Pink Geraniums, second bloom Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas/oil pastel 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm 490.00
Our friend, T (who is 90+) fell and broke her hip after the anti-fascist luncheon at the Alpini headquarters in Roccamalatina. Anti-fascism is an entirely different thing here than what I’d expect; nonetheless it is better than a pro-fascist dinner. We left halfway through the meal, after enjoying the meat plate and tortelloni, lacking appetite for the roasted meats, side dishes and sweets to come. M, a neighbor, was reading aloud poetry from a long-dead relative. We were seated in the center of the tent on a 90 degree day. All indications said go home.
Bob Blair Pessemier Acrylic on Canvas commission
T spent two weeks in hospital, fitted with a new hip. We were walking by her house yesterday, and visited with the dog, Liaka. “Come in, come in,” her husband shouted from the Briscola (card game) table in the front yard. Her daughter let us in. T was seated in a chair, with a walker, on the glassed-in porch. She stood, unsteadily, but fairly easily, to touch us.
Ciao Bernie Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/canvas/oil pastel 13 x 16" 33 x 41 cm 490.00
Blair and I love older people, and always have. Elders, to us, are harder to come by these days, and this family is very dear. The daughter, in fact younger than me, was ironing sheets and towels. Yes, it’s in the high 80s this week, but the thought of using an un-ironed pillow case is unspeakable to older Italians. Maybe it’s the same for younger ones, too, but it wouldn’t seem they are ironing much.
Tree Stump with Geranium Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 16 x 10" 41 x 27 cm 490.00
I love the sound of the creaking ironing board, the hiss of the water droplets, the smell of cooking cotton beneath the iron. We used to visit T and V regularly, when we lived at Villa Loris, our old, big house. We were in the center of town, and everyone passed by at one time or another. Now we have a house with a fenced yard for Berlino, that only stick-bearing, maniacal hikers and cyclists swish past. I am looking forward to getting back to the borgo of Stimigliano, when the big heat subsides, where people visit in the street.
Boy with Fish commission (large canvas)
Before that, we have a sudden rush of commission work we need to finish, or at least make a dent in. There are 4 pictures from US clients, one from Italy, and a new one from Denmark (actually a result of Instagram). Commissions force us to look at other subjects, with parameters different than what we might normally choose. I like to have projects to work on – lest I get around to ironing the sheets.
Virgin Mary Shrine paraded around Rocca Malatina on Ferragosto (see film) Laurie Fox Pessemier 3 x 5" 8 x 12cm small gold frame 150.00
