LinkOptimizer for Adobe InDesign Addresses Photoshop Unicode Related Bug

Zevrix Solutions announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.6, a maintenance update to company’s workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. LinkOptimizer lets users automatically scale and crop linked images to their InDesign dimensions at specified target resolution, convert image formats and colors, apply sharpening, and more. The new version addressed a Photoshop bug that prevents third party tools from opening images whose names contain URL encoded characters in Unicode percent escape format.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces LinkOptimizer 5.2.6, a maintenance update to its image processing automation plug-in for Adobe InDesign. Awarded 4 out of 5 stars by Computer Arts magazine, LinkOptimizer automates complex image manipulation tasks and helps users reduce the size of InDesign links, save prepress costs, and easily repurpose InDesign documents for web and mobile devices.

The new version addresses a Photoshop bug that prevents AppleScript from opening files with URL encoded names. As a result, LinkOptimizer cannot process images whose names contain UTF encoded characters in the so called Unicode percent escape format. With the new update LinkOptimizer will identify the issue during processing and inform theuser of the exact nature of the problem rather than only displaying a generic error message from Photoshop. The user will be advised to remove the Unicode codes from the file name in order to process the affected images.

“LinkOptimizer has changed my life and saved me days and days of work as a retoucher for an international quarterly magazine,” says Steve Krason of Chicago based SK Design Group. “It’s a lifesaver”.

LinkOptimizer works automatically with Photoshop to eliminate the excess image data of InDesign links, perform essential image adjustments and convert image formats. For example, with just a click of a button users can:

• Optimize dozens of InDesign files
• Scale and crop images to match their dimensions in InDesign
• Change their resolution to 300 dpi
Convert RGB images to CMYK
Resave JPEGs as TIFF
• Run a Photoshop action on each image

As a result users can save gigabytes of disk space and countless hours of optimizing images manually, accelerate document output, reduce job turnaround and cut costs through faster processing.

Pricing and Availability:
LinkOptimizer can be purchased from Zevrix website for $259.95 USD (Lite version: $179.95) as well as from Adobe Exchange and authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. The update is free for LinkOptimizer 5.x users and $130 to upgrade from previous versions. LinkOptimizer requires macOS 10.7-10.13 and Adobe InDesign / Photoshop CS5-CC 2018.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides automation and productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Cloud and Creative Suite software, PDF workflows, graphic file diagnostics and Microsoft Office output on Mac OS. Zevrix is dedicated to help professionals increase their profits through automating everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com. Copyright (C) 2018 Zevrix Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Other trademarks and registered trademarks may be the property of their respective owners.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com
http://www.zevrix.com

Monterey-based Ruccello Olive Oil Releases Four New Private Label Balsamic Vinegars on Aug. 1

Ruccello Olive Oil’s first private label balsamic vinegars will be available on its website starting Aug. 1.

Monterey, CA, July 29, 2018 — Ruccello Olive Oil’s first private label balsamic vinegars will be available on its website starting Aug. 1.

Ruccello Olive Oil, founded in 2017 by Monterey native RoseAnne Ruccello-Fischer, specializes in Extra Virgin Olive Oils from the Tuscany region in Italy and from California, as well as hand-crafted olive wood items, locally made olive oil soaps and lotions and handmade aprons.

The new line features four balsamic vinegars, including a Dark Chocolate Balsamic Reserve Vinegar (8.5 fluid ounces); a Honey Balsamic Reserve Vinegar (8.5 fl oz.); Cask 5 Organic Balsamic Vinegar (16.9 fl oz.); and Cask 25 Balsamic Vinegar (16.9 fl oz.). All the vinegars are gluten-free, with no artificial flavorings, thickening agents, caramel or additives added. May contain sulfites.

All four vinegars originate in Modena, Italy, and were bottled by the Olive Oil Source. They will be available Aug. 1, at ruccellooliveoil.com.

Here’s a description of each of the vinegars and their nutritional values:

Dark Chocolate Balsamic Reserve Vinegar

One-of-a-kind balsamic with the rich deep flavors of dark chocolate. Use as a glaze on beef or pork or drizzle on fruit, chocolate desserts, and pastries.

Nutrition facts per 1 tablespoon:

Calories 35.8

Protein 0.2g

Carbohydrates 17.39g

Sugar 8.1g

Honey Balsamic Reserve Vinegar

Blended with artisanal Italian honey and reduced over open-air fire. Fabulous drizzled on cheeses and with dishes using walnuts, pears, or game.

Nutrition facts per 1 tablespoon:

Calories 53

Protein 0g

Carbohydrates 13.3g

Sugar 13.3g

Sodium >1mg

Cask 5 Organic Balsamic Vinegar

This organic cask-aged balsamic is an everyday balsamic ideal to pair with cooked vegetables and salads.

Nutrition facts per 1 tablespoon:

Calories 81

Protein 0.6g

Carbohydrates 25g

Sugar 25g

Sodium 20mg

Cask 25 Balsamic Vinegar

This 25-year cask-aged balsamic is a prized Italian condiment that is rich and flavorful. Drizzle on fruit, cheeses, and salads.

Nutrition facts per 1 tablespoon:

Calories 35.8

Protein 0.2g

Carbohydrates 8.1g

Sugar 8.1g

About Ruccello Olive Oil

RoseAnne Fischer of Monterey has such a passion for Extra Virgin Olive Oil that she founded her own company in 2017, Ruccello Olive Oil, to offer consumers the highest quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the best producers from around the world.

RoseAnne is also committed to educating the consumer on the many health benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and how to be a discerning consumer through olive oil tastings, olive oil and food pairing events and house parties showcasing the liquid gold.

She will have 10 different kinds of Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italy, California, Spain, Greece and Turkey available on her website, ruccellooliveoil.com, as well as soaps and lotions made from olive oil. She and her husband also import European antiques in partnership with a company in Carmel Valley.

Her business took root in 2015 when she and her husband bought a small house in Tuscany nestled in the Chianti hills, with vineyards and olive groves everywhere you could see.

The idea of running her own olive oil business inspired her to take an Olive Oil Sommelier class to learn everything she could about olive oil.

And among the things she learned was the fact that many olive oils for sale in the U.S. are mislabeled and adulterated and that customers were being duped into buying Extra Virgin Olive Oil that was either virgin olive oil or lampante oil, which is not fit for human consumption.

So the Monterey, California native decided she wanted to educate American consumers and offer them the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil that the world has to offer.

“Consumers know that olive oil is good for you, but there are a lot of myths about it out there,” she says. “I want to share what I’ve learned and I want to provide a product that people can trust and feel safe in the knowledge that the products are of the highest quality.”

Ruccello Olive Oil

P.O. Box 257, Monterey, CA 93940

Telephone: 831-275-8306

WhatsApp: 1-831-275-8306

roseanne@RuccelloOliveOil.com

http://ruccellooliveoil.com

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.ruccellooliveoil.com

Renovated Capitola Goodwill Store Will Host Grand Reopening on Aug. 22

After completion of a major renovation project, the Capitola Goodwill store will celebrate its grand reopening on Aug. 22.

Capitola, CA, July 28 2018 — After completion of a major renovation project, the Capitola Goodwill store will celebrate its grand reopening on Aug. 22.

The store at 1550 41st Avenue in Capitola will host city officials, Goodwill board members and staff for a reopening ceremony at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22, and will open to the public at 9 a.m.

The store has expanded into an adjacent space, growing from 11,500 square feet to 17,500 square feet, expanding and improving its donation processing area and retail sales floor. The expansion also allows Goodwill to add six more full-time employees to its current 24 employees.

“This investment renews our very strong commitment to Santa Cruz County,” said Ed Durkee, President and CEO. “Once completed, we will have remodeled, moved or renovated all four retail stores in Santa Cruz County in less than 24 months.”

Goodwill’s Santa Cruz store at 204 Union St. is also getting a new look and is scheduled for completion about the same time as the Capitola store.

“Our commitment and continued presence in these communities is unwavering and we look forward to many more decades of community support and providing jobs to people with barriers to employment,” said Durkee.

Jim Burke, Vice President of Retail and Operations, said that donations to Goodwill and shoppers to the store have seen an uptick in recent years, which the expansion will be able to accommodate.

“We’ve enlarged the donation area by three times, so logistically, we’ll be able to handle all the donations the store gets,” said Burke.

The expansion also benefits Goodwill’s mission to help people train for and get jobs in the community.

Goodwill Central Coast continues its investments in Santa Cruz County and creates more jobs,” said Durkee. “Goodwill is creating more jobs and training opportunities through additional investment in our Retail Training Centers in Capitola and Downtown Santa Cruz.”

The opening takes place just prior to Be Kind to Humankind Week, an annual celebration of kindness that is recognized globally from Aug. 25-31 every year. The week is a time for everyone to reflect on what we can all do in order to make this world a better place.

About Goodwill Central Coast

Goodwill Central Coast, a private 501(c)3 non-profit organization, began in 1928 in the city of Santa Cruz and today has expanded into three counties: Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo. Goodwill Central Coast now employs over 600 people, including employment training professionals, sales personnel, donation center attendants, warehouse and distribution workers, and administrators. Its programs strengthen communities by improving job growth, the lives of individuals and families, and the health of our environment. Each year Goodwill assists more than 10,000 job seekers get back to work and reclaim financial and personal independence. Goodwill provides a positive learning environment that creates brighter futures through connecting people to meaningful work.

Capitola Goodwill

Donation Center and Store

1550 41st Avenue, Capitola, CA

(831) 462-1300

https://www.ccgoodwill.org

Store hours:

9 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Saturday

10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sunday

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

https://www.ccgoodwill.org

Monterey Symphony 2018-19 Season Announcement!

The Monterey Symphony announces its 73rd season, Sound Waves. A spectacular lineup of guest performers are poised to make this 2018-19 season a special one featuring some of the most-iconic compositions of all time.

Monterey, CA, July 27, 2018 – The Monterey Symphony announces its 73rd season, Sound Waves. A spectacular lineup of guest performers are poised to make this 2018-19 season a special one featuring some of the most-iconic compositions of all time. Concerts are held on Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and on Sunday afternoons at 3 p.m., at the Sunset Center in Carmel. For information about subscriptions and single ticket sales visit our website at www.montereysymphony.org or call the box office at (831) 646-8511.

View our 2018-19 Season Brochure online HERE

CONCERT I


October 20-21, 2018

The Monterey Symphony will open the 73rd season – Sound Waves – with Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great;” and a new work from composer Alex Berko…READ MORE

CONCERT II


November 17-18, 2018

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, Op. 36 – often referred to as the “Fate” symphony because of the dark undertones – headlines the second concert of the season…READ MORE

CONCERT III


February 16-17, 2019

The season Sound Waves comes alive in the third concert with four works all dedicated to the sea. Claude Debussy, the father of Impressionism in music composed La Mer…READ MORE

CONCERT IV


February 16-17, 2019

Jung-Ho Pak guest conducts the fourth concert of the season with works by Tan Dun, Shostakovich, and Alan Hovhaness. Revolutionary experimental composer…READ MORE

CONCERT V


April 13-14, 2019

Three Romantic German composers are featured on the fifth concert of the season, opening with Mendelssohn’s concert overture Calm Seas and Prosperous Voyage…READ MORE

CONCERT VI


May 18-19, 2019

The sixth and final concert of the season, Sound Waves, will conclude in grand fashion with music by Wagner, Chopin, and Beethoven! Richard Wagner composed…READ MORE

Monterey Symphony | 2560 Garden Rd. Suite 101, Monterey, CA 93940.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

https://www.montereysymphony.org

Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa Launches Pin it to Win it Contest

Did you know smiling is contagious? Studies Show that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin!

Salinas, CA, July 27, 2018 – Did you know smiling is contagious? Studies Show that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin! It also lowers stress and anxiety, releases endorphins and strengthens your immune system! To celebrate #NationalSmileMonth we are giving you a chance to win a two night stay at Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel … now that’s something to smile about!

Follow us on Pinterest: pinterest.com/montereyhyatt

Create a board titled: SMILE at Hyatt Regency Monterey Add a minimum of 5 pins with your favorite smile quotes and/or pictures. From babies to animals there is no shortage of great smiles on Pinterest! Make sure to use the hashtag #SmileAtHyattRegencyMonterey.

E-mail a link of your board to: marci@chatterboxpublicrelations.com

Did you know smiling is contagious? Studies Show that just seeing one person smiling activates the area of your brain that controls your facial movement, which leads to a grin! It also lowers stress and anxiety, releases endorphins and strengthens your immune system! To celebrate #NationalSmileMonth we are giving you a chance to win a two night stay at Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel … now that’s something to smile about!

One lucky winner will receive a two-night stay at Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and romantic dinner with wine pairings at TusCA Restaurant! Winner will be announced September 5th.

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.pinterest.com/montereyhyatt

Fulham White Paper Describes How Digital Lighting Controls Overcomes Lack of Dimming Standards

Migration to Digital Standards Promises to Simplify Lighting Installation, Add Wireless Communications, and Extend Controls to Other Building Systems.

Hawthorne, CA, USA — Fulham Co., Inc., a leading supplier of lighting components and electronics for commercial and specialty applications, has released a new white paper that discusses the limitations surrounding 0-10V luminaire dimming and the benefits of adopting open digital standards to promote universal lighting compatibility. The white paper, entitled “Next-Gen Digital Dimming and the Shortcomings of 0-10V,” describes the pitfalls of trying to retrofit luminaires with incompatible dimming curves and how the emergence of new digital control and communications platforms extends lighting controls beyond simple dimming.

To date, there has been no universal standard for 0-10V dimming in LED luminaires. As a result, LED drivers from different vendors have different dimming characteristics; a 5V signal could result in a dimming profile of 50, 80, or 30 percent, depending on the manufacturer. Similarly, at 0V some LED drivers will turn power off, while others may dim from 1 or 10 percent. Non-standard dimming drivers also can overload a lighting system, tripping a circuit breaker or creating a catastrophic driver failure.

Lighting control systems such as DALI, Bluetooth mesh, and Zigbee address this lack of common dimming standards by taking advantage of embedded software support in LED components. Intelligent LED drivers can be grouped and programmed to accommodate changes and incompatibilities in dimming profiles, including making changes and upgrades automatically. In addition, polarity is not an issue with digital control systems, which makes digital luminaires easier to wire and scale.

More importantly, where most dimming protocols are unidirectional, issuing instructions with no means to verify response, digital control systems provide two-way communications to show the status and health of each switch, sensor, and luminaire. In addition, lighting manufacturers are finding that digital LED controls lend themselves to wireless connectivity, eliminating the need for extensive retrofits or additional control wiring.

“We released this white paper to show the industry what we see coming in digital lighting and open control standards,” said Russ Sharer, Vice President of Global Marketing for Fulham. “Digital controls not only make it easier to mix and match lighting systems, but ensures faster and more trouble-free installations.”

Fulham has already demonstrated interoperability of digital control systems over a Bluetooth mesh wireless infrastructure, as well as delivering power and control to luminaires using Power over Ethernet (PoE). New programmable, digital LED components that are Bluetooth-mesh and PoE compatible will become commercially available later this year.

For more information and a copy of Fulham’s white paper, “Next-Gen Digital Dimming and the Shortcomings of 0-10V,” visit http://www.fulham.com/resource-center.

About Fulham
Fulham Co., Inc. is a leading global provider of intelligent, socially-conscious sustainable commercial lighting components and electronics for use in commercial general lighting, parking structure, signage, horticultural, UV and other applications. The company develops and manufactures a variety of award-winning LED and emergency products, as well as legacy products across multiple lighting platforms. Fulham sells its lighting solutions worldwide through original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and electrical equipment distribution channels. Headquartered in Hawthorne, Calif., the company has sales and/or manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands, China, India and the UAE. For more information, visit http://www.fulham.com, @FulhamUSA or @FulhamEurope.

Media Contact:
Andy Firchau
Marketing Manager
Fulham Co., Inc.
Phone: +1 (323) 779-2980, ext. 1252
afirchau@fulham.com

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Monterey Museum of Art Opens Exhibit Sept. 20 Featuring Six Women Photographers as Part of its Year of the Woman 2018

The Monterey Museum of Art, as part of its Year of the Woman 2018 at MMA, has announced the opening of an exhibit, “Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone,” featuring the works of six renowned Monterey Peninsula-based women photographers, on Sept. 20.

Monterey, CA, July 24, 2018 — The Monterey Museum of Art, as part of its Year of the Woman 2018 at MMA, has announced the opening of an exhibit, “Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone,” featuring the works of six renowned Monterey Peninsula-based women photographers, on Sept. 20.

Salon Jane is composed of six women — Martha Casanave, Susan Hyde Greene, Jane Olin, Anna Rheim, Robin V. Robinson, and Robin Ward — in the Monterey Peninsula who formed a group in 2014 to support one another as artists.

Although all of these women use photography in their art, the finished products are remarkably diverse. From aerial to underwater, abstract to representational, digital to darkroom, wall art to books, the work produced by these artists is wide ranging. Their diversity is an asset for promoting each artist strong sense of individuality.

The differences between members include careers, ages, and backgrounds, but each member of Salon Jane shares a passion for expressing her deepest concerns through art. The group meets quarterly to share work and plan exhibitions and educational adventures together.

According to Salon Jane member Jane Olin most of its members have been working as artists for more than 30 years and this MMA exhibition is their first opportunity to express their ideas through their work to the larger Monterey community.

“Salon Jane’s exhibition at MMA provides a platform to promote our work to an expanding audience, not only reaching our own community, but beyond,” said Olin. “MMA’s Year of the Woman is an extremely important first step in making known the depth and richness of the work of our local women artists. We are thrilled to be part of that movement.”

Olin added that only 20% of MMA’s collection consists of women artists and that most museums are far below that number.

“This struck a note with us. We want to be part of the solution,” said Olin. “Even with our diverse points of view and working methods, we as a group are cohesive when showing work. The thread that weaves our work together is authenticity and originality.”

Olin said the group intends to reach out to other museums to promote “The Ethereal Zone” as a traveling exhibition through the MMA.

“Salon Jane: The Ethereal Zone,” opens Sept. 20 and runs through Nov. 26, 2018.

Anna Rheim

Artist Statement

I am a storyteller. Indeed, I believe that the women in our culture are the primary custodians of family stories. Many of my images end up in hand made books, some with words, some without words. The images and words in this exhibition are part of a series that explores the life of my mother, Marguriette, my father, Perry, and their influence on me and on others.

Throughout my 40 years in photography, I have discovered the value of an intimate support group for pushing one’s creativity and nurturing the expression of one’s deepest emotions. The five women in Salon Jane are my artist family. They are a valuable source of encouragement and inspiration.

Bio

Anna graduated from Stanford University with a BA in History in 1966. She studied black and white photography and mixed media at Monterey Peninsula College with Henry Gilpin, Roger Fremier, and Don Anderson, and color photography and printing at University of California Santa Cruz with Jack Fulton. Anna has taken private classes with many noted photographers including David Bayles, Ruth Bernhard, Martha Casanave, Lisl Dennis, Tom Millea, and Ted Orland.

Martha Casanave

Artist Statement

Explorations Through A Fabricated Microscope: A Compendium Of Tears

Before I knew what postmodernism was, I decided to make a lifetime “performance piece” of collecting my tears. I made a tiny, padded green velvet pouch to wear around my neck for this purpose; it contains a tiny dropper, and a few microscope slides. After the tears dry on the slides, I store them in carved wooden boxes with slots. Each slide is numbered, and labeled with the date and place the tears were collected, for example: “Tear # 958: Boiler Room of Apartment Building on Moskovskii Prospekt, Leningrad, USSR, 1987.”

Recently, I decided to make microscope photographs of these tears. The decision to actualize the images was inspired by two things: first, by the recent activity of making an index for the 30 volumes of photo albums I have assembled over my lifetime. And second, by the beautiful, round images I have seen of 19th C photomicrography. Oddly, though I don’t label the slides as such, I remember, upon looking at them in the microscope, exactly what emotion caused the tears.

I have captioned the images accordingly. Because I am often keeping the captions ambiguous, I find that some of the captions can apply to more than one incident in my life, and perhaps in others’ lives as well. Many deal with loss. Miscommunication. Things that are done and cannot be undone. On the other hand, some captions are very specific, for example my eyes welling from a frisson of mixed emotions upon landing again at Pulkovo International Airport in Leningrad, USSR.

Most of my tears are mere wellings, not flowings. The only time I have produced copious flowing tears was/is during uncontrolled hysterical laughter, and after the death of a whippet. What prompts tears to arrive? Regret, loss, happiness, confusion, cold wind, foreign body in eye. Real trauma doesn’t cause tears, at the time it is happening anyway, because the body dissociates, and is preoccupied with survival. Tears require some kind of presence, some kind of realization, and with traumatic events, this usually happens later (if at all), with recollection. With memory.

Bio

Old enough now to say “in retrospect,” Casanave graduated from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with a degree in Russian Language and Literature and began her working life as a translator in Washington, D.C. She engaged in photography from early childhood, however, and later came back to the Monterey Peninsula, built up a portrait clientele and began teaching photography, while continuing to pursue her personal work. She has been an exhibiting and working photographer and educator for more than 40 years.

From 1984 to 1995, Casanave used her knowledge of Russian language and culture to take groups of American photographers to the Soviet Union/Russia, and has made a number of trips on her own to work on photographic projects, making a total of 14 trips to the USSR/Russia to date.

She was awarded the Imogen Cunningham Photography Award for her portraiture in 1979, and also was a 1989 recipient of the Koret Israel Prize. Her first book, “Past Lives — Photographs by Martha Casanave,” was published by Godine in 1991. This was followed by “Beware of Dog” (Center for Photographic Art, 2002). A book of pinhole images, “Explorations Along an Imaginary Coastline,” was released by Hudson Hills Press in 2006. Her most recent publication (Image Continuum Press, 2013) is “Trajectories: A Half Century of Portraits.”

Casanave’s photographs are included in many major collections, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Stanford Museum, the Bibliotheque Nationale, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Monterey Museum of Art and the Graham Nash private collection.

Casanave has taught master classes on the portrait, human figure, the creative process, and lensless photography for many national workshop programs. She teaches regularly at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, CA, and at Monterey Peninsula College.

Jane Olin

Artist Statement

My photographs always begin with a question or some curiosity that arises within me. In more than 30 years, I have rarely photographed the external world for its own sake, but for the ways in which it helps to reveal subconscious processes and evoke meaning. I generally focus on a single subject in a related series of images, which allows me to hone in on the heart of what I am after. I also have a contemplative awareness practice that is of central importance to me, and which guides and enhances my working methods and my output.

As an artist who has always liked to experiment, I find that pushing the boundaries of what is possible with both camera and darkroom techniques motivates my best work. I photograph with film and sometimes use a pinhole or Holga camera for making images. I love the darkroom process and take advantage of every tool and technique at my disposal.

Playing with exposure, focus, and a wide variety of photographic chemicals, I embrace creative accidents, and willingly abandon rules of darkroom procedure, with the intention of expressing a distinctive vision by whatever method seems right. I sometimes print my gelatin silver pieces digitally, but only after darkroom work is completed.

Bio

Olin has lived and worked as a photographer in California’s Monterey Bay area for more than 25 years. Living at the epicenter for the West Coast photography movement, she learned the skills of straight photography and the tenets of the historic Group f/64 from the assistants and students of Ansel Adams. She participated in workshops with prestigious photographers, including Ruth Bernhard, John Sexton, Joyce Tenneson, Brian Taylor, Martha Casanave, Holly Roberts, and Christopher James, which enriched and broadened her perspective.

Olin has traveled widely and, of all countries she visited, Japan had the most profound impact. Its aesthetics and its Zen Buddhism resonated deeply, particularly its emphasis on beauty found in nature, in simplicity, the imperfect, the transient, and in the values of grace and subtlety, which all suited her well. She maintains a mindfulness practice today, and present moment awareness is imbedded in her photographic process.

Although subtle influences from straight photography remain, Olin has developed a distinctly personal vision. She works in series of related images, a practice that allows for extended explorations of her subject. An adventurer, she enjoys experimenting both in camera and in the darkroom.

In her previous bodies of work, “Greta and Thirteen Crows,” Olin’s unconventional handling of her pinhole camera and darkroom enlarger challenged traditional expectations of focus and exposure. Her recent series of abstractions, “Site/Sight Unseen,” arose from an unfixed print mistakenly overlooked in the darkroom sink. When rediscovered, its unexpected beauty prompted a new way of working, in which process rather than a preconceived idea took precedence.

Pushing the boundaries of analog photography, Olin purposely pours, sprays, and drips chemicals onto her exposed gelatin silver paper, manipulating and closely monitoring changing effects using intuition and an alchemist’s attention to detail. These one-of-a-kind silver gelatin images are enlarged and printed using the digital process.

Olin continues to innovate in this vein, experimenting with new subjects and approaches as her latest and still-evolving tree project, “Intimate Conversation,” clearly reveals.

Robin Ward

Artist Statement

The images in “Echoes from a Future Past” are playful examinations of the enigmatic nature of reality and the quirky essence of time and space. In this work, I blend together original photographs of nature, architecture and artifacts to portray hybrid spaces and to experience intermingling realities. I layer unexpected juxtapositions in color and black and white to allude to infinite possibilities.

Each composite renders pure states captured in close proximity. I am influenced by the Surrealist ideas of uniting distant realities to create a new one and the play of thought where an image is a pure expression of the mind.

Bio

Ward was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where she developed a lifelong habit of spending time in nature. Her first creative effort was painting, then poetry and ultimately photography, a medium in which she could blend the other two endeavors. Ward discovered her love of photography at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, where she received a bachelor’s degree in English. She continued her photography studies by participating in various workshops, including Brooks Institute of Photography and the Center for Photographic Art where she served as a Trustee from 2010-2016. In November 2017, she received her remote pilot certification.

Robin is a member of Salon Jane, Image Makers of Monterey, and San Diego Made. She has received several international awards, including International Photography Awards and Black & White Spider Awards and exhibited her work in numerous galleries and museums, including Triton Museum of Art and Museum of Monterey.

Robin V. Robinson

Artist’s Statement

Robin V. Robinson explores mystery and metaphors found in all forms of life, but focuses especially on the way we look at the planet and ourselves. She is fascinated with the idea of seeing but not knowing and the feelings which result when looking at something impossible to comprehend — when one’s mind fills in the blanks with blind reasoning and unconscious associations.

Grounded in the darkroom, Robinson embraces the element of chance in creating images: “My time in the darkroom is full of ‘what-ifs.’ I use the experimental nature of chemistry to explore pathways which are magical, alchemical in feeling, transformational in the end. This type of play and chance are what I love about the analog photography process, not to mention a satisfying original print.”

Robinson’s newest work is based on ideas about the human species and the relative permanence of the earth, with questions about our brief time here. This unique moment on the planet is unsettling and desires perspective. Robinson’s images provide intimate suggestions of our place in this liminal state.

Ongoing work includes in-water images evoking curiosity about the ocean’s deep landscape, how it relates to dry land, and what is “normal” for human beings, now and in our rapidly changing environment. Robinson’s “Surfacing” series explores the tension we feel on the water and in life, on the edge between what is above and below, between the known and unknown.

Bio

Robinson is a fifth-generation California central coast native residing in Carmel. Employing mainly darkroom-based processes, her images convey meaning through suggestion, feeling, and metaphor.

Mentors have played the most important role in Robinson’s artistic development. She has studied, lived and worked with West Coast photographers on the Monterey Peninsula and in the Bay Area for over 20 years. Robinson also studied photography at City College of San Francisco and Foothill College. Her degrees in engineering and music from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Stanford University and her personal studies of depth psychology contribute to her distinctive style of seeing and creating art.

Robinson actively exhibits and presents her work and has received top awards in international photographic competitions. She was awarded “Best Photography” in the Monterey Museum of Art Biennial 2005, where her work is in the permanent collection. She is also in the collections of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and the Mariners’ Museum in Virginia. She is a past board member at the Center for Photographic Art and is a board member of the Monterey Friends of C.G. Jung.

Susan Hyde Greene

Artist Statement

As I became aware that the history of art is the history of people, I saw that it is possible to bring people together through the language of art. Following the tradition of women using stitches to create, mend, and heal, my quiet pictures portray the fragile wonder and miracle that is our world. Through photos cut apart and fractured pieces stitched back together, they offer hope that humans will come together, assuring succeeding generations a healthy, peaceful, safe, and breathing world.

Bio

I studied photography, textiles and art history, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah, Manoa. While completing my Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Utah, I was awarded a Graduate Research Fellowship Award as well as selected for membership in Phi Kappa Phi. Additionally, I received a Master of Science degree in Special Education from Dominican University in order to develop methods of making art accessible to all people.

I taught art in schools and programs throughout Marin County, California, where I founded Very Special Arts Marin with Youth in Arts in addition to Art Pals, an arts program pairing school children with isolated seniors. I taught art at the University of Utah, Santa Clara University and Napa Valley College.

As an access advisor for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, I led workshops inspired by current exhibitions from 1996-2015. I have been the fortunate recipient of several awards and grants, including a Marin Arts Council Individual Artist grant for photography and First Place in the 2013 and 2015 Carmel, CA Center for Photographic Art International Juried Exhibition.

My work is represented by Smith Andersen North, San Anselmo, California and Green Chalk Contemporary, in Monterey. Works are included in private and public collections, including Adobe Systems, The Institute of Health and Healing Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, Bread and Roses, Corte Madera, California, Smith Andersen North, The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK, as well as the University of Utah and the University of Hawaii.

Recently, my pieces have been exhibited at Green Chalk Contemporary, Smith Andersen North, Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, California, The Carl Cherry Center, Carmel, Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, and Rayko Photo Center, San Francisco.

Personal interests include the ballet, music, spending time with my family and the out of doors. My husband and I fly fish and hike in the mountain west in the summer and we love to travel to as many new and different places as possible.

ABOUT THE MONTEREY MUSEUM OF ART

The Monterey Museum of Art (MMA) was established in 1959 to uphold the artistic legacy of the region by collecting, preserving, and presenting the art of California and the Central Coast. The only nationally accredited museum between San Jose and Santa Barbara, the MMA’s goal is to expand a passion for the region’s visual arts—past, present, and future. Exhibitions and programs are designed to demonstrate California’s vibrant, diverse spirit, and to inspire, engage, and connect art and community.

Visit montereyart.org for public programming opportunities and guided tours.

Monterey Museum of Art

559 Pacific St., Monterey, CA 93940

(831) 372-5477

http://www.montereyart.org

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

http://www.montereyart.org

Spahn & Rose Named to ProSales 100 List

Dubuque, Iowa, 2018-Jul-23 — /Real Time Press Release/ — Spahn & Rose has been named as one of the top 100 lumberyards in the country, according to ProSales, a newsletter that reports on contractor and construction industry trends.

As part of the ranking information, ProSales cited Spahn & Rose as having 85 percent of sales to professional contractors.

Spahn & Rose ranked 56th on the ProSales 100 list based on sales to professional contractors. ProSales compiles the rankings through information provided by listed companies and other publicly available research.

Published annually for the past 26 years, the ProSales 100 is a list of the nation’s biggest building material distributors based on dollar volume of pro contractor sales. ProSales is the newsletter of Hanley Wood, a construction industry research organization.

With 23 locations in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, Spahn & Rose has been serving professional contractors since it opened in 1904.

“We’re proud to be one of the top 100 lumberyards in the country, and Spahn & Rose is dedicated to pro contractor customers,” says Spahn & Rose CEO Dave Davis. “Being recognized on the ProSales 100 is rewarding, and Spahn & Rose will continue to provide contractors with high-quality building materials with top-notch, expert customer service.”

Spahn & Rose is also very active in the communities it serves, during the past three years, the Spahn & Rose Charitable Foundation has donated over $381,000 to a variety of local non-profit organizations.

About Spahn & Rose
Spahn & Rose has been serving the professional contractor since it opened in 1904 and is a leading lumber distributor in the Midwest. With 24 locations throughout Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin, Spahn & Rose provides high-quality building materials, such as windows, doors, cabinets, drywall, roofing, decking and lumber so that contractors can buy easier and build better.

About ProSales 100 List
The ProSales 100 list is compiled annually by ProSales, a newsletter of Hanley Wood, a research organization focusing on contractors and the construction industry. The ProSales 100 List rankings are based on dollar volume of professional contractor sales. Research for the list is based on information from companies listed along with other publicly available sources.

Contact-Details:
Jacque Arensdorf
Director of Marketing
563.582.3606 x308
jArensdorf@spahnandrose.com

Image:

ProSales 100 List logo

New Jewelry Line from Designer/Entrepreneur Vivian Storms Features One-of-a-Kind Sculptural Artwork from Acclaimed Cold Glass Artist Jack Storms

Even though Vivian Storms has accomplished much in her young life — she’s only 31 — including being a child star in her native Brazil, a publisher, CEO, manager of an art gallery, marketing expert, fashion designer and mother, she never imagined she’d become a designer of her own jewelry line.

Valencia, CA, July 21, 2018 — Even though Vivian Storms has accomplished much in her young life — she’s only 31 — including being a child star in her native Brazil, a publisher, CEO, manager of an art gallery, marketing expert, fashion designer and mother, she never imagined she’d become a designer of her own jewelry line.

Viv Storms Fine Jewelry will launch its new line of exceptional jewelry, fashioned from one-of-a-kind, original cold-glass artwork produced by her business partner, artist Jack Storms, on Aug. 1.

There will be 500 pieces available during the pre-sale, with five different designs for necklaces, rings, cuff links, earrings and pendants, all affordably priced starting at $500, and up. A pre-sale will be launched on Aug. 1, with 360-degree videos of the pieces on the website vivstorms.com. Those who pre-order pieces will receive several perks, including deep discounts and entry into a giveaway of a $15,000 Jack Storms sculpture. Pre-ordered pieces will be delivered on Nov. 1. A portion of the proceeds of the pre-sale will go to charity.

“We have an amazing team of designers helping me take this crazy idea of a jewelry line based on fine art from a piece of paper to reality,” said Vivian about the process of creating the line.

Over the last decade, Jack has become a dominant force in the landscape of cold-glass art. The effect of his work is palpable. Take one look at any of his masterpieces, and it’ll become obvious that, aside from technical prowess, there’s something else at work. It’s that artistry that Vivian, the brains behind the Storms company, thought of harnessing three years ago.

Vivian believed that Jack’s craft had a lot more to offer, so she set herself the task of reinterpreting his art and expanding the reach of the Storms name. Rendered in jewelry form, Jack’s art could be worn, carried and someday even passed down. With this venture, Vivian also combined two of her greatest passions: art and fashion.

But the scale of Jack’s sculptures and their sheer weight posed a challenge. Taking Jack’s work and striving for the same excellence — and the same painful precision and meticulous attention to detail — in a fraction of the size was by no means an easy task. The former husband-and-wife duo worked feverishly, side-by-side, to translate Jack’s creation into stones as small as 8mm. It took two and a half years, and various episodes of trial and error, to develop and perfect the process, but Vivian’s jewelry line is finally slated to launch in November.

With the brilliantly reflective core in mind, Vivian dreamed up the designs — which come in gold, silver and platinum — for her debut line, her first foray into fine jewelry.

In the Sophia collection, the stones drive the narrative and dictate the settings. The collection makes good use of simple, modern lines and contemporary features, all executed with an obsession with quality and elegance.

The Aria collection, on the other hand, sings another tune. While the stone is still the star attraction, it works hand-in-hand with ornate settings to display all facets of the duo’s vivid imagination. Here, Vivian opts for drama, in place of more minimalist design elements. The shimmering, light-catching stones are presented in romantic, storybook-like settings adorned with intricate scrollwork.

Manufactured entirely in the United States, between Los Angeles and Miami, both collections boast a timeless aesthetic, a true embodiment of outstanding work at the service of a radical vision.

When asked why someone should buy her jewelry, what with so many jewelry lines on the market, Vivian didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Because they are buying a piece of art from the foremost cold glass artist in the world,” she said. “These pieces do not exist anywhere else in the world. Every one of these pieces is different, they’re all original pieces of art, made by a master sculptor, one of only three in the world. The colors are just surreal.”

Vivian says she has more of an overarching view of the jewelry line than just selling necklaces and rings, beautiful and intricate as they are.

“It’s always been about bringing enlightenment with Jack’s art, it really changes people’s perception of everything, it’s more than a sculpture, he’s able to create something truly unique,” said Vivian. “For me it’s about bringing this art to the world — to see, to believe and to see the beauty of art. To involve more people and have this work touch them.”

About Vivian Storms

Hailing from the sprawling Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, where she carved a name for herself as an actress at a precocious age, Vivian Storms moved first to Canada then to the United States to pursue a career in film.

Her life in art began unexpectedly, in 2009, when she met cold-glass artist Jack Storms. Infatuated by his artistry, particularly his exceptional approach to glassmaking, Vivian decided Jack’s company image needed a complete overhaul.

Vivian knew that Jack’s work was an ode to superb workmanship, and that concocting a marketing strategy that accurately represented his talent would be fundamental to its success. Taking the helm of the company, she spent the lion’s share of her time building the Storms brand, and defining its identity. This included starting an online campaign, supervising photo and video shoots and expanding the brand’s presence on social media and print media.

Thanks to Vivian, the video she helped create went viral in 2014, racking up close-to 5 million views on YouTube alone. From then on, the business ballooned, and Jack began amassing a devout following of private collectors itching to get their hands on the next piece.

He also achieved widespread recognition when two of his pieces made cameo appearances in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Not to mention, the “ViviOvo”— an egg-shaped sculpture he finessed as a gift to Vivian, his muse, and named after her — become one of his most popular and sought-after pieces.

In 2010, Vivian opened the doors to Storms Fine Art Gallery, an airy, light-filled space tucked away in Santa Clarita, California. She focused her efforts on discovering, selecting and displaying the works of gifted contemporary artists like New Zealand-based Michael Waysmith and LA-based Anja Van Herle.

But aside from being a gallery owner, a doting mother to her 7-year-old son Owen, and the brains behind the Storms legacy, Vivian can now add “jewelry designer” to her impressive and ever-growing resume.

Viv Storms Fine Jewelry, her namesake brand, is Vivian’s entrée into the world of jewelry design. Vivian has long been a style enthusiast, and she credits her unwavering love for fashion as the main draw to the project. After close to two-and-a-half years of work, a process fueled by Vivian’s workaholic nature and sheer will, the collection is complete and available for pre-sale ahead of its official launch date in November.

About Viv Storms Fine Jewelry:

Viv Storms Fine Jewelry is a luxury jewelry line by Vivian Storms that marries Jack Storms’ unparalleled craftsmanship with Vivian’s sophisticated designs. As one of the few cold-glass artists in the country, Jack uses optical crystal and dichroic glass to create a kaleidoscopic core for every stone. Because the artistic process is so labor-intensive, unique and rare, no two cores are the same. Every stone tells its own story, each aflame with turbulent, psychedelic flashes of color and alive with personality.

Viv Storms Fine Jewelry

(831) 920-8984

25520 Avenue Stanford #315

Valencia CA 91355

https://www.vivstorms.com

https://www.facebook.com/stormsjewelry/

contact@vivstorms.com

Vivian Storms

CEO & FOUNDER

STORMS PUBLISHING INC.

Storms Fine Art | StormWorks Studio | Viv Storms Fine Jewelry

Direct: +1 831.920.8984

www.stormsfineart.com

www.jackstorms.com

www.vivstorms.com

Contact:

Marci Bracco Cain

Chatterbox PR

Salinas, CA 93901

(831) 747-7455

https://www.vivstorms.com

ArtOptimizer for Illustrator Is Now Available on the New Adobe Exchange

Zevrix Solutions announces that ArtOptimizer, the company’s workflow automation solution for Adobe Illustrator, is now available on Adobe Exchange, a new and improved Creative Cloud marketplace. Adobe Exchange makes it easier for customers to discover and install third party plug-ins for Creative Cloud. ArtOptimizer can automatically reduce the size of Illustrator links and performs essential image adjustments thus helping users save disk space, speed up file output and cut production costs.

Toronto (ON), Canada — Zevrix Solutions today announces that ArtOptimizer, the company’s image workflow automation solution for Adobe Illustrator, is now available on the new and improved Adobe Exchange. The only tool of its kind on the market, ArtOptimizer eliminates the excess image data of Illustrator links and performs essential image adjustments thus helping users save disk space, accelerate document output and cut overall production costs.

Adobe Exchange provides a new way to search, discover, and install plug-ins, extensions, and other content for Creative Cloud products.. As a unified destination that brings third-party integrations with Creative Cloud, Document Cloud & Experience Cloud under a single umbrella, Adobe Exchange will make it easier for customers to discover and install integrations that expand and enhance what they can achieve on Adobe’s Clouds.

ArtOptimizer works with Photoshop to helps users reduce Illustrator link size according the image dimensions in Illustrator document at a specific target resolution. The app also performs essential image adjustments such as color conversion and sharpening. For example, with just a click of a button users can:

-scale images in Photoshop to match their dimensions in Illustrator,
-change their resolution to 300 dpi,
convert all RGB images to CMYK,
merge layers or delete hidden ones,
-run a Photoshop Action on each image.

In the end of the processing ArtOptimizer reimports images to Illustrator at 100% in their precise position. As a result users can save gigabytes of disk space and countless hours of optimizing images manually, accelerate document output, reduce job turnaround and cut costs through faster processing.

Pricing and Availability:
ArtOptimizer can be purchased from Adobe Exchange for $119.95, as well as from Zevrix website and authorized resellers. Trial is also available for download. ArtOptimizer requires macOS 10.5-10.132 and Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop CS3-CC 2018.

About Zevrix Solutions
Located in Toronto, Canada, Zevrix Solutions provides productivity solutions for Adobe Creative Suite software, PDF and graphic file diagnostics, as well as Microsoft Office on Mac OS. Zevrix Solutions is dedicated to helping professionals achieve more while doing less through automating their everyday tasks, producing error-free documents, saving disk space and cutting production costs. For more information, visit http://www.zevrix.com.

Contact:
Leo Revzin
Owner
Zevrix Solutions
105 McCAUL St, Suite 301
Toronto Ontario M5T 2X4 Canada
858-206-0607
media@zevrix.com
http://www.zevrix.com