Privatization allows the consumer a choice when registering. Search engine subscription includes domain name search engine submission. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated below unless you accept this offer. Do not discard, this notice is not an invoice it is a courtesy reminder to register your domain name search engine listing so your customers can locate you on the web.

This Notice for: WWW.NRGART.ORG will expire on September 15,2009 Act today!

——————————————————————————————–
DETAIL OF SERVICE: ANNUAL WEBSITE SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSION FOR DOMAIN NAME WWW.NRGART.ORG

Detail of Service:
SEARCH SUBMISSIONS

Reply by Date:
9/15/2009

For Domain Name:
NRGART.ORG

*100% SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK

Select Term Your Existing Domain Period Covered Price
NRGART.ORG
[ ] 1 year 9/15/2009 – 9/15/2010 $75.00
[ ] 2 year 9/15/2009 – 9/15/2011 $119.00
[ ] 5 year 9/15/2009 – 9/15/2014 $199.00
[ ] 10 year -Most Recommended- 9/15/2009 – 9/15/2019 $295.00

Please ensure that your contact information is correct or make the necessary changes.
Full Name: STEPHEN BEVERIDGE Email: MAIL@SCOTSTYLE.COM

Phone: _____________________
Today’s Date: _____________________ Signature: _____________________
Option 1:
Payment by Credit Card (Recommended – Quickest way)
PLEASE COMPLETE AND RETURN BY FAX: 1-646-385-7542

Option 2:
Payment by Check or Money Order
Print and mail a copy of this order form along with a check or money order to the address listed below:

Domain Services
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Long Island City, NY 11101
United States of America

Please do not forget to include a copy of this order form along with your payment!

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By accepting this offer, you agree not to hold DN liable for any part. Note that THIS IS NOT A BILL. This is a solicitation. You are under no obligation to pay the amounts stated unless you accept this offer. The information in this letter contains confidential and/or legally privileged information from the notification processing department of the DN. This information is intended only for the use of the individual(s) named above. There is no pre-existing relationship between DN and the domain mentioned above. This notice is not in any part associated with a continuation of services for domain registration. Search engine submission is an optional service that you can use as a part of your website optimization and alone may not increase the traffic to your site. If you do not wish to receive further updates from DN send an email to wdsrv7861@operamail.com to unsubscribe. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance on the contents for this letter is strictly prohibited. * 100% satisfaction guaranteed, you may request a refund within 30 days.

http://www.deborahmitchellart.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

Using recycled wood as my canvas, I combine photographs, text, painting, sculpture and found objects to create a multi-sensory experience for the viewer. My work explores man’s relationship with plants, animals, and their land, and was inspired by my 2007 Artist in Residence position at The Big Cypress National Preserve. Given the fragile state of our planet, my goal is to produce a body of work that inspires people to examine, respect and preserve the environment with a renewed sense of purpose.

During the Residency, I was allowed to explore the Big Cypress by airboat, helicopter, ATV, kayak and unmarked trails, armed only with a Nikon and a journal, documenting the daily occurrences in the area and pondering deforestation and loss of habitat. Afterwards, I continued to explore and interpret everything related to South Florida, the Everglades and the complex relationship between the two. The subjects found in my work encourage the viewer to marry nature with human instinct. I want the viewer to see and feel the magic of the Everglades by touching my pieces, by reading the text and by admiring the resiliency of the people and the savage delicacy of the plants and animals. The viewer gets an intimate, book-like journey through the “swamp” in our back yard.

Although it has been a struggle to mix being a professional artist with motherhood, the experience has strengthened my resolve to bring attention to how we as humans, treat the Earth. I have tried to explain the importance of our daily choices to my son while on hikes in National Parks, and he, in turn, helps me see things as if for the first time. That is why I have constructed these pieces. I feel that if children can relate to my work, then an adult may remember what is what like to see an eagle for the first time, and how important it is to be in touch with their surroundings. That is also why I feel that it is important to use every medium at hand (sculptures made from found objects, photography, stamps, painting, sand, etc.) in creating these pieces. This helps demonstrate that we needn’t only construct “art” in studios or see it in galleries, as the possibility to perceive beauty is constantly present. I use all of the things that evoke my wonderment at a particular moment in time, whether knee deep in a slough or talking to one of the original “Gladesmen” who lived a life we no longer know, much less understand.

Stretching both the geographical and ideological boundaries of my domain will undoubtedly energize my creative output in the future. There is still so much more to discover, and through my work I seek to share the very essence of these exciting field experiences.

For more information about the Artist in Residence program at the Big Cypress National Preserve please contact Bob_Degross@nps.gov

There are software packages and hosting packages available that allow the basic internet user ability to update and manage html pages without having to know coding. The Content Management System (CMS) drawback is limited design variation.

I create custom sites for people who want to keep the focus on their art and let me keep up with changes in technology and frustrating server issues. With the better and better systems coming out I have branched out my services to include setting up blogs and web galleries, preparing images for the web, and advice on other facets of art promotion.

I understand wanting full control over every aspect of the site though so I have my site set up in a wordpress blog which allows me to update it without going in to the coding each time.

I have been recommending these blogs for artists as the additional text generated by blogging can be the difference between a stale website and a vibrant active art portal.

I urge you to set one up for yourself at http://wordpress.com/ and see how easy it is. there are limited changes one can make to the extensive set of templates but I don’t see any need to pay a host or a designer when all this stuff is free. Here are a couple of free blogs:

Blogspot http://blogspot.com
LiveJournal http://livejournal.com
TypePad http://www.typepad.com/
WordPress http://wordpress.com

online photo sites are a good place to host your images :
Flickr http://flickr.com
PhotoBucket http://photobucket.com
Qoop http://www.qoop.com
Shuterfly http://shutterfly.com
Snapfish http://snapfish.com

Here’s a good site with lots of info and links:

http://www.artgroupsdfw.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=684

It’s a tradeoff between ease of use and aesthetics, everyone has their own balance point and thank goodness there are options for us all.