In the next few weeks I will be offering a giveaway of a large painting, in honor of the holidays and my 100th blog post. Stay tuned for details…

Our Canine Friends

My granddog Frenchy! We think she might be a mix of Basenji and pitbull?

I have just become a dog grandmother, and as such, have a new found interest and love for our canine friends. I grew up in a family that always had dogs, but as an adult living in a big concrete city, I didn't think it was practical. My daughter recently stopped listening to her pragmatic mom and adopted a rescue dog from Tennessee. Am I glad she did! Oh boy, do we love this dog and how much pleasure it brings us...

According to researcher Brian Hare, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University, we haven't paid near enough attention to the study of our man's (and woman's) best friends--they just haven't been studied as much as other animals, despite the fact that we evolved alongside each other for more than 15,000 years. Here is a very interesting story about Chaser, a border collie, whose extensive vocabulary was that of a 2+ year old toddler and capable of inferential thinking. Anderson Cooper did an interview about Chaser and the underestimated capability of dogs on on 60 Minutes. And if you want to put a smile on your face, watch this longer documentary about dogs entitled Seniors: A Dogumentary.

Lily Meola: Daydream

Here is a little song big on inspiration by singer/songwriter Lily Meola to remind us that life is not a dress rehearsal and to give us the everlasting message we all need to learn to stave off fear...Here's to daydreams...

Dale Chihuly

I have always wanted to visit the Dale Chihuly Museum in Seattle and yesterday it happened. What a wonder! This glass artist is fearless, ambitious and amazingly talented--no project is too big and he has the confidence to know that he will find a way...I watched a few short documentary videos of him at the museum and realized we have a common way of working. He doesn't think when he works (I don't either), he doesn't know where he is going with a piece and finds out in the process, he is interested in the architecture around his art, he often sticks to variations of one dominant color, and he tries to suspend judgment and just get to the point where something simply looks good...In other words, I think, like me, he relies and trusts his intuition and more than anything...

Unique Gifts for the Holidays

**For unique gifts, visit our artShop:** **www.pamelasmilow.com/shop-all**

Charity of the Week:

This is the charity closest to my heart in New York City. My daughter Morgan was part of this wonderful dance program in the NYC public schools in fifth grade and then went on to dance with them every Saturday as part of their SWAT Celebrations Team for the following four years. As a young deaf boy, Jon Hine, (pictured here), was an incredible dancer who lit up the stage and has gone on to do wonderful things with his life…This is defintely a charity worth supporting as it literally changes kids’ lives…

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.