Persian Poet and Philosopher for All Time

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

As the year comes to an end and we give thanks for all that we have, we can learn a lot about the beauty of life from the 13th Century Persian poet Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī.

Known more simply as Rumi, this learned individual was a man of many talents – a poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic (whirling dervish) – who left the world a beautiful legacy of poetry and wisdom for the ages.

Revered for both his insights and humility, Rumi thought that it was important to look inward before we can hope to change things around us. He said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to save the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

Rumi also believed that intellectual matters of the mind often stemmed from questions and feelings of the heart. He observed, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

The underlying theme of most of his poems and writings is the need for love and its ability to transform us and our relationships…if we will only let it.

Hoping to bring people together in harmony, Rumi was opposed to violence and discord.

One of the most translated, quoted and enjoyed writers of all time, Rumi’s books sell millions of copies each year.

He spent most of his life in the Sultanate of Rum, the center of Persian Society, in what is now Turkey.

Rumi, who became a whirling dervish, believed that poetry, music, and dance could be combined as a path for reaching God. In Rumi’s honor, the Malevi Order of Whirling Dervishes was founded in 1273 after his death to perform the rhythmic, spinning dance called the Sufi.

Dazzling to see, dervishes can often spin for several minutes at speeds up to one revolution per second.

Whether writing, teaching, or spinning Rumi never forgot the importance of love, noting that it is there “in the silence of love you will find the spark of life.”

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

A Life Filled with Possibilities

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

The holiday season – which is officially here now – is always a time for hope. Film star Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993) personified hope in all the things she did…and film lovers around the world continue to fall in love with her.

She was an incredible actress and humanitarian, who served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, traveling to Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Guatemala, Venezuela and Ecuador.

Listed by the American Film Institute as one of the top three actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Hepburn’s beauty and charm left an indelible mark on countless films, including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, My Fair Lady, Wait Until Dark, Sabrina, and Charade.

Working with the top directors and leading men of her day, Hepburn held her own alongside Carey Grant, Gregory Peck, William Holden, Humphrey Bogart, Peter O’Toole, Fred Astaire, George Peppard, Sean Connery, and more.

Rising to stardom after her breakout performance in Roman Holiday (1953), Hepburn was the first actress to win three awards for a single performance – the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel are among Hepburn’s legion of fans both for her magical presence on the screen and her indomitable spirit that rose against adversity, while helping others to do the same.

Even though she had a privileged upbringing, Hepburn, who was born in Belgium to the Baroness Ella van Heemstra, lived in Holland during the German occupation of WWII and barely survived the Dutch famine – an experience that made her want to help those in need.

Always maintaining a positive outlook on life, Audrey Hepburn was more than a star; she was a survivor.

Her movies have left indelible memories. When this book, Always Audrey, came out with never-before-seen photos by renowned photographers, there were even more beautiful images to enjoy.

A woman to admire, Audrey Hepburn never stopped doing the impossible.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

French Painter’s Wild Side

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Henri Matisse passed away November 3rd, 70 years ago. The acclaimed French painter (1869-1954) was a leader of the Fauve (“wild beasts”) art movement in the early 1900s that embraced intense, vivid colors, often unrelated to the subjects’ actual colors.

A style of painting an art critic of the day described as “an orgy of pure tones,“ Fauvism encouraged painters to think outside the lines of formality to follow their own visions.

Inspired by nature, especially the brightly colored blooms of spring and summer, Matisse said, “There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”

This trio of paintings, La Japonaise, Landscape at Collioure, and The Open Window (all created in 1905), captured the scenery on a family trip to Collioure, France, on the Mediterranean Sea.

Colorful boats bobbing in the ocean or nestled in the harbor were also favorite subjects of his.

Over the years Matisse painted in many different styles, including Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Expressionist, as did many of his contemporaries, including Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Henri Rousseau.

Always looking for new ways to express himself, Matisse experimented with making artistic cut-outs – large panels of different shaped painted paper that he arranged into 3-dimensional murals; an art form he considered a cross between painting and sculpture.

One of his best-known works is the cut-out series he did to illustrate Igor Stravinsky’s opera Le Chant du Rossignol in 1919.

In 1946 he returned to this technique to create an artist’s limited edition folio book entitled Jazz, a collection of his writings illustrated with whimsical theater and circus images.  

Surprising his fans and critics alike, Matisse continued to push artistic boundaries, saying, “An artist must never be a prisoner of himself, prisoner of a style, prisoner of a reputation, prisoner of success.”Still producing innovative artworks into his eighties, Matisse had a youthful outlook on life, saying, “Look at life with the eyes of a child.”

One of the most active painters of the 20th Century, Matisse’s strong work ethic contrasted with people’s stereotypical view of “temperamental” artists. His advice to aspiring artists: “Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while one is working.”

As an artist, Henri Matisse may have been “wild,” but he wasn’t wasteful…of his time or his talent.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Bibbity Bobbity Blair Disney Magic in O.C.

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

The Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in Orange, CA – near Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom – showcases a century of art by renowned California Scene artists, Hollywood studio artists and animators, and the iconic Disney concept artist Mary Blair.

One of Walt Disney’s favorite artists, Blair (1911 – 1978) achieved legendary status at the House of the Mouse and was the one he chose to give vision to the concepts for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and other unforgettable Disney animated movies.

Using her paintbrush like a fairy godmother’s magic wand, Blair turned Disney’s ideas into concept paintings that would guide and inspire his teams of animators to create magical movies out of Lewis Carroll’s Alice, J.M. Barrie’s Peter, and the beloved 17th Century fairy tale about a young maiden who wins the heart of a prince.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel were eager to see the treasure trove of California art at the remodeled and expanded Hilbert Museum that founders Mark and Janet Hilbert have on display.

Caught up in the powerful works of the California Scene artists and muralists depicting the state’s landscapes and people in the 20th Century, we were still marveling at the dramatic images when…

we turned a corner and museum docent Dennis Brant beckoned us into the magical realm of Mary Blair’s Disney concept paintings.

A pumpkin coach racing through the night, a glass slipper, a boy who won’t grow up, a topsy-turvy world with a Mad Hatter and a White Rabbit.

Scene-after-scene of movie magic-in-the-making paintings covered the walls of the museum’s homage to the gifted artist.

Brant, a docent with many years at Disney, told us how Blair, a Chouinard Art Institute grad, joined Disney’s animation department in 1940 and the important role she played, conceiving the scenes animators used as artistic blueprints for Disney’s movie masterpieces.

Brant explained how Blair used the gouache painting technique (using natural pigments, water and a binding agent) that gives more control than traditional watercolors, enabling her to layer the paint, creating fine details and atmospheric effects. Capturing each scene in vivid color, Blair’s concept paintings spring into life on the paper.

In addition to the many Disney films she worked on, Blair oversaw Disney’s design of Pepsi-Cola’s memorable “It’s a Small World” pavilion for UNICEF at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. A salute to the children of the world, the exhibit was later moved to Disneyland and replicated at other Disney theme parks.

With her endless talent and energy, Blair was also in demand in the advertising and publishing worlds, putting her painting and illustration skills to use for popular brands, fashion retailers, and Simon & Schuster’s Little Golden Books series.

A woman working in a man’s world, Mary Blair reached the pinnacle of artistic success. And – with paintbrush in hand – she helped put the Disney magic into generations of childhood memories!

To see Mary Blair’s magic on display and make more memories of your own, stop by the Hilbert Museum.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Celebrate Spring with a New Leaf!

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Spring is the perfect time to honor Elaine May – comedienne, film writer/director, and actor extraordinaire – whose laugh-out-loud, tour de force film A New Leaf is a testament to new beginnings and the transformative power of love.

May, who partnered with Mike Nichols (Academy Award-winning director of The Graduate) in the comedy act Nichols and May in 1957, has had a storied career in Hollywood, on Broadway, comedy clubs, and more.

Continually expanding her repertory, May’s focus is often on our abilities to reinvent ourselves. She has written, co-written or directed many of Hollywood’s biggest hits, including The Heartbreak Kid, Heaven Can Wait, Reds, Tootsie, and Dangerous Minds.

Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin, Cybil Shepherd, and Woody Allen have all praised her boundless talent. A two-time Academy Award nominee and Tony winner, May has received numerous accolades

Nichols and May’s popular comedy shows and TV appearances satirized social and intellectual trends while May proved that women could do stand-up comedy. Lilly Tomlin calls May one of her greatest influences. “There was nothing like Elaine May, with her voice, her timing, and her attitude.”

In SurfWriter Girls favorite film, A New Leaf – which was May’s writing and directing debut (1971) – she also stars as a wealthy botanist hoping to find an undiscovered plant opposite Walter Matthau, a bankrupt playboy who marries May for her money.

Little does Matthau know what he is getting into as the two opposites – the socially inept and unkempt May and the fastidious connoisseur of life’s finer things Matthau – hilariously embark on married life and the roller coaster of surprises it brings.

Based on a story by Jack Ritchie that May read in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, A New Leaf is part murder plot and part love story, held together with quick wit that keeps the viewer guessing what’s going to happen right up to the end.

With spring planting underway and people seeking joy in nature’s new beginnings, what could be better than to discover A New Leaf and the cinematic talents of the aptly named Elaine May?

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

A Lasting Legacy of Stories

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Legendary mystery author Mary Higgins Clark, The Queen of Suspense, brought her career full circle with her just-released book (published posthumously) Where Are the Children Now?

Co-authored with Alafair Burke (her co-author on several books), this is a sequel to her first mystery novel, published forty-eight years ago, Where Are the Children?

A breakthrough novel for its psychological approach to suspense and record sales in the millions, Higgins Clark’s first mystery is in its 75th printing.

With 56 bestsellers and loyal readers around the world, more than 100 million copies of her books are currently in print in the U.S. alone.

Incorporating many of her experiences and Irish heritage into her stories, Higgins Clark often chose settings for her books on the coastlines of her native New York, Massachusetts, and California.

Prior to launching her writing career, she worked as a secretary, copy editor and stewardess for Pan American Airlines.

A believer in hard work, she had experienced difficult times firsthand when her father died and her mother took in boarders to make ends meet, which Higgins Clark wrote about in her book Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir. Later when her first husband died, Higgins Clark was left with five children to support.

“Nothing came easy,” she said. It took six years and 40 rejections before her first short story, “Stowaway,” about a Czechoslovakian stowaway on an airplane, was accepted by Extension magazine.

Later, her first book, Aspire to the Heavens, a novel about George and Martha Washington, was published, but was less successful than she had hoped.

When Higgins Clark decided to write a different type of book – a suspense novel about missing children – her career took off. Where Are the Children? published by Simon & Schuster in 1975, was a blockbuster and introduced the world to the woman who would soon be known as The Queen of Suspense.

SurfWriter Girl Patti was fortunate to meet Higgins Clark at a mystery writers conference and remembers talking to the author about the ending of one of her short stories, saying that the twist in the plot gave her chills. Higgins Clark laughed and said that it gave her chills, too.

At the conference Higgins Clark spoke about the craft of writing and how she got ideas, advising us to “add a little romance into the story.” Suspense and romance were the mix that kept her readers coming back.

The fact that she was a master of plotting and misdirection made for one bestseller after another. Like another grande dame of mysteries, Agatha Christie, Higgins Clark kept finding stories to keep us turning the pages late at night to see whodunnit.

True to her Irish roots, down-to-earth, gutsy, and enormously talented, Mary Higgins Clark (1927-2020) never gave up on her writing dream…and because of that has left us a legacy of stories to entertain us and generations to come.

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Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

Very Peri Blooms in 2022

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

It’s that time again when the Pantone Color Institute chooses its Color of the Year – a choice that influences design, fashion, home furnishings, packaging, and much more.

For 2022, Pantone was inspired by the blue periwinkle flowers that bloom in so many gardens and created Very Peri, “a dynamic periwinkle blue with a vivifying violet red undertone” that the New Jersey-based color influencer says embodies “an empowering mix of trust, faith, energy and verve.”

In choosing its Color of the Year, Pantone relies on a panel of experts in the fashion and design fields, arts and entertainment, and social media.  Now, that it’s officially announced, Very Peri is already showing up in home decor and fashion.

A color that brings to mind the blue in Claude Monet’s impressionist painting Water Lilies, periwinkle has many associations and names, such as sorcerer’s violet and fairy’s paint brush. The color has a dreaminess to it and a sense of untold possibilities.

While Pantone has long been the arbiter of the new year’s dominant color since its first COTY selection in 1999, other rival companies have started making selections of their own, including paint manufacturers Sherwin-Williams (Evergreen Fog) and Benjamin Moore (October Mist) – both, coincidentally, shades of green.

But, if blue or green isn’t your cup of tea, there’s still coffee. When the Wall St. Journal asked readers to come up with their own COTYs, Eileen Ferris, SurfWriter Girl Patti’s sister, submitted this color featured by the WSJ: “Toffee Nut Latte – a warm pale beige reminiscent of the most dependable source of normality that I have relied on through the pandemic.”

Whatever colors brighten your year, each adds another dimension to the color palette. And, in the case of Pantone’s Very Peri, it symbolizes “transition and happiness” – things much in demand now.

So, let color bloom in 2022 and color your world beautiful.

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.

A New Leaf Film 50th Anniversary

Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel

Spring is the perfect time to honor Elaine May – comedienne, film writer/director, and actor extraordinaire – whose laugh-out-loud, tour de force film A New Leaf is a testament to new beginnings and the transformative power of love.

May, who partnered with Mike Nichols (Academy Award-winning director of The Graduate) in the comedy act Nichols and May in 1957, has had a storied career in Hollywood, on Broadway, comedy clubs, and more.

Continually expanding her repertory, May’s focus is often on our abilities to reinvent ourselves. She has written, co-written or directed many of Hollywood’s biggest hits, including The Heartbreak Kid, Heaven Can Wait, Reds, Tootsie, and Dangerous Minds.

Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin, Cybil Shepherd, and Woody Allen have all praised her boundless talent. A two-time Academy Award nominee and Tony winner, May has received numerous accolades

Nichols and May’s popular comedy shows and TV appearances satirized social and intellectual trends while May proved that women could do stand-up comedy. Lilly Tomlin calls May one of her greatest influences. “There was nothing like Elaine May, with her voice, her timing, and her attitude.”

In SurfWriter Girls favorite film, A New Leaf – which was May’s writing and directing debut (1971) – she also stars as a wealthy botanist hoping to find an undiscovered plant opposite Walter Matthau, a bankrupt playboy who marries May for her money.

Little does Matthau know what he is getting into as the two opposites – the socially inept and unkempt May and the fastidious connoisseur of life’s finer things Matthau – hilariously embark on married life and the roller coaster of surprises it brings.

Based on a story by Jack Ritchie that May read in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, A New Leaf is part murder plot and part love story, held together with quick wit that keeps the viewer guessing what’s going to happen right up to the end.

With spring planting underway and people seeking joy in nature’s new beginnings, what could be better than to discover A New Leaf and the cinematic talents of the aptly named Elaine May?

Surf’n Beach Scene Magazine

SurfWriter Girls

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material. Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com Individuals and non-profit groups are welcome to post it on social media sites as long as credit is given.