Upcoming: CALIFORNIA Here I Come

October 22nd through November 12th, 2021

Please contact me if you would like to book a private appointment to see the art in the quiet of your own home or are interested in hosting a small “art party” in exchange for a painting.

To get the most out of this blog, please click on many of the images, underlined words, etc. for links to more information, interviews, music, etc.

three things we love

Swedish Band: First Aid Kit

Beautiful rendition of If it Be Your Will on their Leonard Cohen Tribute Album

We are coming up on the anniversary of Leonard Cohen's death. I remember it vividly because it was the same day T won the presidential election. After attending Hillary's so called "victory" party at Madison Square Garden, I had left early seeing the writing on the wall, gotten right into bed, pulled the covers over my head and tried to sleep. Woke up the next morning to the inevitable news and on top of that, Leonard Cohen had died too...A truly dark day!
My friend Sue, just visiting from Helsinki, and I share our love for Leonard Cohen and she turned me on to a Swedish group called First Aid Kit, consisting of two sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg, (born in 1990 and 1993, respectively), who are also big Leonard Cohen fans. They put together an absolutely wonderful tribute concert in March of 2017. If you are a fan, as much as I am, you will have no trouble listening to the whole thing....And if you are interested in the history of the band and want to hear more from these two talented sisters, NPR interviewed them on World Cafe upon the recent release of the tribute concert album.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

There are probably a lot of things that are not worth saving from my generation but this Molly Katzen treasure is definitely not one of them. Moosewood Cookbook was a staple in the life of so many of my peers and fellow hippies--and in a lot of ways was in on the ground floor of vegetarian eating in the United States. The cookbook came out of a famous restaurant by the same name in Ithaca, New York. I never had the opportunity of eating there but definitely tried so many of the recipes from the book. One of my favorites, and apropos of the autumn season, is the recipe for Hungarian Mushroom Soup, which I give five stars and share here.

Loyal Dog

Gert Mathiesen/Pam Smilow Orange Dog Animal giclee print 8” x 10” $150 Framed

One of my animal loving readers shared this story with me below from Country Living Magazine's November 2021 issue. It is a story of a dog's utter love and devotion to its owner which is beautiful in its own right, but I also can't help but feel it's a little heartbreaking too, given my opinion of the human species these days.

A Dogged Kind of Devotion,
by Country Living Magazine, November 2021

Daisy was a gorgeous golden retriever my father first saw careening out the back of a moving truck. She was about 6 months old and had a scowling, snarly owner with no patience for puppies, no desire to train her, and when he took off, out of the back of the truck she went. My dad was nearby and saw all of this. He walked up to the man and said, "I'll give you 200 bucks for your dog, right now." The guy cursed Daisy, then counted his money. And the Leitches had another family member for the next 14 years.
My father treated Dasiy like he treated his children: with love, compassion, and constant discipline. Daisy grateful for her new home, would do anything my father asked and obeyed him unfailingly. She also had one great trick. Dad would put a biscuit on her nose, and she'd balance it there, as long as it took, until he snapped his fingers and said, "Get it, Daisy!" She'd then wag her tail and snap up the biscuit, and everyone would cheer.
My father was a troubleshooter electrician for the power company, which meant that when the power went out in the middle of the night, he'd be called to fix it. One evening, Dad was in the midst of the biscuit trick when the phone rang. The dispatcher informed him there was an emergency that he had to get out to immediately. In a desperate hurry, Dad scrambled out to his truck, drove the hour to the power substation, worked there for an hour or so, then drove back. He yawned and went to the fridge for a sandwich. It was a long night, and he was exhausted. He called for Daisy and received in response, from the other room, a whimper. He walked into the living room and saw Daisy still sitting there, biscuit on her nose, a pool of drool on the floor below her. Dad gasped. "Oh, GET IT, DAISY," and she snatched up the biscuit, loyal as ever. Dad, feeling terrible, lay on the ground with her and gave her all the biscuits she wanted. She jumped in circles, so happy to have him, so happy they were together, so happy to have this life.

painting of the week

Tree of Life Series
mixed media on paper 60” x 22”
$4000

photo of the week

Donate to The Coalition for the Homeless

Another Self Portrait going grey in the time of Covid…

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created 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.