Writing a web page is easy. Anyone can slap together a table with some text and images. Producing an attractive, optimized, effective, well-formed, standards-compliant web site that maximizes usability, eases accessibility, and shows up properly in the search engines is something else again. The most beautiful page is worthless if people can't find it. The most impressive content is useless if the page takes forever to load or displays incorrectly in a popular browser.

I've been hand-coding CSS and XHTML for a while now, and I am committed to producing the most effective web sites money can buy. I'm also building a portfolio of sites I've produced for other people. This is good news for you. If you want an effective website but lack the time or inclination to build it yourself, I can help you. Even if you have a limited budget, I can design and build a W3C compliant, multi-browser compatible website using CSS and (X)HTML. I will incorporate your images and content to give you an attractive, effective presence on the web. The more materials you can supply, the more personal the results will be. This is especially beneficial for artists and small business owners. You have full choice over the colors used, or I can suggest a harmonious color scheme.

I am also happy to do logo design and create additional images to enhance the look of your site, but graphic design work costs extra. I can even help you find a web host or help you register your domain name. Please contact me with details about your project and I will be happy to send you a quote.

Even if you already have a website, you may still need help. Perhaps you want to update your home page, modify your site design, or make changes to the information presented on your site. Maybe you want to add new capabilities to your site. This is all part of site maintenance. It can be a daunting task, especially if the existing code is old or poorly written. Again, I can help. I can analyze your existing code and modify it as needed to breathe new life into your old site.

Are you a painter? If so, you know that building canvas stretchers or boards takes a lot of time and effort. I've developed a process for building a structurally sound painting surface. I begin with a substructure made of clear screen pine and luan board. I don't use any nails. Instead, I apply wood glue and clamp the pieces until they dry. The underlying structure is as solid as furniture. I then stretch #10 cotton duck canvas over it. I staple the canvas to the back of the stretcher and make neat folded corners. Finally, I coat the surface with several layers of gesso and lightly sand the surface. The result is heavy, but stretching canvas over the board prevents stretching and sagging due to pressure on the surface. I don't glue the canvas to the board because that opens the risk of air bubbles and surface irregularities. The whole idea is to prevent canvas deflection that may cause acrylic gesso to crack. This also gives you the freedom to restretch the painting in the future. If you want an extra-smooth surface, I can use a more expensive linen or prepare the bare board for painting. If you are an artist interested in painting tiny details, you mix paint with heavy compounds that might cause the canvas to sag, or you apply paint like frosting, it's better to skip the canvas. I can build panels as small as you like, but my techniques make the most sense on surfaces from 24 x 30" up to 48 x 72". These can be from 1-1/2" to 3" thick, depending on the arrangement of materials used. These are not cheap, but I can build painting supports for you. Please contact me for a quote.