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    Our bookshelf

    Favorite Books of 2022

    I read 43 books this past year. It was a great mixture, too. Some I loved, some I disliked. I am a member of two book clubs, which provides me with ample variety: UMass-Boston and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Then, there … [Read More...] about Favorite Books of 2022

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    Web Design

    Gutenberg group block containing 4 blocks

    How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block

    After I became comfortable with Gutenberg (WordPress editor), I started looking for ways to take my skills to the next level. The Gutenberg Group block is a powerful tool for placing several blocks together in a single container. In this article, I discuss how … [Read More...] about How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block

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    Graphic Design

    3 fave school design projects

    Shedding

    My partner and I are moving to Florida in 2 weeks. I've lived in the Boston area my entire life, so this is a huge change for me. It's the longest distance I've ever covered in a move. The company we hired to transport our furniture and … [Read More...] about Shedding

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    Art

    portil2104 - Azaleas on Blue

    Painting Azaleas at Auburn Lake

    I've always admired a pair of azalea bushes at Mount Auburn Cemetery's Auburn Lake. Their remarkable magenta and rose … [Read More...] about Painting Azaleas at Auburn Lake

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    Favorite Books of 2022

    March 16, 2023 by ProfK 2 Comments

    Our bookshelf

    I read 43 books this past year. It was a great mixture, too. Some I loved, some I disliked. I am a member of two book clubs, which provides me with ample variety: UMass-Boston and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Then, there are the recommendations from friends and family. Keep them coming! Here are my favorite books of 2022.   Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane THE BACKDROP is two NYPD cops working together briefly as partners. They have very little in common, and aren't … [Read more...] about Favorite Books of 2022

    Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: Ask Again Yes, Black is the Body, Cloud Cuckoo Land, In the Sea There are Crocodiles, The Beekeeper of Aleppo, The Book of Soul, The Flight Portfolio, The Magician's Assistant, The Music of Bees, The Night Watchman, These Precious Days, This Tender Land

    How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block

    February 5, 2023 by ProfK Leave a Comment

    Gutenberg group block containing 4 blocks

    After I became comfortable with Gutenberg (WordPress editor), I started looking for ways to take my skills to the next level. The Gutenberg Group block is a powerful tool for placing several blocks together in a single container. In this article, I discuss how and when to use the Group block. How to Use the Gutenberg Group Block 1. Individual Blocks Into Group Block The simplest way to begin is by using individual blocks as needed. Let's say you have a Heading block followed … [Read more...] about How and When to Use the Gutenberg Group Block

    Filed Under: WordPress Tagged With: containers, div, Gutenberg, Gutenberg blocks, Gutenberg group block, List View, wp-block

    WordPress Maintenance – The Essentials

    January 5, 2023 by ProfK 2 Comments

    WP update notifications

    Immunization In this post, I describe the series of essential tasks that I include in maintaining my clients' sites. I perform these tasks routinely at the end of each month. It's really important to keep your WordPress site updated so that it runs smoothly and is protected from hackers. WordPress software, themes, and plugins are in a constant state of change: new features are added; bugs are fixed; security holes are plugged. Without regular updating, your site becomes vulnerable to hackers … [Read more...] about WordPress Maintenance – The Essentials

    Filed Under: WordPress Tagged With: backups, database, maintenance, plugins, themes, updates

    Loosening Up My Painting Style

    December 5, 2022 by ProfK 2 Comments

    Dari's Hydrangea

    One of my painting goals for a few years has been to loosen things up and be more expressive. I want people to understand what they're looking at, but I don't want a photo-realistic style. For me, it's about painting from the heart. Regardless, I do tend to get caught up in the details and render my subjects too tightly. When finished, I am highly critical of how accurate my painting is! I think I'm finally beginning to break this crazy cycle. A friend once told me a way to reduce the … [Read more...] about Loosening Up My Painting Style

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: expressiveness, mediums, painting style, pasetls, sketching, watercolor

    Connecting Domains to Separate Web Hosting

    November 5, 2022 by ProfK Leave a Comment

    Siteground's Domain > Subdomain area

    Two requirements for any website are domain name registration and web hosting. Most web host providers offer both services. You can keep them together at the same company or separate them. There are benefits and disadvantages to both approaches and you'll find all kinds of arguments favoring one over the other. This post addresses how to connect the domain to the website when the domain name is registered at a different provider than the web hosting. There's a mix of what my clients do. So, … [Read more...] about Connecting Domains to Separate Web Hosting

    Filed Under: Web Design Tagged With: A Records, DNS, domain registration, nameservers, Subdomains, web hosting

    How to Use the Modula Custom Grid Gallery

    October 5, 2022 by ProfK Leave a Comment

    Modula Custom Gallery grid - resized images

    Modula is a fantastic WordPress plugin for creating galleries. It has loads of options in the Settings section, which makes it very flexible. I especially like the Custom Grid gallery type because of its modular nature: the images can be all the same sizes or a mix of sizes. This guide will show you how to (1) create a new gallery, (2) configure it for a custom grid, (3) add images to it and (4) display the gallery on a page or post. (1) Getting Started: Create a New Gallery (2) … [Read more...] about How to Use the Modula Custom Grid Gallery

    Filed Under: WordPress Tagged With: galleries, media library, Modula, navigation menus, plugins

    Revisiting a Painting

    September 5, 2022 by ProfK 3 Comments

    Revisiting a painting: hidden azaleas finished

    I usually know if a painting is finished. Something in my gut tells me there's nothing more to do and we've reached completion. If I'm unclear, I ask myself this question: "Am I futzing or finessing?" The answer will lead me to my next step. Futzing equals done! Finessing means I have to make a few tweaks. I can see some thing(s) that just doesn't look right. Yet, I might not know how to "fix" it. What tweaks should I make? That's when I put it away and revisit the painting at a later … [Read more...] about Revisiting a Painting

    Filed Under: Art Tagged With: Auburn Lake, en plein air, painting azaleas, pastel painting, Spectacle Pond

    Cropping Thumbnails in WordPress

    August 5, 2022 by ProfK Leave a Comment

    Edit Image

    WordPress Image Defaults When you upload an image to WordPress, it goes into your Media Library. Then, WordPress generates 3 copies of it at default sizes: thumbnail (150x150 pixels square), medium (300x300 pixels maximum), and large (1024x1024 pixels maximum). Your theme settings may vary or include other sizes in addition to these defaults. The thumbnails, used in in the blog archive list and image galleries (among other things), automatically cut off parts of the original image. Sometimes … [Read more...] about Cropping Thumbnails in WordPress

    Filed Under: WordPress Tagged With: cropping thumbnails, media library, thumbnails, WordPress

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    New Book Published!

    Kornegger book: Inside the Rainbow

    Art and design for book cover and interior

    Inside the Rainbow: Soul Connection in Nature, by Peggy Kornegger

    BUY THE BOOK!

    Peggy and I have completed our 3rd book together! This one is about soul connection in nature. Peggy is the writer, I'm the designer and artist. I think it's pretty darn special and hope you agree 🙂. Printed book and eBook are both available on Amazon.

     
    kornegger loseyourmind front cover
    Several of my paintings are in this book (including the cover)
    BUY THE BOOK!
     
    Check out my blog post about designing books: Self-Publishing Adventures

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    Testimonials

    I received the notecards on Friday and it was on my to do list today to email you my deep appreciation for them. They are amazing and I am so glad to have them to share. I am sure I will order more in the future. You are such a gifted artist and I thank you for sharing in a way others can use the art.

    — Shari Spokes

    Your new pastel "Lettuce Lake” is really beautiful. Very, very nice.

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    My dear sweet sister. I can’t tell you how much I love your pictures. I so much wanted something and was so sorry that I couldn’t pick something out at your sale. On the other hand, I so much wanted something that you had chosen for me. Its been on my mind and suddenly, your beautiful pictures arrived. They are beyond beautiful and I cried when I saw them. Sending you love and my bestness.

    — Marti from Reno, NV

    Copyright

    © 2000-2023 Anne S. Katzeff. All rights reserved. Unless noted, all artwork and text are copyrighted by the artist. Images may not be reproduced, manipulated, or used in any way without Anne’s written permission.

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