Artnotes: A Month in Florence

 

Berlino September 2022  Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/crayon/newspaper  24 x 18"  60 x 45cm  290.00

Have I told you how much I love having a BIG dog?  This week was the anniversary of our last dog, Harika’s passing.  It was, in some ways, the saddest day of my life, but I think I was sadder when it became clear she was sick and not going to get better.  I had a month to say goodbye, which was sad, but sufficient.  Meanwhile, we are raising this large Italian hunting dog.  Berlino is likely 60 pounds now, nearly twice what we had expected.  He’s not fat at all: a muscle-man.   I couldn’t let all that dog culture Harika taught us go to waste.  I mean, we KNOW what dogs like:  food, love, being with us.  On Tuesday we all went to Florence.

Harika on the Grass   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  14 x 18"   35 x 45cm  600.00

I am always surprised how our dogs seem to love the city.  We went to visit friends from Los Angeles, who rented an apartment in Florence for a month; bring Berlino they encouraged.  I broke into a sweat as we wended through the streets looking for our parking garage.   We pre-booked a garage that allowed us to drive on those little stone streets – we really didn’t know how Berlino would walk in the city and didn’t want to chance a drag on a busy thoroughfare.  In fact, he was great – taking care of his business in the footsteps of Dante.

Paul    Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  20 x 16"  55 x 40cm  600.00

He loved meeting our friends, who made us lunch.  He snacked on crackers, making forays to the balcony.  We ate the perfect little Italian lunch: preserved meats, cheeses, vegies in olive oil; olives and fruit.  Our friends had rented a little apartment near the Palazzo Strozzi.  In fact, it seemed like they really LIVED there.   I wished they did.   It was a cool spot:  originally a doctor and his family lived there, now treatment rooms were made into little apartments, centered around a big waiting room.

Untitled    Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  22 x 15"  55 x 38cm   550.00..

I love tootling off to Firenze for lunch, looking in store windows, admiring all of that Renaissance architecture.  We are seriously considering selling our flat in Stimigliano, with its sweeping view of the Tiber and my art studio.   Then we can spend a month in Florence, too.

Berlino's friend, Bella   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/crayon/newspaper  18 x 24"  45 x 60cm  250.00