I am out here in California from June 2nd through June 15th, 2023 with a big selection of paintings and works on paper. Please email me at pamsmilow@me.com if you are interested in setting up an appointment to meet with me and see art in the quiet of your home or if you would consider hosting a small "art gathering" during that time in exchange for a piece of art.
Many of the images below are clickable and lead to further links…
Maria Shriver on Ted Lasso
Maria Shriver, courtesy The Chalk Board
Maria Shriver is very active on social media and I admire her compassion. I found this recent post of hers and it corresponded with my sentiments exactly as she commented on one of my all time favorite TV shows:
"As Ted Lasso comes to an end, I want to thank this beautiful show and everyone involved. Not just for the joy I got from each episode, but for the lessons it taught me (and hopefully you too!). I hope you carry the spirit of Ted Lasso with you, and as Jason Sudeikis says, "Be like Teflon toward people's negativity or sarcasm." We don't need to walk in this world believing it is all bad. We don't need to succumb to the negativity. We can rise above all the noise. We can look for the positives, we can look for the light, and we can carry that light and we can carry that light forward. I'd rather view the world as Ted Lasso. Wouldn't you?"
"Ted is our modern day Mr. Rogers!"
Paul Simon 7 Psalms
There is an interesting review in this week's New Yorker Magazine (June 5, 2023) by critic Amanda Petrusich about Paul Simon's latest album Seven Psalms. Inspired by notes he took in the middle of the night after a series of dreams he had in 2019, Simon wrestles with religion, mysticism and life's big questions as he crosses into the eighth decade of his life.
I can relate. Although I am fifteen years younger, I find this time of life to be one of becoming aware of mortality and according to the author of the article, “Once you become awake to the puzzle of existence, via loss or its opposite, it can be extremely difficult to think about anything else.”
In the words of one of the "hymns" on the recording entitled “Love is Like a Braid," Simon sings
I lived a life of pleasant sorrows
Until the real deal came
Broke me like a twig in a winter gale
Called me by my name
For me, this is not necessarily something sad--quite the opposite, like an awakening. Opening up to the depth of human existence and all the mysteries that entails...
He goes on to describe his process of making music, which I also find similar to the process of any creative endeavor: "I am reaching for something that might not be reachable and might not even exist...I am looking for the edge of what you can hear. I can just about hear it but I can't quite--that's the thing I want." He goes on to question, "How do you get there?"
Seven Psalms is all of 33 minutes. Have a listen and let me know what you think...
White Gazpacho Soup
INGREDIENTS
Yield: 6 servings
Recipe from Jean Anderson
Adapted by Suzanne Hamlin
1 cup blanched almonds
2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
3 slices French or Italian bread, crusts removed
¼ cup water
4 cups cold chicken or vegetable stock, or water
¼ cup fruity olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 cup seedless green grapes, halved
½ cup lightly toasted croutons
Instructions:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a cookie sheet, and bake until lightly toasted, about 15 minutes. Cool.
Step 2
In a food processor or blender, blend almonds and garlic into a uniformly fine, gritty paste.
Step 3
In a small bowl, moisten the bread in ¼ cup water and squeeze dry. Add to the almond-garlic mix, and blend. Add 4 cups stock or water, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth. If a fine texture is desired, strain through a medium-fine sieve. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.
Step 4
To serve, taste for salt and stir in grapes. Ladle into bowls and scatter croutons on top.
Charity of the Week:
National Dance Institute
These performances at the Skirball Center of NYC take place on Father’s Day Weekend and are full of joy and spirit. Some people walk out of them and say it was the best thing they saw all year! Not to be missed if you are in New York Father’s Day Weekend…and if you want to attend the Friday night dress rehearsal benefit, National Dance Institute is a great organization to support…founded by Jacques D’Amboise www.nationaldance.org
Painting of the Week
Here’s a really old one from 1985! Including a GI Joe outfit glued on….
Products of the Week
Please visit our artShop to see our line of colorful everyday products including scarves, giclee prints, cutting boards, yoga mats and other gift items--designed to bring joy and color into every day life...
New York, NY 2022
About The Author
New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow, began writing the creative lifestyle blog “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection. To read more about her and her art, visit her website and check out the essay written by the Hammond Museum's Frank Matheis entitled The Sophisticated Innocence of Pam Smilow.