Make the direction tangible
The public request was for refinement of an existing Shopify website. It emphasized typography, spacing, imagery, and an experience connected to the artist. Tappan’s restraint was a reference, with a more personal, gallery-oriented feeling as the aim.
I built a standalone study in response, using the artwork and presentation material supplied with the brief. It gave the prospective client a working experience to inspect: a complete gallery, artist and process chapters, and routes for enquiring about a work. My response was a separate prototype rather than a change to the Shopify store.
Let the artist and the paintings lead
Ned Church is the subject of the site; Arbor & Eye is the studio and family mark. The biography and process keep his first-person voice. His father’s words retain their attribution, and the Tree of Life insignia has its own chapter after the work and the artist.
I directed a salon-wall presentation for the twenty-eight watercolors. Each opens a view with its own address, artwork details, and previous/next navigation. The catalog reproductions stay at modest sizes, respecting the resolution of the supplied images.
Work within what the material supports
The supplied scans stay the source of the paintings. AI generated empty room settings; the artwork was placed into those settings locally, without generative alteration. The room provides atmosphere while the work keeps its identity.
Only the known works carry supplied names and specifications. The remaining paintings use catalog numbers and details on request. I kept prices, editions, availability, and unresolved delivery times for the studio to confirm.
Carry the visit through to an enquiry
An original work has a direct enquiry link. A visitor interested in prints can gather works in a bag, choose a destination, and prepare one email with the details. The bag opens over the gallery so the paintings remain close at hand; checkout puts the selected work and form first.
The prototype collects no payment. The bag stays on the visitor’s device, and the account preview transmits no email address. The studio would still need to confirm specifications, price, availability, and delivery. The completed work is the design and working prototype.
