I’ll get the technical stuff out of the way first: The site is coded in HTML5 and uses the media queries in CSS3 to detect the screen size. ExpressionEngine is powering the backend and is actually drawing content from across multiple websites using the multi-site manager. It features a Vimeo widget on the front page to display the latest videos and a custom Google Search.

Here is a quick rundown of the various screen sizes (click the images for larger versions):

At the largest size, 1200+ pixels, the layout has 3 columns. The idea was to make the coming events prominent and have the featured video feature prominently in the center of the screen.

The medium size is the primary size for most desktop computer screens. The thumbnails of past videos move to the bottom since they’re the third most important piece of information. The two column layout works well with the content with a submenu on the secondary pages.

The iPad or tablet size takes the layout down to 1 column and boosts the text size for the smaller device. That is a main complaint I hear with websites on mobile devices – the text is too small! One of the coolest parts of CSS3 and responsive web design is being able to address and fix issues with the viewing platform with respect to the content.

The iPhone or phone size continues using the 1 column layout and larger text. However, the menu for past events and presenter bios moves down to the bottom of the page because we felt that most people that come to the site on a phone are looking for the upcoming events and we wanted that to show up first.

I’m really excited to continue working with responsive design on the web! It makes a lot of sense to me since the web is a flexible and adaptable medium to begin with. For more information on responsive web design, check out this article on A List Apart.

So, go ahead and try the site out! On most modern browsers, you should be able to just resize your screen to see the different sizes take effect.

UPDATE: I wrote an overview of responsive web design over at the Stratepedia blog if you’re interested in some other examples.

A quick illustration I did for a presentation talking about the “Belief Window”. It’s essentially the idea that people (in this case, kids with learning disabilities) tend to view the world through their own experiences. For example, if a kid sees a cat for the first time and it scratches him, he’ll think that every cat is mean and will scratch him. You have to understand that and work within that reality to help change people’s perceptions.

For the first studio tour of 2009, I visited the workspace of artist and illustrator, Lora Jost. I first met Lora when we worked together on a poster for the River City Reading Festival and I was so amazed by her illustration that I asked if I could visit her studio to see her workspace and more of her beautiful art. Lora uses several unique techniques in creating her work including scratchboard, ceramic mosaic, and collage. Her pieces draw from personal experiences and collected stories which are depicted with elements of beauty, whimsy, darkness, and joy. From her artist statement:

“I am drawn to experiences that are mundane, whimsical, and socially urgent. I like to mix these themes, and find how they link in spirit. I hope that viewers will identify with the stories my pictures tell. I hope that my art, in some small way, deepens our collective appreciation and compassion for each other and for life itself.”

Before moving to the studio, I wanted to show some of Lora’s artwork first. These black and white pieces were all done using scratchboard which is incredible to me! It is a very time intensive process, but Lora is able to etch extremely fine lines into the surface that create wonderful texture and a wide tonal range. I think these are fun to look at from a distance, but also very close up to appreciate the intricate detail of each line.

I asked Lora to show a little bit of her process on creating these. They generally start out as a pencil sketch before moving on to the scratchboard.

Using a variety of sharp instruments, she slowly scratches away the dark surface to reveal the white board underneath. It takes a very steady hand and a lot of patience to carve out the final image.

Some of Lora’s art is more child/family oriented and inspired by her experiences as a mother.

Her son has gone through some phases of art making as well and there are stacks of his drawings which were a lot of fun to see.

Lora has done a number of commissions and one that many people in Lawrence may have seen was for the KU Endowment Association. I love the colors in this piece! You can see the original art on the right and the printed version on the left.

The endowment piece shows a mixture of the scratchboard work and also some collaged elements which is another medium that she frequently uses.

This piece is a combination of paint, photography and thread. There are a lot of layers in her work and I like the effect of transparency that she uses.

A detail of the previous photo . . .

. . . and another. Although not necessarily a theme throughout all of her work, elements from nature and organic shapes and lines often appear in her pieces.

I also really enjoy her use of hand written type to help convey the story within the work.

This new piece was one of the highlights of a recent exhibit at the Lawrence Percolator gallery. Lora told me that she wasn’t sure if people would actually read the text or not, but it turns out that most people took the time and I encourage you to as well since it’s beautifully written.

This work is based on another personal story involving a police helicopter that hovered over her neighborhood one night.

In her studio, Lora has a great wall space for hanging her artwork. Although each piece tells an individual story, it’s neat to step back and see a large group of it all together.

She has an amazing art studio that was built as a second floor addition to her home. The windows and gallery lighting make it a bright workspace that welcomes creativity.

Lots of room for reference material and an office.

I always enjoy seeing the inspiration on studio walls.

The variety of materials that Lora has at her disposal is amazing and she has found very creative ways to put them to use.

She has also created a number of mosaics using broken ceramic pieces. Most of the bits come from dishware and mugs found at garage sales and thrift stores which give her a huge range of colors to work with. What a great way to reuse discarded and unwanted items!

After roughly sketching out the image on board, the tiles are glued into place one piece at a time until the final piece is completed.

The results are beautiful! Again, these works are fun to look at from a distance, but also up close where you can see the individual textures and patterns in each tile.

A huge thanks to Lora for inviting me over to look at her studio. I had a great time! You can see more of her artwork on her website at www.lorajost.org and also over at the Lawrence Arts Center. In addition to her artwork, Lora is also an educator and writer so be sure and check out the book Kansas Murals: A Traveler’s Guide, a book that she co-authored with muralist Dave Loewenstein (available on amazon.com).

It reminded me of a very strong memory I have of the first (and only) time I’ve played in an orchestra. In 2006, I played tenor saxophone in the Kansas City symphony for their annual pops concert under the direction of Erich Kunzel. Since saxophonists rarely ever play in symphonies, I jumped at the chance and I was really glad that I did.

What you don’t realize when you listen to an orchestral recording or even sitting in the audience of a live concert, is how amazing the sound of a professional string section is. It is a warm, rich sound that has an amazing energy to it. Since it is made up strictly of vibrating wood and strings, that energy is transfered into the air and you can almost feel it on your skin. When all of the instruments are playing, every overtone is present and so you feel consumed by the sound from all sides. You just cannot experience this the same way unless you’re sitting within the orchestra. It’s like the difference between hearing the wind through a tree in the yard across the street (beautiful sound) and sitting right in the center of an ancient forest as the leaves flutter all around you (beautiful experience).

There is also an impressive visual element to it all. First, the bows of the violins and violas all move in total unison so that it seems like you’re watching waves in an ocean move up and down. When you look at the musicians, you can’t help but notice the sea of deep browns, reds and oranges of the wooden instruments which only intensifies the rich sound that comes from within them. The musicians all breathe together with each phrase and so you feel the energy of melody as well as hear it. It’s really like being inside of a breathing creature.

I’m sure experienced orchestral players are used to this feeling, but I came from a musical world of big bands, jazz combos and small chamber music groups (which are amazing in their own right), so it was totally new to me. I can only imagine what it would feel like to play a piece like Mahler’s 2nd Symphony or the 1812 Overture. It would make you leave your individual self behind for a while and become part of a greater whole. A “whole” with the sole purpose of creating music.