Guest post by WordCamp Calgary 2013 speaker Kim Bruce.

I am an artist that designs artist websites for artists using WordPress. My name is Kim Bruce and when I’m not at the computer you’ll find me in the studio creating fine art of my own.

I said I was an artist, I am, so I believe that I bring a unique perspective to fine art websites. This is a vision that I share with other professional artists. We have a way of looking at art that agrees with the philosophy behind white walled galleries and that philosophy is; nothing is to interfere with viewing the art – nothing!

Typical content seen on other websites is not quite the same on a fine art site. Visual art websites are Different by their very nature and content. I’ll point out the two major differences and why that makes fine art sites unique.

After viewing 1000’s of fine art websites, time and again I’ll see an extremely talented artists work Damaged by choosing an inappropriate theme. Everything on a professional fine art site is there to focus, enhance and draw attention to the images. I’ll discuss what constitutes a good theme for a professional artist and what not to do.

Defilement of fine art images is in the hands of plugin Developers. But if they don’t know the unique needs required to present artist images how can we expect them to offer us up a solution. We’ll look at what’s available right now for image presentation using the powerful and popular NextGen Gallery plugin. I’ll also explain from an artist’s perspective why image presentation is so crucial and what a professional artist expects.

Using WordPress is a perfect solution for the professional artist to manage their site but with ownership comes responsibility. The artist as the Doer of site maintenance needs to educate them-self and stop needless Disruptions when viewing fine art images. If they use a designer, it is up to us Designers to educate clients and help them create good content and quality images. Content is and always will be the most important element on any site not just the art site. I’ll go over common page content for the most basic of sites and offer up some solutions.

Join me at WordCamp YYC and learn how you can help in my crusade to put an end to the …
Damage caused by choosing an inappropriate theme
Defilement of artist images
Disruption in the flow of the visitor’s experience
Destruction of artist content.