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