Artnotes: Come for Dinner!

 

Red Tree   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on large paper (arrives rolled)  56 x 36"  142 x 92cm  375.00 Villa Rotunda   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas panel   8  x 12"  20 x 30cm  350.00 Fir Tree in our Garden  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on large paper (arrives rolled)  56 x 36"  142 x 92cm  375.00 Morning Walk  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas   18  x 15"  46 x 38cm  425.00 Classic Bust  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas   18  x 15"  46 x 38cm  425.00 A young Moroccan man appeared at our gate on Thursday, selling items I can only describe as oddball:  string-mop heads; cigarette lighters; wet wipes, aragon scented; socks and dusting rags.   Berlino greeted him warmly, which is an unusual reaction to an itinerant salesman, so I went out and had a jaw. He started showing me things, and then he started to cry.  I selected a mop head and a handful dust rags.   He apologized, saying he hadn’t slept the night before – worrying about Ga za.  “Children,” he cried, “who have never even lived, starved to death or killed by bombs.”  I tried to comfort him, but knew he just had to say what he felt.  He told me he was twenty-five, and just couldn’t bear the thought of war.  I told him war was just for soldiers and he said no, it’s not for anyone.  He had been living in Bergamo, 100 miles north of here, and comes down with a group of North African immigrants to sell things door-to-door.  He and his fellow peddlers sleep in the car.   I gave him a large bag of shelled walnuts, and added three pairs of socks to my stash.  I poured him a glass of water and paid twenty euros for my purchases.

It was that kind of bittersweet week for us.   We did some favors for friends, and drove around a lot.  To be able to give in friendship is a big honor, and I feel happy when I help out.  It is never exactly like we plan, there are odd twists, negative and positive.   On one escapade, we went to a Moroccan store, where we bought rice.  “This is the rice my family eats,” the chubby Moroccan told us.  “Well, it must be good then,” I say.  Blair notices the soft Moroccan flat bread, like we used to buy in Paris. We take two pieces, and five kilos of rice.   Our water heater/furnace has been acting up.  A repairman, unkind, shows up and admonishes us for not adding salt to the water “sweetener”.  In fact we should have been dosing it at least once a month, and this is the first time in three years (who knew?).  A friend comes by and tells me I am beautiful.  We go out to dinner with a friend we love, and his pretty, un-informed wife, who expounded on American politics.  It was hard to behave.     The best thing that happened to us this week was the gift of a slicer, the big motor-driven kind for slicing prosciutto and cheese.   I was shocked, THRILLED in fact.  Thank you, thank you, Santo!  I have been wanting a slicer forever, but they are prohibitively expensive.  I have a new recipe for thinly sliced octopus, gleaned from our recent trip to Vicenza.  I’ll improve my vitello tonnato.  Hip hip hooray: I’ll invite you to dinner.    HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including portraits by Blair Pessemier.    Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier See all of our paintings at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed.   sign up for Artnotes, our weekly art missive, by contacting me at lfpessemier@gmail.com or https://mailchi.mp/341f508cecf8/artnotes INVITING All Artists to present their Work:   Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food.... Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday  No Reservation Necessary   How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music.  Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by.  You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have.  You can also come and see how we work before diving in.  Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.    No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.  No politics, no sales pitches, please. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88093708954?pwd=M04zNHB4dFZkREp3bThweUd1YnVDZz09 Meeting ID: 880 9370 8954 Passcode: 886402 Rome 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM