Artnotes: What Would We Do Without You?

 

Circus in Forano    Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas   10.5  x 16"  27 x 41 cm   475.00 For the first time in a few years, we heard the shepherd playing the bagpipes beneath our window in Stimigliano.  This time of year they bring the sheep down from the higher elevations to graze on the fallow fields that border the Tiber.  The hardworking shepherds keep their watch, along with their vicious dogs, over hundreds of sheep.   It always puts me in the spirit of Christmas, one of my favorite times of the year. Barnacles  Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/flat Canvas   9  x 12"  23 x 30 cm 175.00 We went to the beach on Tuesday, where they were renovating our favorite restaurant.  We spent a long time on the beach – Berlino digging mammoth holes (Stimigliano is not to his liking, cobblestoned).  The sky and the sea were a deep ultramarine blue.  Even though I had my suit on, I didn’t swim – it was a combination of cold water and no other people to save me, just in case. We yelled hello to the late Harika-dog, where we set her ashes afloat 4 years ago.  Pitcher This   Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/flat Canvas   13  x  9.5"  27 x 46cm 175.00 A trip to Castiglion-Fiorentino was in the cards for Thursday, where we checked up on a friend’s house.  Luckily we did, as the window was open and cold air blowing through.  The last guest forgot cheese in the fridge, and shut off the electricity.  We abandoned the ship and will come back in a week when the smell dissipates.    We made a stop at one of the many used furniture stores in Arezzo, the “capital” of flea markets in Italy.

Over the Moon   Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas 12 x 12"    30 x  30cm   475.00     We met someone new – that used to be a regular occurrence when we lived in Paris, but in small town Italy it is rare.  I had chosen that day to pin a rose to my beret, and it caught the notice of a photographer from the area (originally from Rome).  She would go to different small towns, interesting places (Orvieto was a favorite), and look around.  It was just a lovely chat with hope of more to come. Egg and Ball   Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas 10.5 x 16"    27 x 41cm   475.00     It is social here in Stimigliano, which is part of why we came down to the Rome area.  At the same time, it is difficult, when being an artist, to accommodate a social life.  Last night we listened to a poem, Of Power and Time, by Mary Oliver.  It was about having three selves:  a childlike self, a regulated self (like the clock), and an artistic self.   That artistic self really needs solitude to perform.  Berlino  Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas (flat, not stretched) 16 x 23 "    41 x 58cm   175.00     Berlino very thoughtfully starts the day for us about 4:30 AM when he must walk (no matter when he last went out).   Blair takes him, I feed him, and he goes back to bed until about noon (lunchtime).  Blair and I rest a little (I almost never go back to sleep), but in this way, we are able to put in a good few hours of art time before the town comes to life, about 10.   Oh, Berlino, what would we do without you? HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including portraits by Blair Pessemier.    Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier See all of our painting at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed. Write to me at lfpessemier@gmail.com   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