The Art of Life Documentary

I spend a lot of time on youtube--I start off looking for one thing and inevitably end up stumbling on something else. In this case, I found this documentary entitled The Art of Life, about a man named Michael Behrens, mathematical prodigy and Buddhist who has chosen to live his life totally outside the realm of societal convention, in harmony with the natural world on the Hawaiian Islands. To quote the filmmakers Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo and Caroline Harrison, "To many, his life will likely seem absurd. As it did to us. But there’s something about Michael Behrens that draws you in. At the age of fourteen, he discovered his gift for understanding abstract concepts. He was considered a mathematical genius as he made his way through Stanford and eventually MIT, generating a reputation as a brilliant radical. But society never captured his heart..."

As Caroline Harrison sees it, if nothing else, Behrens "will help you to see beyond the utilitarian constructs so many of us live and think within."

If you don't want to dive into the entire thirty-eight minute film right away (although I do think it is well worth your while), you might want to pick up at minute 27, where they go into detail about Behren's very special observations and relationship with his neighbors the dolphins.

Tom Waits

Here is a selection of some of my favorite Tom Waits songs.

Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen),

Ol'55

Jersey Girl

I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You

San Diego Serenade

Martha

The Heart of Saturday Night

Inuit Artist Jessie Oonark

Jessie Oonark, Two Fish Looking for Something to Eat, serigraph, 22” x 30”

Wool and Felt Wall hanging, YellowKnife Courthouse

I used to have this beautiful thick light blue catalogue of Inuit art. I have no idea what happened to it but when I was younger and making a lot of prints myself, I was interested in the simplicity and rawness of some Inuit art and the whole story behind printmaking coming out of Baker's Bay and Cape Dorset in Canada. My boss at the time brought back from a trip up there a very cool Jesse Oonark poster of an anorak and it was reminiscent of the colorful print below. Here are a few other Oonark pieces that caught my eye this afternoon.

Charity of the Week:
Doctors Without Borders

Photo of the Week

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.