Artnotes: Fingers Crossed

 

It’s terrifically hot out.  Although we are in the Apennines, surrounded by trees, it is stinking hot (90’sF, 30’sC).  I walk Berlino before 7, when the sun begins doling out its punishment.  Cooking, my favorite task, is not really recommended.   I am thinking of a simple Paella today, because it has a short cooking time.  I am endeavoring to empty the freezer before our trip on Tuesday, and that package of fish looms; I don’t really have the right rice. Painting Outdoors   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  13 x 16"  33 x 40    490.00 I find myself indoors most of the time this week.  We made a trip to swim in both the Ganges (the Panaro -- which was oddly, ick-ily, warm), and the icy Fountain of Youth.  Did I already tell you that?   My brain is suffering from the heat. Apples on the Tree (plein air)  Laurie Fox  Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 16 x 12"  40 x 30   490.00 Munich, next month’s destination, is a good 10 Fahrenheit degrees cooler than here, but not as cool as it usually is.  I will be happy to have something to do, however, other than sit around in this house. The Bavarian is quite a particular language, different than regular German, and the greeting is Servus (not Guten Tag). Birds   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  7 x 18"  18 x 45cm   490.00 We’re practicing en plein air painting once again, although the heat makes it challenging.  I am accumulating cheese boxes to keep my colors moist.  Our sleeping situation is difficult this summer.  Last night, we tried to sleep in the cooler downstairs where there horses used to live, but it’s not proper here.  Its “on grade” and has a smell of mustiness.   We decamped and fled back upstairs to recline before the fans. Jasmine in a Vase  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 16 x 24"  40 x 61cm   290.00 I am boning up on the Blaue Reiter artists who painted around Munich.  I am watching a French film on Gabriele Munter, a woman who was s-o-o-o-o advanced for her time (she painted from the early 1900s until her death in 1962).  She painted how she felt, en plein air, and dressed practically.   Munter lived in several places, including the Pessemiers’ former haunts of Tunisia and Paris.  It makes me realize how critical actual travel is in an artist’s development – it certainly made us who we are.   I am already thinking of future forays with cool temperatures.   Or maybe just another place altogether.   I’d like to have a little coffee shop/art salon we could run maybe in the hills beyond Croatia (although that might be a tough language); or perhaps Montreal.  Traveling and finding community is such a wonderful thing. Afternoon works on Paper Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/paper  8.5  x 11" 21 x 29cm  120.00 each. It was a scary week to think about where we live – there’s no predicting what crazy action by some dictator can do to endanger one’s life.   We are staying clear of American military bases, and we have distanced ourselves from all political parties, near and far.   That said, I am encouraged by the recent nomination in New York City; a little glimmer of hope.  Fingers crossed for humanity. Painted Butterflies   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  13 x 16"  33 x 40    490.00 HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including Portraits by Blair Pessemier. Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier If you’d like to visit/take a painting workshop: https://www.pessemierworkshops.com See all of our painting at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed, within the USA. sign up for Artnotes, our weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  NO POLITICS please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402

Artnotes: LISTEN

 

Table in the Garden  BlairPessemier  acrylic/canvas  15 x 18"  38 x 46   520.00

Our  friend, K, visited this week and we had a wonderful time.  He arrived at the house, in Roccamalatina, under his own power (a rental car), which was a giant relief for Blair and I.    We didn’t do much – Blair and I made a dinner, something we love to do:  Spaghetti Carbonara and Steak Salad.  I drank a tad too much white wine – a rare sweet-ish taste for me, which I find hard to moderate.   We talked into the night, catching up on this and that.   Sometimes it is only with old, wonderful friends one can talk of life’s big issues, and I am almost brought to tears as I recall it all. Play    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/newspaper   17 x 12"  43 x 30 cm   175.00 The next morning, after taking Berlino for his walk, we went to our local bar for breakfast.  The bar is operated by a Chinese woman, who beamed with surprise when our friend spoke to her in Chinese.  She was so happy!   People love when you speak their language.  Later, I got onto Youtube to learn a few words in German, for our trip there in July.   Guten Tag!   I’ve gotten some super books about the Blue Rider Group, which we will be researching while we are in the Munich area. Visage   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  8.5 x 11"  21 x 29cm  120.00 The three of us talked about so many things: from the king of Jordan to our house in Stimigliano, his children, our family and th future.   What struck me more than anything was that he LISTENED.  We listened.  My father, who was greatly loved, was an excellent listener (and never judged).   I think listening may be the key to successful relationships.   Four Birds  Laurie Fox Pessemier   8.5 x 11 (approx)"  21 x 29cm  120 each 2 for 200.00 I painted a lot this week.   Another half-dozen paintings were rejected for art shows – I am not going to try that anymore, because it is just discouraging.    I managed to sell three pictures, anyway. Blue Hare  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  18 x 12"  45 x 30cm    490.00 Every day I walk Berlino in the woods where we listen to the birds:  15 voices recorded on Merlin, in 13 minutes.  I’m listening. After Max Ernst in the Forest  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  31.5 x 16"  80 x 40cm    590.00 HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, include Portraits by Blair Pessemier. Thank you for forwarding this email. If you wish to republish this article you will need to pay a fee of $USD100, and enter into an agreement with me.  Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier If you’d like to visit/take a painting workshop: https://www.pessemierworkshops.com See all of our work at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed (made in USA). sign up for Artnotes, this weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  NO POLITICS please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: Seeing

 

Pink Poppy  Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/black paper  11.5 x 8"    29  x 21 cm   120.00

It’s gone from the Flood to Dante’s Inferno this past week.  We are over 90 degrees in Rocca Malatina, and 100 in Stimigliano.   I take Berlino for a walk well before 7, when the oven turns on and the wildlife runs for shade – we were just a few feet away from a deer the other day.  His friend was in the bushes, harrumphing – it was the first time I heard deer talk.   I am desperately seeking lodging in the much cooler Munich area for the month of July, where we will paint and study the Blaue Reiter group of painters (and drink beers and eat wurst with Berlino in the beer garden).  Remember Rain?  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  12 x 12"  30 x 30  490.00 I have been trying to get my chapel in the back yard finished before it’s too hot.  Sadly, it’s in the sun from about 11 AM until 4 in the afternoon.  I am not mentioning the two scorpions I found there, one as large as a shrew or small mouse.   Were these factors not bad enough:  the building is too short for me to stand up in.  I feel like Alice in Wonderland. About Bavaria   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  16 x 16"  40 x 40  550.00 I recall Alice as a true Wonderland experience.   I was given a ViewMaster picture viewer as a child, and the story of Alice in Wonderland was one of my first reels.   I could look through the oculars and there she was, wearing a blue dress with white pinafore, and the rabbit was standing next to her.  It was a super-clear, extraordinary photograph, and I would sit for long periods, studying the details: the bench, the garden, a gazebo.  I also had a reel of world cities, equally mesmerizing, with castles and mountains.  What’s the big deal, you ask?   Because I was near sighted as a child, I could never see the details of anything – who knew?  I could stand on the bridge in the center of town and not be able to make out the ripples in the river below.  I could never read a license plate.   To see the 3-dimensional Golden Gate bridge in the ViewMaster was a MIRACLE.   Finally, after extreme humiliation at the blackboard in school (my class of 48 students laughing at me uproariously) I got my first pair of glasses, age 10. Four Faces  Laurie Fox Pessemier   8.5 x 11 (approx)"  21 x 29cm  120 each 2 for 200.00 Seeing is a big deal as an artist.  We tailor our work according to our eyes.  I had a workshop painter (we were at Giverny) who was furious that her doctor corrected her eyesight while fixing her cataract.  She used to remove her glasses to see those fuzzy bright colors we enjoy painting so much.  Monet’s eyesight played a role in his waterlilies – and we artists paint similarly.   Both Blair and I remove our glasses from time to time to not focus on the details, but to see the big bright picture.  We both do enjoy seeing properly with our glasses on, but we’re not sure we’ll let the doctor “fix” our eyes if we need cataract repair.   I might.  I can always buy cheap clear glasses and smear them up a bit. In the Good Fortune Pitcher   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper   17 x 11.  42 x 29cm    210.00 I try hard to capture unseeing, as well as a childlike attitude, in my paintings.  Forgetting what is learned is harder than learning it. Dancing Wild  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/vintage paper     11 x 8.5"  27 x 21cm  120.00 HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, include Portraits by Blair Pessemier. Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier If you’d like to visit/take a painting workshop: https://www.pessemierworkshops.com See all of our work at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed (made in USA). sign up for Artnotes, our weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  NO POLITICS please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: Heehaw

 

Sea Terms    Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/paper  11x 8.5" 29  x 21 cm   .120.00

We finally decided to visit the Palazzo Ducale in Mantova on our own, after two years of trying to bring guests there.    I have been dying to see the iconic “Camera degli Sposi” (the room of the newly married, or bridal chamber).  The occasion of our 45th wedding anniversary (8 June) seemed the appropriate moment.   The room is famous for the circular ceiling painting by Mantegna, and the paintings on the surrounding walls are equally lovely.   On one wall, there is a very good example of a Spinone (Berlino’s breed of dog) sitting beneath a chair; he is almost recognizable AS Berlino. Mantova (Mantua), Mantegna's ceiling fresco, Berlino in the Camera degli Sposi We walked through the entire palazzo, the homestead wonder of the Gonzaga family, who occupied it from the 1300s to 1700s.    The place is enormous (950+ rooms, 350,000 square feet – although it didn’t feel quite THAT large, but who’s measuring?) and especially interesting for the fact it is a true in-CITY palazzo.   And it’s not the only thing going on in Mantova – the nearby Palazzo di Te is an equal pleasure (and a perfect Renaissance piece of Architecture).  Mozart played in the Teatro Bibiena here, which continues to host musical events.    There are boat cruises on the river which surrounds the city:  I always know I am in Mantova because I can (pleasantly) smell water when I step out of the car. Laughing Sailor from the Old Curiosity Shop  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas    490.00 There is work by artists other than Mantegna, including some great partially finished frescoes by Pisanelli (I love this because you can see HOW frescoes are made).   There are gardens of boxwood and flowers, and grassy lawns.  While we were there a celebration of the 221st anniversary of the Carbinieri was taking place in one of the courtyards.  I think it is so interesting that this place doesn’t sit and languish but continues to be part of the community.  There’s nothing more ecological than a place that has remained useful for so many years (700 and counting).   Sparsely visited on the 3rd of June, except for very few tour groups, we had many areas completely to ourselves.  We did manage to run into someone we dined with once in Stimigliano – Italy is a small world, and people you know are always delighted to connect. Along the way: trees  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 8 x 8"  20 x 20cm   90.00 We drove home after a mediocre lunch – there were a series of restaurants on the square, and we mistakenly sat in the dud (is that why there were so many seats?).   It was right next door to the one where Blair had donkey last time.  Hee haw.    Trying to think Butterfly but feeling like a Bee  Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/paper  8.5  x 11" 21 x 29cm  120.00 each. HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, include Portraits by Blair Pessemier. Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier If you’d like to visit/take a painting workshop: https://www.pessemierworkshops.com See all of our work at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed, within the USA. sign up for Artnotes, our weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  NO POLITICS please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: A Dip

 

The Grand Berlino    Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/paper 16 x 35"  40 x 89cm   .390.00

It was a week of maintenance, lots of little jobs to do before the summer really sets in.  We got a load of dirt to fill Berlino’s holes in the yard (the badger isn’t taking this lying down).  We’ve been eating lunch and dinner at the outdoor table.   I’ve eradicated the bugs from the chapel in the back yard and will start painting magical images soon. We finished hanging our floral show at the gallery – despite the small turnout, we both find real pleasure in hanging our work and displaying it there at 963 via d’Azeglio.   I know some people stop by there, because our (currently non-working) QR code gets scanned. I used to be able to get free codes:  those little squares indicating a web page, but now everything seems to cost 19.99 a month.  I thought this one would be free, but in fact, it stopped working.  I have only had 4 of those codes in the last 20 years, so the idea of paying 19.99 a month seems ridiculous.   Mountain View 1 and 2   Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas  12 x 12 and 12 x 16"   490 each. Gosh, this Artnotes makes me seem like a cheapskate.  I am not really.  Last night, I talked to a friend about dispersing his household near Seattle – and I suggested he just give the stuff away (including my classic painting: this car climbed Mount Washington).   I told him how, in Paris, for a week (back in 2015), we put our furniture out onto the sidewalk for pickup.  Every day, people would take something:  a chair, a table, an accordion, a set of dishes.  At the end of the week, people still lined up, hoping for more.  Meanwhile, they thanked us profusely and the universe made sure we found things, too Roses in the new Vase    Laurie Fox Pessemier  about 11 x 8"   90.00 each or the 4 for 290.00 We did buy a rather lovely vase for just 5 euros at the ANT thrift store this week.   Also we bought three lovely scarves (a euro each) I am turning into shirts.  It’s turned hot out, and I need breezy clothes.   I sit in my studio painting nudes (they’re cool) and preparing a catalog of them to send to designers.  I’ll include them next artnotes. We made it to the old Fountain of Youth this week.  There was a herd of errant cows on the way, and it took some time to negotiate them.  They are as big as our car (I can’t imagine how they got them back).   At the river, broken, storm-crashed trees were pushed to the side and the swimming hole was well, whole again.   I can’t wait for a dip. Figures   Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/paper  11 x 8.5"  90 each NOTES: All of our work is now available as reproductions, on paper, canvas and framed.      Sign up for Artnotes by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  NO POLITICS please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM