Elaine Phalen was born in Yonkers, New York. She lived in New York City for most of her adult life.  While raising four children, Elaine volunteered with the Girl Scouts of America.  She also found time to work as a make-up model and saleswoman.  Elaine has had a lifetime love of the arts, including painting, music and theatre. In recent years, Elaine has taken part in the Alzheimer's' Association "Memories in the Making" annual art show.  She has had a watercolor painting entered in the M.I.M. art show for the past three years and in 2012, she won second place for her painting entitled "Bedazzled."  Elaine has titled this mask "Blowing in the Breeze." While painting the mask, Elaine talked about trees blowing in the wind and imagined what it would look like if the leaves were balloons.  She added rhinestones to some of the balloons, which she called "something unexpected."  Painting this mask brought back memories of holiday parades and Central Park.