Upcoming Show this coming weekend April 5 in Houston!

If you have friends in Houston who you think will enjoy my art, please forward this invitation to them.

You can find additional content by clicking many of the images and photos below as well as the underlined links.

John O'Donohue

Poem for a New Beginning
by John O'Donohue

In out of the way places of the heart
Where your thoughts never think to wander
This beginning has been quietly forming
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.

For a long time it has watched your desire
Feeling the emptiness grow inside you
Noticing how you willed yourself on
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.

It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the grey promises that sameness whispered
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent
Wondered would you always live like this.

Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream
A path of plenitude opening before you.

Though your destination is not clear
You can trust the promise of this opening;
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is one with your life’s desire.

Awaken your spirit to adventure
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.

~john o donohue~

Documentary: The Last Repair Shop

In a world where we are more and more dependent on screens and technology, where hardly anyone does anything with their hands anymore, the 2024 winner of the Oscar for Documentary Short celebrates the beauty of music and the whole down to earth, hands-on world around it. This beautiful short film, The Last Repair Shop is about a workshop in Los Angeles that repairs musical instruments and provides them free of charge to all LA public school kids. (Los Angeles is one of the last cities in the United States to provide this service to all kids who want to play an instrument of their choosing.) More than that, the film tells the moving tales of the people who work in this repair shop, and the touching stories of the student recipients who fall in love with their instruments.

There is beauty in repairing something that is broken and making it whole again. And you can see the transformative power of music and how playing a musical instrument has the ability to heal people and elevate their souls.

Chicken Marbella Recipe

This is defintely a lot of people's go to recipe from the famous Silver Palate Cookbook, a staple in many people's kitchens...It is delicious and not that complicated to make.

CHICKEN MARBELLA
6 to 8 servings

½ cup olive oil
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
½ cup pitted Spanish green olives
½ cup capers, with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and puréed
½ cup fresh oregano, chopped (or ¼ cup dried)
2 teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 chickens, 3½ to 4 pounds each, quartered
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

* Step 1
 In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight.
* Step 2
 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan; spoon the marinade over it evenly. Pour in the wine and sprinkle the chicken with the brown sugar.
* Step 3
 Bake until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow juice when pricked with a fork, 50 to 60 minutes, basting two or three times with the pan juices once the chicken begins to brown. (When basting, do not brush off the sugar. If the chicken browns too quickly, cover lightly with foil.)
* Step 4
 Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm serving platter and top with the prunes, olives and capers; keep warm. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and bring the pan juices to a boil. Reduce to about ½ cup. Strain into a heatproof bowl, add the parsley and pour over the chicken.

Painting of the Week

Charity of the Week:

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.