IrisCat Designs news updates for April 2010

I am posting this on March 31 so no one would think it's April Fools! ;-)

This blog has been quiet for some time, but in my little world it's teeming with many activities.  First of all, I would like to express my belated thanks to all who came to my first solo show in February at the Secret Hideout Studio in Portland.  This was a very well attended show.

I will not be showing at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral this year during the first weekend of May. The costs of producing the work to the event's specification, limited audience exposure and potential low sales simply do not make it possible for me at this time.

I will, however, be showing one new and original painting at the upcoming group theme show at Grace Memorial Episcopal Church (NE 16th Avenue & NE Weidler Street) starting this Sunday through end of May.  There will be a little reception and artists' talk on one of the Sundays, but that would not be this coming Sunday (which is Easter in the Western church calendar).  Stay tuned here, on Facebook (look for IrisCat Designs) or on Twitter @sarahmorrigan.

This spring I have become a graduate student -- and I am taking 9 credits -- so I will be doing a lot more things with my life.  This requires some adjustments and modifications.  While I will not scale down my artist activities (in fact I am looking to increase in this area) I will be making a number of changes to the IrisCat Design's commercial client services beginning April 1:

• Window painting services: I will no longer be supplying paints during off-peak seasons due to the inventory and cash-flow issues.  Paints will be the responsibility of the clients (I will bring other tools and materials).  To reflect this change, the service rates will be lowered (exact figures TBA).  Also, my service area will be limited to central parts of Portland, Oregon and select urban cores of surrounding cities, such as downtown Lake Oswego, downtown Milwaukie, Clackamas Town Center (Harmony/Sunnyside), downtown Beaverton, Washington Square (Nimbus/Progress) and downtown Gresham.  I will no longer be servicing outlying suburbs due to time requirements.


• Graphic design and branding development services: I will be offering these services at a much lower rate starting April 1.  Now it will be $55 minimum charge (and first hour) and $40 per hour thereafter.


• Commissioned fine arts: No changes.

Heraldry and ecclesiastical seals: where high-tech contemporary designs meet time-steeped tradition

One of my specialty areas of practice is designs of traditional ecclesiastical (church) seals that both follow the centuries-old traditions of heraldry that are rich in metaphorical and spiritual symbolism, and at the same time stylish and visually pleasing to the contemporary sensibility.



Read the stories behind these seals, including their heraldic symbolism and meanings.

Short updates

Iridia Creative Production is now IrisCat Designs. I was not able to log in to this blog's dashboard for a few months for some unknown reasons, so this hadn't been updated as much as it should have been.

In the mean time, I have started another blog on iriscat.myartplot.com, the downside of it being there is no RSS or permalink. So eventually I will mirror the same contents here as well.

Also now IrisCat Designs has a Facebook fan page. Many updates are done there.