Artnotes: A Rakish Angle

Fall Trees Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas   20  x 8"    50 x 20 cm   395.00 I hope your week has been good.  We just volunteered to do cat and dog murals outside our vet’s office.  I find retirement (or whatever not having a regular schedule is) very boring and I continuously look for (crazy) projects.   Berlino, of course, is the inspiration for the dog, and a fat black and white cat sits in the nook on the other side of the door.   We opted to paint in acrylic, with some oil pastel accents.

At the Vet's place... We covered up our scrimshaw show (I just couldn’t erase it) with 5-foot-tall tree paintings.  We added some smaller tree paintings, as well, and I am pressing fall leaves for a mobile.  No, we rarely sell anything there, but I know people like it because they leave little gifts, like, this week, a folder of impressionist prints.   I can’t wait all my life for people to buy my paintings, galleries to hang them or just the right situation.  Blair and I are working on an architectural competition together.  Contrary to the robust discussion the neighbors are hearing, it isn't a double burial tomb.   It’s the redo of a bombed out church just outside of Bologna, in Settefonti.  It is a site of a castle from 1105, which was on a key road from Bologna to Arezzo – the Romanesque church first appeared in the 14th century, and was restored in the 17th.   It had the misfortune to be on the “Gothic” line during WWII and was destroyed except for a bell tower and part of the façade.   “ReuseIT” is an international organization which rehabs sites like these, mostly in Italy, and to whose call we are responding to.    We are going to the Venice Architectural Biennale next week for further inspiration.  We’re all staying overnight in an apartment near Palladio’s Villa Malcontenta. This isn’t a project we have to follow through with a construction team – it is just a competition for an idea of what to do, with a modest prize for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Apples  Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas  10.5  x19"   27  x 48cm   475.00     Just this week, the sun has reached the perfect rakish angle for illuminating the fall color.  The moon was most impressive, and when it hasn’t been out, what seem like thousands of stars twinkle above in the crisp clear night.   Winter, my favorite season for light, is right around the corner, with new projects on the horizon. Cou cou   Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/vintage paper   8  x 11"    20  x 28 cm   95.00 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   Peppers  Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas  13  x16"   33  x 41cm   375.00     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

Artnotes: In Paper Mache

 

Liberty House behind the Hotel   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic on  canvas   12 x 12"  30 x 30cm 375.00 Ginkgo in Fall    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on large paper (arrives rolled)  56 x 36"  142 x 92cm  375.00 Oak in the Field    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on large paper (arrives rolled)  56 x 36"  142 x 92cm  375.00 “Why don’t we come meet you?” I asked a New York friend visiting Tuscany.  He usually drives up to Roccamalatina (his mom lives in Tuscany) for a day or two, but this time, we rented a hotel room in Caiamore, Viareggio, a beach town outside of where our friend stays in Pietrasanta.  There was much appeal to all this – we’d been wanting to go to Pietrasanta, a town famous for its metal casting.  I had a clay sculpture we wanted to cast, and I am always trying to get Blair to rekindle his interest in the “fire arts”.   Viareggio is an old city, founded around 1150.   It has about 65,000 inhabitants, but in the summer and during Carnevale, that population swells.  It is a perfect example of the “Liberty Style” of architecture – a sort of Victorian look that hails from the early 1900s.  Stone and wooden houses, with decorative friezes and stone gates, abound.  It is very close to Pisa and the leaning tower (we admired the tower and the baptistery from the outside).  It is equally far in the other direction from Carrara, and what appears to be snow covered mountains, actually the quarries.    Viareggio had the first Mardi Gras parade/celebration in Italy, started in the late 1800s.   They are famous for grand paper mache likenesses of politicians and other characters.   We mostly walked on the beach, drank coffee and looked around.  It was sunny all the time, and we really enjoyed the locale.  In fact, there are museums about the area, including a “carnival” museum we would like to see the next time.  Pietrasanta, the city we planned to go to, was surprising to us – we had expected something more artsy, but in fact, it was a place where the artists had been replaced in favor of fancy galleries and expensive stores and restaurants.   It was still a very beautiful place, and a decommissioned church, made into a museum, appealed to me more (architecturally) than those in the provincial capital of Lucca. We brought my rabbit to a foundery:  300 euros to make the mold, and 700 per casting.  This struck us as a lot for a 6 inch tall hollow bronze artwork.  I may have to stick to clay, or better yet paper mache.  I could create my own little carnival parade of paper mache floats.

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

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

Artnotes: A Straight Line

 

Villa Rotunda

“Oh, if you’ve seen one Palladian interior you’ve seen them all,” I spouted in that know-it-all way that I can.  Beep:  WRONG.   We spent this last week in Vicenza, visiting several Palladian architectural marvels, all unique, all lovely.   You would have thought they were just designed and built in 2025, even though they have been standing since the mid 1500s.  That’s timeless. We stayed in a lovely large apartment in an estate, which was walking distance from the best well known Palladian construction:  Villa Rotunda (villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, known as La Rotunda).  It was designed and initiated by Palladio, and finished around 1600 (he died in 1580).  The setting, the design, and of course “the rotunda” mark this as Palladio’s most significant villa.   Another villa adjoined our parking lot, “ai Nani”.  It was built by Muttoni, but contains a portrait of Palladio.  It had three structures and has the most wonderful, unmistakable Tiepolo fresco. Teatro Olimpico We visited two commercial buildings by Palladio:  the Basilica in Vicenza and the Teatro Olimpico.  The theatre was also completed after Palladio’s death.  The trompe-l'œil onstage scenery, a very remarkable element, was designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi to give the appearance of long streets receding to a distant horizon.  It was installed in 1585 for the first performance held in the theatre, and is the oldest surviving stage set still in existence. I think our favorite of the villas was La Malcontenta (villa Foscari), nicknamed after the unhappy wife of one of the Foscari brothers, the owners).   It is, like La Rotunda, a cross plan around a central hall.  The hall was extraordinarily beautiful, with windows and desks set toward a fabulous lawn.  This villa had the best furniture and frescoes, at least in my opinion.  It was set on a canal across the water from Venice.   We made a foray to Venice, my lifetime favorite city, while we were in the area. La Malcontenta On our last day we went to Villa di Maser (Villa Barbaro), our furthest trek.  This was a very different style, with two large wings overlooking a lawn, toward a church.  The exterior had loggias, with two very large sundials above.  It was a larger estate, that had horses, and agricultural uses.  It was eventually owned by the founder of the Venice film festival, and members of his family still live there.  Veronese was responsible for many remaining frescoes. Villa Barbaro  (Villa di Maser) There are more than 20 Palladian villas in the Vicenza region.  We went on the trip without much planning – I hadn’t thought I would like the architectural tour so much.  We really went to see friends, and drive them around:  Blair went to architecture school with one of the other couple.   I did almost no artwork there – to draw a straight line for me is nearly impossible.  I hope to use some of the photos to interpret some looser impressions in the coming weeks. Sketch of Villa Rotunda by Blair Pessemier (using color and no straight lines) 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 or buy at www.pessemierstudios.com (or write to me) 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

Artnotes: Der Blaue Reiter

 

View this email in your browser 13 September 2025  Vicenza  ITALIA Join us for Sunday Salon   14 September (see below)

We finished our account of out time in Bavaria this summer.   To read the whole story, click on: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGxP3etJ2U/sDqSfSFgjl2xAIRh_DhSPQ/view 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 or buy at www.pessemierstudios.com (or write to me) Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and frame 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