Sometimes piles of snow are the perfect motivation to postpone the usual activities and focus on something else (in between shoveling). This was the weekend to finally begin to tackle the website makeover.

Although I will miss my little icons, pictured above, there are several reasons for the needed change, besides the fact that, after 5 1/2 years, it’s time for something new. Because switching from a PC to a Mac left me without the needed software, updates have become cumbersome. This time I decided to use WordPress for the content management system. Still, deciding and doing are two different things. Being somewhat snowed in provided the uninterrupted hours and needed motivation.

Although I’m familiar with WordPress as a blogging platform, last year I purchased Lisa Sabin-Wilson’s WordPress Web Design for Dummies and have been reading about its use as a traditional website. After some enjoyable hours playing around with free themes I opted for a premium theme from Artbiz: WordPress Websites for Artists. Kim Bruce‘s designs are created specifically for fine art – they are subtle and elegant and never distract from the artwork. So far, so good! It may be a while before it’s ready for prime time – there are a lot of images and info to upload – but everything is off to a promising start.

Here is a peek at the new look:

Pages from my existing site: