Ponte di Olina Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 19.5 x 12" 50 x 30cm 490.00
Bridges. I am thinking about them. Is it because this weekend is a “Ponte”? Ponte refers to bridging a holiday with an extra day off from work, to make a 4 day weekend. 1 November is a holiday here, as it is in most of Europe: All Saints Day. People place flowers on graves, and may even have a picnic in the cemetery with departed loved ones. But, back to bridges.
Ponte in Fall Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas/crayon 11 x 14" 27 x 35cm 490.00
I am looking for that new theme to paint, and bridges came to mind. They are often found in lovely natural settings, and involve water, always a good subject. There could be boats. So I googled “bridges in Emilia Romagna”, and found the Ponte di Olina, an extremely beautiful specimen, not so far away from Roccamalatina.
Dance to the Music Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/crayon/music 9 x 11" 23 x 27cm 190.00
The Ponte di Olina crosses the river Scoltenna, a tributary of the Panaro, our closest river in Roccamalatina. It wasn’t a clear shot to the bridge; we got lost once, and when we actually arrived, I asked a workman, “is there a bridge around here?” and he laughed as he pointed to it, almost in front of us. It is spectacular. We parked a small distance away, and walked to its best view.
G, A portrait Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 14 x 11" 35 x 27cm 550.00
The Ponte di Olina was built in 1522, linking Modena to Florence. Both merchants and pilgrims followed this important route. It’s still possible to cross the bridge, even in a car, but we didn’t pursue that detail. There’s a shrine, and picnic tables and a sculpture. The bridge was built of the stone from a nearby mountain. It really is a beautiful bridge, gracefully leading up to a shelter in the center, descending to the Tuscan side. It seemed to me that the workers (from the electric company) were rearranging those stones in the river to guarantee clear sailing for the water this winter. The water was down to a trickle, a surprise from some images I saw on the Internet. I make a mental note to swim here next summer.
Ready to Play Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/crayon/music 9 x 11" 23 x 27cm 190.00
We set up our easels, side by side, and had at it. I saw the bridge, linking the two sides of my canvas; Blair saw the river flowing toward us. It had been some time since we painted outdoors, and it felt terrific. It prompts me to think of “Bridges of Rome” as a new series, but we’ll wait to see how the water of life flows under the bridge.
Burdock (after a poem by Dig http://diggersdig.blogspot.com/ )Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/music/crayon 9 x 11" 23 x 37cm 190.00
