Flowers on the Porch Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 18" 36 x 45cm 425.00
Hell comes to mind as I describe this last week in Roccamalatina, in the Apennines. It has been in the 90s (33+ in C) for days, except for one powerful electrical storm which knocked out our power and left things feeling like a sauna. We’ve moved to the ground floor bedroom, which has somewhat improved our sleeping, but it is just too darn hot! Harika is panting like a banshee. We are seldom taking walks, only after sunset, at 8:45. She lies in the shade on the grass. The bees are crazy for water, sipping from my plants, which inhibits my pruning efforts.
Balcony Arrangement Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 15 x 18 " 38 x 46 cm 450.00
I water my flowers in the very early morning. The oleander seems to be doing best (I’ve seen it growing on the side of the A1 highway outside of Rome, so it’s a trooper). Kale is good, as are the cherry tomatoes. The peppers might produce. The geraniums are not forthcoming with buds, and despite frenzied bee activity, my cucumbers only blossom, no fruit. I had a rash of radishes, which were delicious, but new seedlings are struggling. Too hot. Too sunny. Too much dirty air, even up here. I’ll talk to them.
By the Sea Tunisia Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 9.5 x 13" 24 x 33cm 450.00
What I really want to do is to go swimming. We went to the Lago della Ninfa (waterlily lake) to lunch outdoors with friends this week. I wore my swimsuit. In fact, the “lake” was smaller than a football (American) field, and was stocked with lazy fish so men could angle around the perimeter. I was perfectly shocked by the whole thing, but lunch was terrific fun, and I got to say “I can’t believe it” over and over again on the way home.
The Haystack in the Yard Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 18 x 15" 46 x 38 cm 475.00
My Zoom painting workshop this week was great despite paint drying on the palette (I am reminded to get a wooden box I can keep wet). There are things about these Zoom sessions I like as better than in real life – mostly, we’re not limited to the usual plein air acrylic painting. Today, we can more easily use oils, or pastels, or whatever we like. We can paint still life, or portraits; we’re drawing, and painting on paper, or using collage. No sunburn. The choices are vast. This week, my fellow painter took photos of her possible subjects, and I matched as closely as I could on my end. You can see Blair’s and my results. On Tuesday mornings, I paint while my friend Yukie draws, in France, via skype.
Fishing Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/wood 12 x 12" 30x 30cm 475.00
I know I will be longing for these warm days in January, but then is then and now is now. I might sit beneath the lawn sprinkler.
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