Artnotes: Chi-talia

 

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Mahjong 1 + 2    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/Paper  12.5 x 17"  30 x 42cm  190.00   Berlino and I entered the hotel room.  Already he was impressed with the mirrors in the hotel elevator – where did they find such handsome dogs?  We were staying at Hotel Planet International. near Castiglion Fiorentino/Arezzo:  69.50 a night, including the dog supplement and two big breakfasts; free parking and WIFI.   We would leave an extra 5 euros for the maid to offset any irregularities created by Berlino sleeping on the bed and depositing wood chips from chewing his sticks on the carpet (imagine traveling with an old uncle who smokes smelly cigars and drops ashes on the rug).  The air conditioner cooled the room to a perfect 74.  As the temperature dropped, Berlino looked at me, rolled on his back, jumped in the air, rubbed his nose on the bed:  heavenly.  Can we watch Animal Channel? 2 of Coins; 1 of Fish   Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  8 x 11"  20 x 27cm  150 the pair We visited friends in Castiglion Fiorentino this week.  They’d stopped by our house a week earlier.  Today, he and his two grown up daughters painted with me at their kitchen table.   We’ve been painting “dishes” to apply to their wall, like hanging plates.   These are ever so much more personal – and now, we have four different hands.   I love to see all of the family, all younger than Blair and I and ever so artistic and fun.  Berlino likes all of them, as well, especially because he associates them with the fabulous Tuscan meat-platter restaurant, La Piccina, where we ate on Thursday. Year of the Dragon; Year of the Rooster   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  9.5 x 12"  24 x 30cm  190 each  350 pair We paint and catch up on all that’s happened:  where we’ve been, where we’d like to go, laughing all the way.   We talk about where we’d like to live – the girls’ grandfather lived 4 months in Cairo, 4 months in Seattle, and 4 months in Montreal every year.  The oldest daughter is thinking about Taiwan.  Blair and I are always talking about where we would like to be – we have never lived in any one place very long (Paris being the longest) and crave new adventure.  It feeds our imagination, our art, and our love and appreciation of one another.   We’re looking for someplace cool in the summer. The next day, they would take a boat to Elba.  Even though I’ve always wanted to go, I need more than a day visit.  We opt for Prato, on our drive back to Roccamalatina.  Prato is a town outside of Florence -- in fact, it looks like Florence used to, with porches in the buildings, and surrounded by tall stone walls.  It is where silk was made from the 1400s onward, thousands of years after it was developed in China.   We went to the Fabric Museum to see if it might show my Eight Immortals there.   I pored through the silk show.  Much preserved silk items are ecclesiastical, simply because they stored things well.  In fact, less than 10% of the silk made in the Renaissance went to the church -- mostly it was fancy clothing.  The Owl   The Egret  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  8 x 11"  20 x 27cm  150 the pair The thing about Prato is that it has the largest Chinatown in Europe. I had hoped to see Mahjong players in the park while I was there, but it was 95 degrees out.   There are nearly 30,000 Chinese people in Prato – they operate the sewing machines which make the Italian clothing industry such a success (since 1994).     It is rather ironic, when one thinks of cheap clothes and China.  The clothes sewn by Chinese in Prato are of the highest end.  The museum, in an old fabric manufacturing building had a show/competition of new designers.  The winner was Chinese.

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