Artnotes: Grey and Yellow

 

Resting Dog  Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/wood  7 x11"  17 x 26cm   150.00

As we wended our way along the Italian Riviera, from Genoa to the French border, my heart started to go pitter pat.   Many a winter we spent at Cervo, a small town on the sea not far from San Remo.   We used to rent a fabulous apartment with a giant patio, three stories above the street, overlooking the Mediterranean.  A little higher up, at a funky café we liked for breakfast, we could see Corsica. We passed Ventimiglia, the market town right at the French border, and eased into Menton (you can’t imagine a bigger contrast).   A little further along was Villefranche-sur-Mer, another hangout for many a winter season.   I love the sea, and I love that part of the world.  And la Belle France will always seem like home to us.

The Vegetable Vendor   Blair Pessemier Oil on linen  12 x 15"    30 x 40 cm   450.00

Pulling away from the sea, we turn northerly toward Uzes, our destination for the week.  We are babysitting a wire-hair fox terrier, Violet, while her mistress visits Christmas fairs in Alsace.  Violet and Berlino have made peace and are actually kind of enjoying one another.  They make me think of international relations:  Violet barks, yips, gnarls while Berlino is silent, save for an occasional howl.  Violet is like the chattering Chinese.  Berlino is the Saudi who says, “the pen is lifted, the ink is dry”.  We have had both kind of dogs, and love each for their unique character.

It is a wonderful apartment we are staying in, right on the market square.   The rooms are large, with high high ceilings, one of which accommodates a Venetian glass chandelier.  There are small paned windows, from Renaissance times, all around the five rooms.  There is a balcony with full size fruit trees.  Colder here than I thought it would be (has Italy thinned my blood?), my plein-air painting is somewhat limited.  There was a time when I’d add a little vodka to my painting water (and to my thermos), and sit outside in the snow to paint.  While there is no snow here, that strategy no longer works for me anyway.   We have painted a couple of views from the window, but will rely on our impressions and some choice photos for further output.

View at night/lights    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  12 x 15"  30 x 40 cm  375.00

As we approached Uzes, we turned a corner and saw the beautiful purpl-y plane trees, nearly devoid of leaves silhouetted against a grey and yellow backdrop.  I took a breath and thought:  France.

Buddha with Orange    Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/oilpastel/paper   23 x 17"    59 x 43cm   250.00

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