Two Puppets we made in France Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas12 x 8 30 x 20cm
View at Casteletto Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10.5 x 16 27 x 41cm
From the Castello di Serravalle Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 11.5 x 19.5" 30 x 50cm
Fall Fields, Grey Sky Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 16" 30 x 40cm
Harika, Back Side Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10 x 19.5 25 x 50cm 225.00
Sassi Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm
Artnotes: A Lively Stepper
Today (the day I wrote this, 4 September) is Labor Day in America. The day everyone takes it easy and has a
picnic, signifying the end of the summer before going back to work. All Western cultures seem to have this day,
this moment, when we all get back to business.
The French say Bon Rentree and try to preserve their tan as long as
possible. The Italians wish a Buon Rientro,
and those who didn’t vacation in the summer, or procrastinated, go now (this is
the country of great procrastinators).
Lots of restaurants and small businesses are closed this week.
For me, it is the time to make my fourth quarter plan,
getting my projects in before the close of the year. We’ve got two art shows upcoming, a few
guests, and we are working on a new business gig. We’ll be coordinating art conservation
workshops in conjunction with a conservator in the Northeast USA. Italy is the perfect area for art
conservation. While France might support
the arts, it is Italy that has the most old treasures. So, we’ll buzz around the countryside seeking
tumble-down churches and abandoned palazzos, and match-make them with aspiring
conservators.
Meanwhile, we had a small painting workshop this week. We had a wonderful time, even if we were the
responsible party. I painted three
pictures on Wednesday; Blair, two. I have had kind of a hard time getting back
into the painting groove. I think I need
a new venue for a bit, like seeing the water lilies, or looking at Harika in a
new way. Being with two enthusiastic
painters helps a lot. When she thanked
me for getting her “started”, I felt I should have said the same.
I have everyday plans, too, for the duration of 2017. If I don’t write everything down, make a
list, I don’t do anything. This writing
for example, is my 15-minute-a-day effort; painting is next on the list, which
takes longer, and requires more specific inspiration, at least in my case. I revisit the Art of Slow Travel, my upcoming
book; I learn Italian; I listen to
inspiring speeches, or read inspiring articles at least twice a week. And, oh, yeah, exercise.
A thousand years ago, when Blair and I lived in Madison Park
in Seattle, Washington, a woman named Sue told me I needed a plan. She was recently sadly divorced and
attributed the fall down of her marriage to having no roadmap for the
future. “You just can’t go through life
with nothing in mind”, she asserted.
Having been just recently married, I took her words seriously, and have
kept us as much on track as possible for the last 37 years.
It’s not that we stay on our track – only a portion of our
dreams come to fruition, and then half of them take twice as long as
planned. But’s it nice to have a dance
card, and meet a lively stepper along the way.
