Hot Peppers in Pewter Vase Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/crayon/canvas 8 x 12 " 20 x 25cm 290.00
We recently went to Parma to see a portrait show. Two artists, father and son, painted portraits for a century. Renato Vernizzi painted marvelous portraits from 1928 until about 1965. His son, Luca Vernizzi, painted from the late 60s until recently. They received equal acclaim, in their lifetimes, and in this show. I find that surprising because it is always difficult to live up to, or eclipse an exceptional parent.
Loki Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/crayon/paper 18 x 24" 45 x60 cm 290.00
It was a pleasantly surprising visit. We both were immediately attracted to Renato’s work. He painted modern men and women – independent, professional women and some just beautiful; men with something on their mind, business.. We dragged ourselves reluctantly into the second half of the exhibit, Luca’s portraits. They were even better!! Luca is a master of composition, and the blank space he leaves around his sitter is as important as the subject itself. His self portrait, used for the poster, seemed a little dated, but his work was absolutely wonderful (I didn’t like Renato’s self portrait, either (the show is io-tu-io in Parma if you google). Blair and I were both hugely inspired, particularly by Luca. Since then, I have been making dog portraits, Blair is doing humans. I like dogs better – they are less exacting and have pure love in their eyes. I make mistakes trusting humans.
Portraits by Luca (grandmother) and Renato (man) Vernizzi
Parma is a wonderful city. It was voted most liveable city in one of those general surveys last year (I put little credence in this, but Parma really is a nice place). After parking in a garage, a lovely man helped us to get our bearings to find the APE museum. It is always amazing to me how much difference a single person can make, and I hope to pass that on.
Green Water Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 32 x 21.5" 81 x 55cm 750.00
Parma has one of the most beautiful Baptisteries I have ever seen – frescoed. The city begs a walk around, and the stores and cafes charming. I also love the Labirinto (labyrinth) of Franco Maria Ricci, the famous publisher from Parma. It is the largest bamboo maze in the world, and there is a museum and a fabulous restaurant on property. I could live in Parma (and eat ham and cheese).
Horus Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/crayon/paper 24 x 18" 65 x 45cm sold
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