Artnotes: Change Your Point of View

 

Swift  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/gauze  15 x 12"  38 x 30cm  90.00   (the swifts are flying with force, enjoying the plentitude of cold blooded insects) This might be the event that changes the world:  we have had two unmitigated weeks of over-the-top temperatures in Europe.  I feel when I step outside that I can barely breathe. And Europe, beautiful Europe, has a minimum of air conditioned spaces.  It is impossible to install such in our big stone house with plastered walls and French windows.  It is over 80 degrees in the house at night.  Cold blooded animals love this -- we've seen so many insects, snakes and lizards, all moving at high speed.   It is only during the morning that it is possible to do anything, so Saturday we drove into Modena to pick up my new glasses. Mixed Wild Flowers   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas panel 12 x 17  30 x 42cm   290.00 Thursday night a friend from America arrived.  He drove himself and his son to the house in his rental car (bless him) a little late.  I whipped up a seafood pasta and salad, and we stayed up talking until midnight.  At about 2:30, I thought that Berlino had joined me on the bed – no, just a twitchy leg.  Then I heard a big commotion in the window, as something tried to exit through the screen.  I summoned Blair to do something, and he slammed our  window shut, trapping a small animal’s leg in the window jamb, body hanging into the room.  We slammed the bedroom door, and ran off to separate beds:  me downstairs, Blair upstairs, all quiet so not to disturb our guests. Honestly it shouldn’t have been such a surprise – for a week, I’d heard chewing in the fig tree outside my window.  And there was a small hole in the screen, I’d conveniently blocked with the Italian Road Atlas. Eurasian Oriole   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/guaze  15 x 12"   45 x 30cm   90.00  In the little bed downstairs,  my mind started working:  how could I torture an animal so (even if it was a rat), with a broken leg?  How would we ever get it out?  I started composing lengthy Italian explanations – should I call emergency services, the police?  I couldn’t imagine bothering a friend with this – it would be as dangerous and unpleasant for them as it was for us.  Finally, I fell asleep about 4, until Berlino, chipper and totally excited (not only did we have human, but animal guests, this would be the best day ever) came downstairs to be let out.  I felt exhausted and upset.  When Blair got up, he confirmed the poor animal was still trapped in the window frame.   We ran through the early scenarios – the animal rescue service wasn’t responding and the email no good; an Italian friend we contacted never replied.  Finally, Blair remembered the hardware store had live traps – maybe we could urge the front half of this intruder into it, and open the window.  I wasn’t sure I could handle it.   At the hardware store, fortunately open at seven, another customer, Stefano, became interested in Blair’s plight.  Blair bought the trap and Stefano came over to help.  By now, I was close to hysterical:  I imagined the suffering.  I’d be paying this back in six afterlives.  Monday Flowers with Yukie   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  12 x 9.5"  30 x 23 cm  150.00 Blair and Stefano went up to the (very messy) bedroom with the trap (while I held back Berlino, who, by this time was beside himself with thrill), and enacted the scene we anticipated.   Stefano, apparently accustomed to animal rescues and wearing Blair’s leather winter gloves, held the trap as Blair opened the window.  The creature slipped in, the trapdoor shut, and they came downstairs with a Dormouse, a local breed of squirrel, rather agitated, but not the worse for wear.   I got choked up with relief.   We decided to let him free at the edge of the yard, Stefano sure that the little squirrel would never make that same mistake again.  Maybe you should trim that fig tree? Our friends arose an hour or two later, not having heard a peep of the night’s escapade. The new glasses were chosen for their style and noticeability…  It didn’t take much persuading by our friend Gary to recognize one is only invisible if one makes oneself invisible.  I am a strong personality, and the yellow patterned glasses complement that.  He went on to talk about how my white hair was equally an asset.  “Look at Marilyn Monroe – that platinum hair brought attention to her face.”  In my case, my glasses do too. We paid for the coffee. Sometimes it’s important to change your point of view.

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