blog no. 3: On Tyranny, John Dillermand, Sarabeth's Tomato Soup, Eugene Goodman

January 16, 2021

Although this is my attempt to celebrate good news during these very challenging times, I want to bring to your attention a very important book that my sister Judy, who was always ahead of her time, bought for me a number of years ago when it first came out in 2017: On Tyranny by Tim Snyder. Judy and I spent many a phone conversation ranting and raving about politics, the state of our nation and wondered why people were not more outraged at what was going on. Daughters of a mother who grew up in Nazi Germany, we had the anxiety and fear of tyranny in our bones. This little book says it all and is an absolute must read for every American these days...
And thanks to everyone for your encouragement and very positive feedback about my new blog. I am getting a great amount of pleasure out of writing and researching it every week. Keep the comments coming, share it if you like and I love when people share some of their good news finds with me too.

three things we love

You won’t believe this new Danish Children’s TV Series

I have a special place in my heart for the Danes. Not only because I was married to one or because of the fact that they were able to save every one of their Jews during WWII. Having spent quite a bit of time there, I know that they have a very high level of education, are often nonconformist and think in very outside of the box, creative ways. They also have, in my opionion, a very refreshing and unihibited way of looking at the human body. Where else in the world could you find a sizeable amount of the elderly population taking a leisurely early morning dip in the sea on a summer morning, stark naked at the age of 80? And so why am I not surprised at all about the latest Danish children’s TV show featuring John Dillermand (Weinerman) and his Magic Penis. Read on here before you get outraged…

When I was a kid, one of my favorite lunches was a can of Campbell's tomato soup. I can just see myself at the kitchen table crushing saltines into it. Although I would never go near canned soup of any type nowadays, I did find the gourmet version of this ultimate comfort food at a mainstay and well loved establishment in New York City: Sarabeth's Kitchen. Thanks to Pinterest and Epicurious, I have now come across Sarabeth's recipe for this beloved and coveted Velvet Tomato Soup. Enjoy this ultimate comfort food during this exhausting and scary time in American history. Trust me, go right into the kitchen and make this. My mouth is watering as I type these words...

If you had any doubt that one person could make a difference and change history, think no more. Enough cannot be said about Capitol Policeman Eugene Goodman. He was the officer who single-handedly more than likely prevented a massacre at the U.S. Capitol building last week by leading the rabid mob of insurrectionists away from the Senate Chambers where our lawmakers were holed up and hiding. Here are the details about how this unsung hero saved the day.

painting of the week

Pam Smilow, Yellow Spruce Series: Gray mixed media on canvas 50” x 80” $8500.

This painting has all my signature elements: trees, birds, polka dots, stripes, collage, mixed media elements. My vocabulary is rooted in nature and things that I observe that attract me. I paint intuitively, often in series, and usually stick to an "in the family of color" palette. In this case, grays with pops of blue and green gold...

Below are links to our ArtSHOP, Smilow + Mathiesen PAINTINGS and two favorite CHARITIES

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About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection.

blog no. 2: National Dance Institute, Surviving Death, Leonard Cohen

January 9, 2021

I always wanted to start a TV network which would be Good News 24/7. Call me naive but I feel if we are shown the true heroes of our society: the teachers, the nurses, the human rights activists, the good samaritans, or as Mr. Rogers said, "the helpers" instead of the dregs, we would all be inspired to rise to the occasion.

This blog, which I will send out every Sunday morning, is my small attempt to remind us that good can win over evil, that the arts are the mainstay of human existence, that we must work hard to fight for what is right and that democracy is not a bystander sport. Here goes Blog Post Number Two.

three things we love

National Dance Institute is one of my favorite non-profits. They use dance and music to instill in students a love of the arts, a passion for learning and a sense of confidence. Seeing them perform in person is such a joyous experience but you can watch them here in the meantime. Their Birmingham Children’s March, choreographed by the brilliant Kay Gaynor, is so beautiful and timely. Watch here.

For those of you who know me, you know I have experienced a lot of loss in my life. When my husband died suddenly in 2013, I set out to understand everything I could about death and dying. It has been my passion ever since and I have read extensively on the subject. In 2017, along came Leslie Kean's excellent book "Surviving Death: A Journalist Investigates Evidence of an Afterlife" and it basically was a summary of everything I had studied in one single book. I was so happy to see that this has now become a six-part Netflix documentary series entitled Surviving Death. It might just blow your mind--you will never think of life again in the same way.

Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen in Hydra, Greece Photo Courtesy of Babis Mores/Roadside Attractions

I've only been a groupie to one musician in my life: Leonard Cohen. My interest in him, his music and his poetry has not subsided at all since my teenage years. I have been particularly touched by the lifelong relationship of Leonard and his Norwegian love Marianne Ihlen, inspiration to many of his songs and poetry. Here I share a somewhat obscure interview about her and Leonard, given by an old friend of Marianne's. Very touching...

painting of the week

Gert Mathiesen, Longer Boats Neon Linoleum Cut, mixed media linocut on paper, 38” x 82 inches, available as a giclee print in various sizes

My late husband, Danish painter, printmaker and potter Gert Mathiesen was my partner in crime for over twenty five years. In addition to doing our own art, we often collaborated. His work and the memory of his spirit continues to inspire me every day. Gert carved this particular large linoleum piece while sitting at a table on the beach in Puerto Rico--in the sun, he said, it would cut like butter.

Below are links to our ArtSHOP, our PAINTINGS and two favorite CHARITIES

House the Homeless

ArtSHOP

Paintings

Feed The Hungry

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection.

our new blog: Krista Tippett, Crip Camp, Heather Cox Richardson

January 5, 2021

My dad, the mid-century modern furniture designer Mel Smilow, always wanted everyone to love all the things he loved and was passionate about sharing his favorites with everyone who would listen, whether it be something he just ate, a favorite movie, a person he admired…

Living alone during times of COVID, I find myself wanting to share things that inspire me too, so I decided to write a blog. Here goes Blog Post Number One. I hope people will come to value my choices and share with me my passions.

three things we love

I look forward to 7am Sunday mornings (who gets up that early on a Sunday?) although in this modern age we can listen to ON BEING, Krista Tippett’s podcast, any time of the day or night. She consistently has guests that are people I want to know and learn more about. Last week's offering was Gaelynne Lea: “…a fiddler and singer-songwriter…in an electric wheelchair,” but any one of her episodes are worth the listen.

On the subject of disabilities, if you haven’t seen Crip Camp, the second in the series of Netflix films selected by Michelle and Barack Obama, don’t miss it—a true inspirational gem…

And my third selection of the week is about someone I have come to rely on for political news in a historical context: Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American. One daily email each morning gives you all the news you need on our current American state of affairs without sensation, purely informative and just the facts …To subscribe, click here.

painting of the week

*Pam Smilow, Sole Tree in Red, 50” x 80”, mixed media on canvas*

Nature almost always has a presence in my paintings. Sometimes while I am driving, I feel my heart start to beat faster at the site of a beautiful tree…Did you know these regal entities communicate with each other by way of smells, tastes and sounds, warn can each other of danger, and thrive in a complex web of interconnectedness? These and many more facts I found in a book I just finished, The Hidden Life of Trees, by Peter Wohlleben.

Below are links to our ArtSHOP, our PAINTINGS and two favorite CHARITIES

House the Homeless

ArtSHOP

Paintings

Feed The Hungry

About The Author

New York City based contemporary artist, Pam Smilow created “things we love” in an effort to foster a sense of community during times of isolation and reflection.