Artnotes: Eight Immortals

 

My first Immortal (in progress)     Han Xiang Zi Almost every day, we go to the Chinese café in Roccamalatina for coffee and pastry.  Roberto and Lisa greet us.  We briefly discuss the weather – it was in the high 90s (38c) this week (in May!).  Blair and I tried to swim in the river, but the current, vicious with rapidly melting snow from Monte Cimone, felt like it would carry us away.  At the café, we choose between a cornetto or nut pastry – not exceptional, but adequate.  In any case, there is just something I have always liked about going there.  Maybe it’s the feng shui, or the fact we can sit in the window as long as we like and Berlino (sadly) barks at passing milk trucks.  I slip into some Chinatown fantasy when I arrive.  Lately I have been thinking about the Eight Immortals. Spring on a Black Backgroun     Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on Paper 17 x 12"  43 x 30cm  230.00  Blair and I associate the Eight Immortals with the Chinatown bank in Seattle.  Ben Woo, the architect Blair first worked for after college, designed that bank and commissioned the Eight Immortals ceramic sculpture (by Chinese artist Fay Chong).  It was the first Asian owned bank in the United States, founded in the 1960s.   Blair and I spent many a date in Chinatown, eating with chopsticks and watching  black-and-white Ninja and Samurai movies at the Kokusai theatre. Local Hare  Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  25 x17 "  61 x 43 cm  290.00 I love the idea of the Eight Immortals, some human, some fantasy, who represent different qualities and aspirations.  They were individual “saints” from the 6th century or so, who were united as the Eight Immortals during the Jin Dynasty (12th century).  They are rather surprising individuals, like Zhang Guo Lao, who is an emblem of the elderly, facing backward on a white mule that can be folded up like a piece of paper and reconstituted with water.  Or there is Lan Cai, the hermaphrodite who can make flowers bloom; or Li Tie Guai, the iron crutch, who lost his body and had to take that of an old broken man, hence the crutch.  Today, I started to paint Han Xiang Zi, who plays a flute to promote growth and calm animals. Peonies Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 19.5 x 11.5"  50 x 30cm  450.00 The idea is to paint these figures on cheesecloth, so they wave in the breeze. I had to buy a roll of gauze 64 meters long, from China, via Amazon (who could get it to me in just 5 days (instead of 2 months) for an extra 10 euros).    The figures float on the air outside; or swish, when a door opens.  They are physical, not digital – they make no sense online.  They aren’t a cheap AI item.  They are about life size and move like ghosts, or spirits.    The paint holds them together.  I am just starting but I kind of like this idea already.  Stay tuned. Little White Flowers  Laurie Fox  Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 10 x 17"  25 x 43cm  190.00

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. 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 8 PM   NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: Getting There

 

Honey Locust   Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/paper 17 x 25"  41 x 63  290.00  It was a poetic week, with a giant shift from cool weather to hot.  Our chilly spring gave way to summer in a Rocca Malatina  heartbeat.  Blair painted his last iris before they took to wilting.  The red velvet roses climbing up the plum tree are in full bloom – we only realized we had them last year, after we let things go “au naturel”.   My great large begonia is enjoying the shade of our huge pine tree. Illuminated Iris  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 9 x 13"   21 x  33cm  450.00 Our yard is rather jungle-like – we strim the grass and worst of the weeds, but otherwise let things go wild.  The branches of my sloe tree are spilling out, waterfall fashion, creating a little green cave below (Berlino can cool down).  The apple tree probably should have been trimmed, but  oh well.   The figs are already “on” and may be ready for picking by early June.  The birds are in love, singing with Billie Holiday as we take our lunch listening to the radio under the pine.  I had 13 birdsongs during our 20 minute walk one day this week.  Begonia  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 17 x 12.5"  43 x 33 cm  190.00 The car was broken down for two days this week – for an extra 400 euros the garage “made it right” by replacing a part (after stuffing the gear box with grease the week before for three times that sum).  There’s nothing poetic about that, really, one can only hope for poetic justice:  the mechanic’s car breaking down on a high, scary bridge in another country. Roses on Apple Tree  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas   16 x 16"  40 x 40 cm  unstretched 390.00  stretched 550.00 I am reading a terrific book by Polish author Ryszard Kapuscinski: Travels with Herodotus. Kapuscinski is a journalist who reports on India (early 1950s), then China (1957) and finally Africa (until his retirement in 1981).  He carries the book of travels by the Greek historian and geographer, Herodotus (Histories), everywhere he goes.   Kapuscinski has that way of writing (just the facts, ma’am) journalists do.   He frankly announces what a waste of time and resources the Great Wall of China was (they could have better used that human energy and intellect); how a journey is not limited just to the travel, but the planning, and the long time it takes to incorporate all one has learned.  My favorite part of the book is his account of his time in Algeria.  He goes there in 1965 on a tip from an Algerian he meets in Addis Ababa.  When he tries to write his story, although there has been a coup, there are no signs of bloodshed.  Without bullets and broken glass, the journalist is lost; but  Kapuscinski discovers there is so much more to a conflict than the outward signs.   He talks to the mountain muslims and the ocean muslims, uncovering a far deeper story than that of just the event.  In his own reflections, this realization is what made him the incredible writer and journalist he was. Wild Larkspur in Roccamalatina  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/ canvas  18 x 13"  45 x 33cm  390 unstretched  550.00 stretched I am always searching for my “epiphany” moment – what will make my work what it should be.   The older I get, the more I can see, and leave behind the fascist neighbor who lectures against fascism,  but embrace the cat lady who loves animals.  I know that mechanic was a crook.   I am trying to see what’s really there.  I have an ophthalmologist appointment on 10 June.    I’m getting there. Near our House  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/ canvas  8 x 13"  20 x 33cm  390

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. 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 8 PM   NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: A Joyful Kitchen

 

Dishing up Dessert Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 13 x 8"  33 x 20cm  490.00  The cart rolled across the dining room, pushed by a white-jacketed waiter.  “Bollito Misto”, I exclaimed to Blair.  Bollito Misto is a long-cooked assortment of meat in boiling broth. One of the men at a nearby table was having it for lunch.  The waiter raised the lid and placed on the shelf below.  Then he swung the lever which brought the selection of meats up from beneath the broth bath.   Beef tongue, an entire capon, cotechino (a ground pork sausage), a beef roast,  and testa di vitelli  appeared.  Two slices were cut from each item, with broth, and presented on a large platter before the diner.  Mashed potato, mostarde (a sweet/spicy red sauce) and salsa verde were placed on the table. We three decided to share the same, with an order of tortelli in brodo with bufala cheese; abalazione di mortadella (green pasta stuffed with mortadella in a truffle/parmigiana sauce).   We were at the quintessential Bolognese restaurant:   Diana.  It was heavenly. Still Life with Candles Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 17 x 12"  43 x 30cm  190.00 We had a guest this week, perhaps our best guest ever.  She is from North Carolina, which is the region of best guests, if I do say so myself.  Our North Carolinan friends love to eat, make no judgements, are keen to do almost anything.   We, unfortunately, were probably not the best hosts, because our car broke down and we rented one, while I drove a neighbors standard-transmission elderly compact to the rental agency in Bologna.  Of course, my knee gave out and I hobbled around for two days, seriously delaying the tour-cart. A Fencepost on the Montecorone Tour Our guest was on her way to an art event in central/eastern Italy.  We didn’t get to paint together in her short 48 hours, but she had appreciation for the same sorts of sights that we did.   I made food, which of course didn’t hold a candle to chez Diana.   I made porkchops in a mustard/cream sauce with sweet roasted peppers and carmelized onions on the side – potatoes “ecrasse” (lightly mashed) on the side.   Blair made Marcella Hazen’s eggplant parmesan, always a hit. Did I mention the dessert?  (that's Blair's painting at the top)The waiter brought out an aluminum tub of homemade vanilla gelato.  It was perfectly frozen, not too hard, not too soft, simply unctuous – it could hold up a cookie.   He took out an elegant little ladle, dipped it into the beautiful container of preserved cherries and drizzled them over the top.   Everything here was local. Wild Rose  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 17 x 12.5"  43 x 33 cm  190.00 We live in  “la grassa” region of Italy, “the fat one” on account of our rich, delicious, culinary history.   Blair and I rarely go out to eat, but when we do, we enjoy ourselves.  Our guests often want to go out, and we try to bring them to an exceptional place.   Diana was the best one, ever. The Ice Cream Man taking our Photo The surroundings and the staff are equally important as the food.  If the staff is happy, accommodating, it’s likely the kitchen staff is, too.  I can taste if the people who make the food are glad to be working there.   That ice cream man at Diana’s must be a jolly sort.   When I lived in Paris, I could always tell the attititude of the baker by the quality of the croissant.  Unhappy cooks make lousy food.   This was a joyous kitchen.  Ours, too.

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. Write to me at lfpessemier@gmail.com

Artnotes: 'the Best Surprise

 

Museum, Fermo  Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 8 x 16"  20 x 40 cm  390.00  Many years ago, there was an American hotel slogan:  The Best Surprise is No Surprise.  I always hated that idea, and never wanted to stay in those properties.  We just spent two nights in the absolute BEST surprise hotel:  the Palazzo Romani Adami in Fermo, Italy.   The trip had a rocky start with the car breaking down, but we were able to postpone our arrival (I hate booking.com, but I digress).   We left on Wednesday morning, Blair’s birthday.  The city we visited, Fermo, is just south of Ancona, on the Adriatic coast.  The city (a hill town) is about five miles from the sea.  We could see our destination from a distance. Iris from our Walk  Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  25 x17 "  61 x 43 cm  290.00 Fermo is a being “renewed”.  I have mixed feelings about ditching the butcher in favor of a trendy soap shop, but on the other hand, it’s better to adapt the beauty of the place than to let it fall to ruin.  We passed a piano store on the way up the hill – two storefronts full of instruments, and we saw the piano delivery van later in the trip. We eventually made it to our hotel where a greeter brought us to our room, two floors up, with an outdoor table and chairs on the balcony.  In fact, on that side, it was only one story up – the hill was a 30 degree pitch.  She bid us a good stay. I collapsed onto the sofa after a hardy walk from the car.  20 feet above, the ceiling was incredible.  In fact, we had three frescoed ceilings, bearing no resemblance to one another, each a masterpiece.  Blair bustled about and I lie there, and then in the other room, just to get a bead on things. Maroon Iris   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 16 x 10.5"  21x 27cm  350.00 We came to Fermo so Blair could see a ReUSE Italy project he might work on.   At the very top of the hill there is an underground cistern the city is thinking of turning into an art museum.  He toured it that afternoon.   It was a 1st century cistern, complete with puddles and barrel vaults, mold (this is why I didn’t visit—it aggravates my asthma) and brilliant green moss, giant cracks in the floor and level changes   Surprisingly, there were a fairly large number of visitors.  Blair is thinking things over. I continued to study the ceilings.  I couldn’t believe how affected I was by this powerful artwork.  It was a downright Epiphany for me.  I was touched by the genius of the artwork, transported from a magic realm into the rooms we were staying in.   Honestly, it was palpable, unlike any wallpaper or trompe-l’oeil paint job.   It was a performance, a presentation of the supernatural touching me. Fermo Piazza  Laurie Fox  Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 17 x 12"  43 x 30cm  190.00 It made me think about how important the “real thing” is.  It is the difference between TV and live theater; the sound of music performed on stage versus being played through my telephone; real strawberries versus strawberry soda.  I felt like I was touching the gods.   I realized how medieval folks might have felt when they saw the frescoes at Assisi(created by and for regular people).   It is why we are so magically moved by artwork, whether it’s the Vatican ceiling by Michelangelo, or the murals of Klimt in Austria.  It is there: the magic is eternal.   It made me examine my own work, and reassess its importance. Spring on a Black Backgroun     Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on Paper 17 x 12"  43 x 30cm  190.00  Wildflowers on a Dictionary Page   9 x 12" 21 x 30cm 125.00 I was sorry to leave the Palazzo Romani Adami on Friday, but drove away with such a revelation, such a surprise in my heart.

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. 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 8 PM   NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Art Notes: Coal Mine

Canary Iris  Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 8"  30 x 20cm  390.00  Imagine the Eiffel Tower being disassembled and reassembled as so many “winding towers” – metal structures with enormous open wheels and wires  to haul rocks from below the ground.  Blast furnaces, water towers, coal plants, machine rooms abound – not one or two, but over 350 photos of these dinosaurs.   We visited the show of Bernd and Hilla Becher’s photographs at MAST on Saturday:  History of a Method. One and Two Tulips  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on Paper 17 x 12"  43 x 30cm   190 each MAST is a contemporary museum in Bologna, Italy dedicated to the manufacture of Art, Experimentation and Technology.   This show embodied all three.   History of a Method described the mechanical manufacturing that dominated  the Western World until after WWII.   The Bechers, born in 1931, had the foresight to realize these structures were disappearing and did what they could to honor and preserve them.   The name of the show represents the Method the Bechers employed for 40 years:  photograph the front, the corner, the side, the back of each building.  They chose to photograph in black and white, because the blue sky was different colors depending on direction.   They liked to photograph in the sun because if gave depth to some of the brutalist concrete building they liked.   It wasn’t beyond them to cut down a tree to get a better view.  They rode around in a Volkswagen bus, with their son Max (who helped curate this show) for a lifetime. History of a Method at MAST   It wasn’t entirely just commercial buildings.  They photographed houses and towns where these workers labored.   There were no people in any of the pictures (except the Becher’s house), and rarely a tree.    It was a remarkable body of work, which spoke to Blair and I. Beyond Wild    Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/paper 17 x 25"  43 x 63cm  290.00 Blair and I have dedicated our lives to painting, but not to the extent of these people.  I kind of abandoned plein air landscapes after a disparaging remark by a collector.   What was I thinking?   Imagine the remarks the Bechers must have gotten.  You’re photographing WHAT?  Riding around Germany, France and Belgium with your child in a hippie car? (they also went to Pennsylvania and Ohio) I am reassured and thoroughly inspired. The Iris Return Eveny Spring Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 20 x 11"  50 x 27cm  490.00 The Bechers used a large format camera they would carry up to the place they were photographing (another reason we aren’t painting outdoors as much – equipment is heavy).  They had to work fast because access to some of these sites, which were at the brink of falling down, was limited.   We left the exhibit after more than an hour, exhausted by the volume and complexity of the work. Wild Lady Orchids  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas12 x 12"  30 x 30cm  290.00 We drove on to Chinese lunch, which always makes me think of how people choose to make a living. The current owner clearly loves cooking, but it is so apparent the children hate working there.  But it beats mining coal. Why flower paintings?  Before these industrial landscapes, Hilla Becher’s earliest photography was of the natural world:  leaves, flowers…