©

You have reached the "sea," my introduction page. Enjoy your sail. In the following pages I hope to please you with beautiful imagery and words but also perhaps to peeve you with opinion, primarily my own. I'm not wishing for anyone to agree with me, I'm merely happy to have access to a free website on which to display my creative arts and to proclaim to the world how I feel about so many things.

Besides my inner-self outpourings, you will find on these pages the creative writings and artwork of others (including computer graphics) that I find enriching, inspiring, and or provocative. If you have already discovered some of it, I'm glad to be able to re-acquaint you; if you have not, then I'm glad to share with you what has delighted me.

Please note: Much of my site is still in constuction and I am in the process of attaching often lengthy graphic tags to images. If someone's browser doesn't display graphics, my descriptions will hopefully illustrate (as nearly as possible) the look of the images and perhaps even the "feeling." I will also include, for my art, font style info and occasionally info on how the images were created. There will even be a sporadic sidelight or anecdote. If your browser is displaying graphics, and you wish to read the long tags, I suggest doing so by accessing the html code "source" under your "view" option (as the tags disappear quickly from the screen when selected by the mouse arrow).

You will also find links to other sites, mostly displayed at the bottom of my pages. Some of these are copyright-required linkware logos. Other links go to sites that I see as internet libraries; often I have found on these sites information or links to information that I wasn't finding via search engines. I'm truly amazed and appreciative of the hard work and dedicated research of those sites' owners. Other links go to organizations that are doing good works: providing health, liberty, mediation, and the pursuit of happiness to the many who don't have it.

Although my sex, gender, and sexual orientation you'll probably assume correctly through what I write, you won't find on this site a description of me as the outer person. I won't be telling you in either words or pictures where and in what year I was born, my marital status, my star sign, my favorite foods, number of pets and children I may or may not have, anything relating to my physical appearance (though if you want to imagine I look like Isabelle Adjani, that's fine with me)...

It's not that I don't trust the viewing audience, and I mostly do, most of you. I know other sites' owners (by the prevalence of it) think a personal expose is the entertaining or human thing to do. I'm sure my personal expose would thrill some of you and some of you would feel the miles of cyberspace had been traversed in e-bonding. But I want as little of my personal data available, as possible, for those who would collect it for their own annoying, selfish and profiteering, perhaps even criminal ends.

So I apologize to those of you who'd like to get to know me by my given name (which you might correctly guess) and much more. I certainly will answer email (as my time permits) from those who wish to dialogue civilly. I may or may not answer hard-headed bigotry (sometimes, ideals aside, it's a complete waste of time).

I will not answer those who flame me, and further email, from addresses sending such, will be rejected.

On Copyright:

Assume, unless otherwise undoubtedly stated or known to be "public domain," that any artwork, graphic, layout, or writing on my website is copyright protected, regardless of whether you see the "©" or a creator name close by. At this time, my website is not intended to be a graphics grab site, and should any viewer be inclined to treat it as such , I would gently refer them to the following links:

Two links to detailed copyright law explanations:
http://whatiscopyright.org/

http://www.needlepatent.com/library/int-plp.html

The "resources" page (link) at the bottom of the "main" page for
http://www.greyday.org/

About.com's excellent and well-written explanation for "newbies" raring and ready for clipping art:
http://webclipart.about.com/library/weekly/aa092697.htm

A moving, heartfelt plea for the respecting of others' creativity:
http://www.williamsholler.com/copyright/
The above webpage contains many more useful links.

A little piece from a museum professional on why copyright law may have become too extensive and restricting:
http://www-ninch.cni.org/copyright/townmeetings/chicagozorich.html


       

Those wishing to use any of my images may request such use via email. Requests must include the URL for the personal or commercial website, if any, on which they will appear and how they will be used to decorate or illustrate the specified contents of any webpage, flyer, or other media material. Requests must specify those images you wish to use. Requests must be made again, each and every time you wish to use more images. I will grant or deny each request on an individual basis, laying out the "Terms of Usage" in my reply. Denials will always include specific reasons. If I find any person or business using my work who previously was denied such use, or who never requested such use at all, I will begin the legal process by which removal of such images will be compelled.

The images of others that I have been allowed use of via linkware are obviously available for another's use as long as each artist's "Terms of Usage" are followed; therefore, one should visit the linked to websites and read those terms for himself/herself. One should download such images from only their original sites, not from mine. If use of artwork was granted by specific request, it will be stated; anyone also wishing to use that art must make a like request of the artist.

Those wishing to use any of my writings, prose or poetry, must follow the procedure specified above for the use of images. Requests for using the writings of others will be passed on to the respective authors. Do not assume a response from any author but myself. A lack of response does not equate approval of usage.

Please observe that in using the artwork of others in the design and decoration of my site, I have observed copyright law:

• Checking an artist's "Terms of Usage."

• Obeying those terms and providing credit, usually via linkware. Even when no link or credit is required I will provide one; it's my way of saying thanks. (Check the bottom of each page for such links.)

• Asking permission! There are many artists who do request it. Meilin Wong, a very talented fantasy artist, has her work floating all around cyberspace, often in mutilated or mutated form; and I'd wager a good bet that most who display her work never bothered with the niceties--they just "right-clicked" and pasted.

• Finally, being suspicious of graphic collection sites whose owners probably did none of the above. And, adding insult to injury, they often take credit for what they have stolen. Yes, stolen. I'm not suggesting that all graphic collection sites are violating copyright, but I'd recommend using the larger, better known, and more often cited collections. I find I trust sites more that look like cyber warehouses than cute, personal pages.

•      Thanks for the image: http://homepages.ihug.com.au/~katty/kat/
  
  I don't want to come across as the legal disciplinarian, but this really is an issue of common respect for others.
  
  Thank you,
  Gwendolen

• Contact me:
  gwnsea@yahoo.com