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an elle fagan artsite ~ Fine Art & Writings
TOPLINKS - you are most welcome to visit these first:
"Available Works & Gift Shop"!
New Page! "Celtic Images"
"Stories" ~ brief, au courant, and, I hope, of interest!
New Affilate! Celtic Webmerchant.com - Holland
"Art With Heart" ~ Your Arts purchase can HELP
Complete CONTACT data - click here - personal visit, emails, phone, and the amazing and free SKYPE!
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Welcome data below ~ Gallery links at Right My art has won some nice prizes and hangs in some very nice places Recently:  Elle Fagan was honored to be theConnecticut Artisan to the 2007 White House State Easter Egg Display Enjoy the Story, images & Links! Contact Data 55 Grove Street #5 Vernon Rockville, Connecticut 06066 USA Skype : Skypename: ellefagan esfagan@ellefagan.com for general interest notes artsales@ellefagan.com for Purchase inquiries . artwitheart@ellefagan.com for Charity Arts Donations & Promotions letters@ellefagan.com to report technical problems navigating this site. Vernon's new Lafayette Coffee Shop ~ Restaurant & Catering A very fine experience! Click for details, directions, sample menus. |
Site Contents & Links
Additional images may be viewed with writings & links at: Browsing is always free and always welcome! ~a great part of what Art is about! Art at the site available for sale. All payment methods honored
artsales@ellefagan.com |
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"Art With Heart" It started years ago: this site began offering some of the art at eBay GivingWorks/MissionFish for part-donation to charity. Then it grew to outright donations of the art to specific charitable organizations. Then, the idea of doing it as described above took form and the combination of these paths has proven a fine success - a WIN/WIN transaction. At Hurricane Katrina, just ticking away at my Mac, I raised a thousand dollars for response, donating art or offering discounts on art sales, for buyer donations. Here's how it works: Let's say you like a painting at my site that costs 100USD. And you donate 50USD to your response group favorite. You contact me at artwitheart@ellefagan.com and include a copy of your donation receipt/confirmation. I deduct the amount of your donation - in this example, 50USD - from the 100USD cost of the painting and ship to you, with no additional charges for shipping and handling and insurance. It's THAT easy! note: If the cost of your choice of painting is less than or equal to the amount of your gift, I must withold the costs to me, but that still wins you almost a free painting! Also: all my normal guarantees still apply - repair/restore/replace, but NO REFUNDS on charity items, since the funds are gone to the charity. So, if you find, upon receipt, that the painting does not appeal to you, simply "pass it on" - artwork makes a fine and tasteful gift, and your church might like it for their next fundraising bazaar. I never touch your donation, so the experience is completely SAFE fun - and your donation as your tax deduction is not impacted, either. This offer is simply my arbitrary sales offer. We all get to help and enjoy the art, too! This offer applies to all available images at this site. I hope you agree that this idea is a grand opportunity for all of us to show our best! I hope you will want to Click here to view: and let your purchase help! Thanksomuch! elle smith fagan |
Closing line to "Peyton Place" 1957 Top Film of the Year, and Sociological Icon
"We'd finally come to that season of love which can only be found in someone else's heart - right now there is someone looking everywhere for it, and it's in you."
- Spoken by the narrator and one of the lead characters, 'Allison McKensie'. A lovely line, and a lovely thought, describing the moment in the film -
a happy ending, of a sort -
And the camera pans out to share with us some of the famous beauty of the famous New England Countryside. All is in a state of peace and joy, and the viewer goes home content.
Why would I leap from the viewing to quickly type and save a silly quote from a silly movie like "Peyton Place"
Because it gave me a headache, with the avalanche of messages from the film in general.
When the book was published, a early-adolescent Connecticut girl of nice upbringing and fine ways, I was certainly among those with the flashlight under the blanket reading it.
I sat demurely years later, feigning innocence, when Mother thought it would be ok for me to see the film, 'I was old enough' , as long as she was right there.
The headache came from the 'blast from the past' / future shock / culture-shock that watching it today brought along.
In the late sixties, and early seventies, "Peyton Place" was cited as key to portraying the cause of the Social Revolution in those days - time to end the ignorance , hypocrisy, and the damage our repressive lifestyle was doing to the family circle - such double-standard morality , as performed in "Peyton Place"
A mode of living full of lies and lies, and lies that hurt and created unhappiness, rifts in the family circle, injustice and still more lies - respect and integrity were crumbling. We needed to deal with it all so much better. And so, it began - the Revolution.
So, here we are 50 years later and we DID that, alright, and we obviously got carried away, making a few upgrades.
The hypocrisy went down, and Truth was often better served, but the divorce rate went up...way up. Lawsuits, rage-pages, and violent expression in every form. From all the upheavals at the family circle, a very frightening absence of feeling - not bad feeling, just NO feeling. Sensitivities that create and uphold the motive forces of our good work and love on earth devastated, or 'just gone'.
Victorian prudery decreased - and millions are much healthier and happier and living in God's own Season of Love - in many circles, we truly live the " Civilization of Love" , and the quality of life is sky-high...and better every day for these millions.
But sexual errors and disease strike millions, too. In "Peyton Place" - in the sensational trial scene, the key witness, the defendant's Doctor, named Swain, says, "I assisted in the miscarriage...." i.e. , the abortion of a fetus the result of near-incest.
The word "Abortion" thank God , was still so horrific to most of us, the word could not be used. The horror at that scene justified the deep-drama drum-roll, like at an execution, even at the declaration of innocence of the victim, accused of killing her attacker....whatever the outcome, the whole thing was without cheer of any kind - only Allison, who had been living far away in the big city, was able to show happiness that true Justice had been served, and innocent friend no longer oppressed, at the end of the trial scene.
Today, breaking the abortion barrier is still not especially celebrated by anyone, although there is more openness about it and compassion and forgiveness and lots of counseling for healing to those touched by a thing that erodes the very foundation of the Life Force in every living thing.
This more Christ-like approach does not follow a sane path, and often today, the unthinkable killing of new life is rampant and often even supported by law, even when it takes place so late in pregnancy , that no rational mind can call it less than murder.
After years of study and experience, I smile - the observation and encouragement from a high school homeroom teacher of great wisdom is the only thought that resolves this headache-y observation
Sister Anne Therese S.N.D. - she taught history in All-American English, and although her order of nuns was French, from her we also knew our prayers in German, yet her age and voice were compassionate gentle and strong, and a smile accompanied most corrections, because she couldn't help it. She loved us very much.
On this day, I recall, she was referring the to the grand sociological moments - 'they are like the swing of the pendulum - things get going in one direction, till the bad of it begins doing real harm, to the point that mankind builds up an energy to set it swinging in the other direction, usually with its own set of ills, at the other extreme - but some good is done.......at least the issues resolutions that caused the big push, to begin with........."
I wish I could remember the word or gesture she used to direct us to use her comment as a start, as food for thought, for teens whose political thinking and rights to vote were still a few years ahead, ....we were to think, and continue the logic.
OK - if it is all like the swing of the pendulum, then there must be a time, once the pendulum is firmly set in motion, when its swinging, back-and-forth movement must find a near-perfect pace and power, so that much good is done, without going too far, and much is demonstrated, without producing quite the difficulties that come along when the pendulum is in its too-aggressive , just-set mode..............a halcyon time must occur..........'the best of times'
Byyyyyyyy the same token.....in time, the pendulum must begin to fail a bit, in its energy path, and times of disease and degeneration follow and career toward annihilation, Unless something is done to set the pendulum , once again, swinging in healthy motion.
Very exciting thinking, but full of holes and only a beginning, and the class bell rang, and I was reprieved.
...or was I, that the memory returns, from time to time, to edify an odd moment.
"We'd finally come to that season of love which can only be found in someone else's heart - right now there is someone looking everywhere for it, and it's in you."
And yet, whatever the path before and after, the line is a really nice one to leave as the closing message for folks, leaving the theater, or closing the book.
May yours be all you dreamed it would be.
As the post-storm assessment and cleanup continue, in Galveston, Texas USA,
and nearby areas impacted by Hurricane Gustav, you might not know that it is not the first time that Galveston has been so impacted:
Click here for the story of The Galveston Hurricane of 1900.
It is still on record as America's Deadliest Natural Disaster, with 6 - 12,000 fatalities, usually given as 8,000.
(ID records were not as good then as now, and so the number lost could not be tallied any better).
To compare, 2005's Hurricane Katrina cost 1,800 lives.
We make mistakes in Preparedness and Response today, but again, compared to times before modern communications and response, I guess we are fortunate!
The link, above, to Wikipedia's data includes video, images and resources for further reading and viewing.
"Winky Dink" & You !
Hailed by MicroSoft superguy, Bill Gates, as a pioneer in interactive media, I was just six, when the show aired, and ran to the mailbox, breathless, for two weeks till my "Magic Screen" arrived, so I could interact with the show.
Click here for 'Winky Dink' pictures and links
But, if you know nothing about the show, Wikipedia's story about 'Winky Dink' is the best: "Winky Dink and You
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Winky Dink And You" was a CBS television children's show that aired from 1953 to 1957. The show aired by Saturday mornings 10:30 a.m./9:30 central. It was hosted by Jack Barry, and featured the exploits of a cartoon character named Winky Dink (voiced by Mae Questel) and his dog Woofer. The show, created by Harry Prichett, Sr. and Ed Wyckoff, featured Barry and his sidekick, the incompetent Mr. Bungle (Dayton Allen), introducing clips of Winky Dink, noted for his plaid pants, tousled hair, and large eyes.
Praised by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates as "the first interactive TV show", the show's central gimmick was the use of a "magic drawing screen", which was a large piece of vinyl plastic which held on the television screen via static electricity. A kit containing the screen and various Winky Dink crayons could be purchased for 50 cents. At a climactic scene in every Winky Dink short, Winky would arrive upon a scene which contained a connect the dot picture. He would then prompt the children at home to complete the picture, and the finished result would help him continue the story. Examples include drawing a bridge to cross a river, an axe to chop down a tree, or a cage to trap a dangerous lion. Many children would omit the Magic Screen and draw on the television screen itself, to the annoyance of their parents.
Another use of the interactive screen was sending secret messages to the viewers. A screen would appear, showing only the vertical lines of the letters of the secret message, which viewers at home would quickly trace onto their magic screen. A second screen would then reveal the horizontal lines, which would complete the text.
A final use of the screen was to create the outline of a character with whom Jack Barry would have a conversation. It would seem meaningless to viewers without the screen, further encouraging its purchase.
The program was wildly successful because of its pioneering interactive marketing scheme, and Winky Dink became one of television's most popular characters of the 1950s. The show was revived in syndication for 65 episodes beginning in 1969 and ending in 1973. However, the show's production was halted despite its modest popularity due to concerns about radiation in television sets affecting children and because of parents' complaints about children drawing on the screen.
In the 1990s, a new "Winky Dink Kit" emerged on the market, containing a magic screen, crayons, and all-new digitized Winky Dink and You episodes.
External links
* Winky-Dink and You (1953) at the Internet Movie Database - imdb.com * Winky Dink and You (1969) at the Internet Movie Database - imdb.com "
"Back to School"
A note that it was that time of year, again, right at the top, in this morning's email sent me to YouTube- WOW!
And today I am beginning a series of refreshers and updates using their super Arts Demonstration Videos!
I discovered an ocean of free videos there, of varying length to freshen and sharpen skills and energies - and just to entertain - all by noted people in the arts - not junk videos :
I was sure to click on the lower-right icon to expand the view to fill the monitor screen, for a really nice time of it! Nicest lunchtime this week!
Today:
subjects studied, so far:
special effects, in watercolor, per use of: Mouth Atomizer, spatter screen, toothbrush spatter, artist's tape and American Journey brushes
Also, some videos featuring watercolorist Chris Byrne on a range of watercolor topics
At that point, I thought I was done for the day, as I viewed, "Painting Rough Water" by E. John Robinson
But then realized that all these demonstrations were done by men, and made that face at myself, that women make when that happens, and went back and found
Lori Andrews - Watercolor Demonstrations - Plate of veggies and another lovely still life with daisies and a silver teapot and sugarbowl on a tiled surface with neat lights.
That helped my issue, and I will surely be returning for more of the same, regularly. No matter how set one's style may be, it is wonderful to update and refresh anything that CAN be refreshed. It always shows! elle
If there is such a thing, my favorite earthquake story:
Most of us have seen "San Franscisco" the icon-film, with Clark Gable, Jeanette McDonald and Spencer Tracy, about the San Francisco Quake and Fires of 1906, and most of us enjoyed it as real "Theee -ah -tuh!".
A bit overdone or corny?
Not at all!
In fact, click here to access the San Francisco Chronicle's online series to honor the Bi-Centennial in 2006 - "The Great Quake" Text, images and more, including the previously-hidden photos of the quake, by famed Jack London.
The story at the Chronicle's site "SFGate.com", tells the story well, and soon, the reader realizes the 1906 disaster was "quite the thing", and, therefore, the film a conservative report.
By the time the smoke cleared, paupers slept side-by-side with millionaires in Golden Gate Park.
Quoting from the story:
"The millionaires had plenty of company: 250,000 survivors , maybe more, were sleeping outside in San Francisco parks, or in the Presidio, or camping out in nearby cities. There was no electricity, no gas, no drinking water, no public transportation, no banks, and no jobs -- unless one counted clearing rubble for no pay. "
Food stores were opened for access, for free, and military carted in more, from the 'burbs.
Things were, literally brought as low as they go. But the spirit of the people was GRAND, for the most part, and not unlike the inspiring response that we saw in the old movie.
And so, reconstruction began with the souls of the people, and all helped.
"For a while, no fires were allowed in the city, and San Franciscans built stoves out of bricks and cooked in the street."
But, to me, it was clear that San Francisco was going to make it just fine, when I got to this paragraph in the history:
To respond to the 'not an option' outdoor lifestyle, "The Chronicle's food section offered tips on recipes and dining outside."
Now THAT'S American!!!
And that is why this story is a favorite, because we all have days of absurd challenge, and we with thru it, best, with such life-making winning thinking. Truly the way to win when the challenge comes, because , with the inner-self restored from such winning thinking, we are more likely to follow-thru with actions that win and inspire more of the same, till the day is won!
elle
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My family pages have evolved. Many became stories that "grew up and moved to "Wordsite" , and others are linked privately, only...happy to share the links, as appropriate, in response to your request via e-mail to esfagan@ellefagan.com . |
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Copyright and Permissions:
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The usual rules apply here.
Please remember to contact the artist, via e -mail. esfagan@ellefagan.com if you borrow any of the material at my site - images, text, or html. I am happy to share, but must abide by rules for legal and courtesy. Some images at this site are protected against copying. "Right-mouse click" will not respond when you try to copy an image. I try to be careful about obtaining permissions and posting credits for items that I have borrowed, and hope that I will be contacted concerning any oversights in this matter. Thanks so much! -elle |