A Village Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Blair Pessemier The Tiber in the Distance Acrylic/canvas 15.5 x 19.5 40 x 50cm
Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Narcissus on Blue Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Narcissus on Violet Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Forsythia Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Seated Badger Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
Badger Turquoise Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
The Badger Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on newspaper 17 x 24″ 43 x 61cm
We made the jump from Rocca Malatina to Stimigliano again; friends from America are visiting Rome, and
we’ll take them on a tour of the Sabina region in the coming week. We will see
olive trees and hill towns; churches and the Tiber. It is as green as Ireland in Italy this
spring. It rains regularly. It puts a crimp in our outdoor painting, but
the paper pictures are thriving.
While we were in Rocca Malatina, we changed our doctor. I was surprised how easy it was – I had
practiced my explanation, in Italian, for leaving Dr. Damore, but it wasn’t
asked for. I left him because he told me the reason for my burning stomach was
the moon. La luna. I must have looked incredulous when he said
it, because he repeated it in English:
the moon. When I asked when the
moon would get better, he said June. I couldn’t wait.
We drove up to Zocca (where the healthcare office and
pharmacy are) several times. On the way there was a dead badger in the
road. Coming from America and living
most of my life in the city, I had never seen a badger in person until recently. I liked “Badger” in The Wind in the
Willows, and have been delighted to see them (well, the living ones) in
Italy. They are kind of like flying
carpets, very hairy, with a big body and hidden legs. Their feet are quite
human-like, with a sole. I liked seeing
this badger because I could really study his look. He was lying at the curve of the road and we
couldn’t really pick him up. I sometimes
collect specimens for the deep freeze in our basement, but most of my finds are
limited to birds or insects.
Today, outside our door we saw the largest grasshopper I’ve
seen (again, deceased). I picked him up
and placed him with the hawk-moth I found at the Farnese palazzo recently. The grasshopper had all his wings and
antenna; the most remarkable thing was the “hairy” back leg (only one remained)
where he could play his music. The saw
blades protruded quite prominently.
I am really happy to be living in the country. Me, who used to say, “three days in the
countryside, maximum.” I am thrilled to
see the change in the trees, the arrival of the swallows, the rising and
falling of the river. I am never bored,
as long as I can go outside.
There are countless changing elements, in color, texture,
size. The tree isn’t the same in
December as it is in June. If you don’t
like this picture, just hop across the road.
