Artnotes: A Little Italian Cafe for a Day

 

Bird in our House   Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas  13 x 18"   450.00 This week we drove to Castiglion Fiorentino.   It’s a small town very close to Arezzo (think Piero della Francesca and the Legend of the True Cross).  We look after a friend’s apartment there.  We needed to touch up one of our very large paintings (6 x 8 feet), which was much more challenging than anticipated.   It gave us real appreciation for Piero della Francesco.  Thankfully our patron is a lot more free-spririted than Piero della Francesca’s. Blair painted the original work, flat, on the floor, and we strectched and hung it in Castiglion Fiorentino later.  Now, there is no place large enough to lay it down so we proceeded like clowns to stand in our socks on the bed, and make the adjustments.  We both worked on it, and the result seemed quite good:  better than the original. Blair painted the original work, flat, on the floor, and we strectched and hung it in Castiglion Fiorentino later.  Now, there is no place large enough to lay it down so we proceeded like clowns to stand in our socks on the bed, and make the adjustments.  We both worked on it, and the result seemed quite good:  better than the original. Hyacinths from Christmas  Laurie Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  25 x 17"  67 x 43   290.00    We are always making improvements at this Tuscan apartment, and took a paint sample for our next project to create stripes in the bathroom.   I also painting a bunch of dish images you may have seen to apply to the wall.   I love these installations where we are able to express ourselves in an entire space. Blair and my life together started out when we both worked in the design department for a hotel group in Seattle.  Later we had our commercial interior design firm for 13 years and we constantly look back and say, “wow, I learned that” and “hey, I never knew”.   It was one of those growing experiences which can seem very unpleasant at certain points – but was really key in our personal development.

Or an Orchid Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/paper  25 x 17"  67 x 43  sold I don’t think we ever gave up our desire to “decorate”.  It was why we bought our house in Stimigliano.  We used to stay at a friend’s place, and wanted to have a place where we could paint our own walls.  We bought via Dante, 7, and decorated it with a large olive tree mural, jewel tones on other walls, covered with paintings.   Right now, we are contemplating a small renovation in the kitchen/bath, but instead may find another place we can paint.  Our gallery in Roccamalatina serves that purpose, too.  Right now, we have a six foot long view of Venice in the window. In spring, we have some terrific new inspiration:  FISH.     I love these odd places where our friend (Castiglion) and we live (Stimi and Rocca) – they are truly Italian places, free of foreign speculators buying and renovating properties to rent so locals can no longer live there.  There is nothing more tragic than going to a village where artists once worked, and seeing their former studios turned into pricey shops for cruise ship visitors (Pietrasanta).   I will never be or even understand Italians, but I love to observe their kindness, generosity and downright craziness.  It is an exile in a place I can’t control, and it fuels my creativity. The house in Castiglion Fiorentino is for summer use only – there is no heat.  So after finishing up the painting in the cold, Berlino and I went for a walk.  It is an extraordinary little hill town.  There is a plaza at the top, with a large loggia where one can sit on the sill (even Bernie does, it’s at least 5 feet wide) and gaze out for miles, past a church and baptistery.  One can sit in the plaza, in sun or shade.   There is the most romantic little grocery store, and the city hall looks like you are about to enter OZ.   There are a million places for rent there (not a good sign for Italy), which makes me feel like a dog sniffing a bone.   I can see an art studio here, a shop there, and we’ve always wanted to have a little Italian café for a day. HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including portraits by Blair Pessemier.    Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier or Blair's @poeticfences See all of our painting at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and frames Support our art with a donation at:  https://donate.stripe.com/4gMaEW1XwfT041t1BCcEw00   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 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: Terra Cotta

 

Orchid on Gold Background  Laurie Fox Pessemier  acrylic/paper   24  x 12"  60 x 30 cm   275.00 Every week, I try to do something new that I can write about in Artnotes.  I thank you for that, because it gets me out and moving, putting on my "new eyes" glasses to see something that will surprise and hopefully, delight. Fish Stew   Blair Pessemier Acrylic/flat Canvas   7  x 19"  17 x 47cm 275.00 I did manage to get to the beach this week, Santa Severa, with its big castle and lovely coastline.  The sky and the water were both deep blue, different from the classic Mediterranean turquoise, and almost painfully strong.  My best description is a small drawing where rock outcroppings look bright orange, the air and sea dark blue.   Sketches from Santa Severa:The Castle (right on the sea); Berlino  by Blair  Orange rocks, Blue sea by Laurie Today, we drove 30 minutes from Stimigliano to visit the Museo della Ceramica of Casimiro Marcantoni.  The Civita Castellano area, and the museum, address all forms of ceramics, from decorative sculpture, to lighting, to bath fixtures.  My favorite pieces were a futurist vase, and the absolutely ridiculous giant loo used as an advertising prop.  The young man at the counter was most helpful and enjoyed practicing his very good English.   I am working on a project to create a collection of ceramic dishes to mount to the wall – maybe for a friend’s place, but if he isn’t keen, I’ll glue them (they are on paper) on my own dining room wall.  I could buy dishes, but it’s nearly impossible to hang things on the stone and plaster walls in most houses.  Italy is a huge force in ceramics.  Closer to our other house, in Roccamalatina, are the ceramic tile manufacturers.  The soil of Italy, forged into ceramic products, must be all over the world.  I believe the official center of ceramics is Sicily where Majolica found its way from the potters of North Africa.  Terra Cotta, as in tile and sculpting material emerged in Tuscany during medieval times.  My favorite terra cotta sculpture, the Crying Maries, is in Bologna (from 1461).

Vladimiro  Laurie Fox  Pessemier  acrylic/paper  70 x 50"    27 x 20cm   375.00     I’ve all but abandoned my small drawings of late – I was so sure of it since early in 2025, and now pffft.   How does that happen?  I talked about it with my weekly painting partner, and she has experienced it at times in past.  Neither of us had an explanation.  My muse knows, but she’s not talking, only allowing me to paint on large sheets of paper. Frog King   Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas 21.5 x 21.5"    55 x 55cm   475.00     HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including portraits by Blair Pessemier.    Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier See all of our painting at https://paintfox.com Most of our work is available as reproductions, custom sized and framed. Write to me at lfpessemier@gmail.com   Happy Thanksgiving!!!  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 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM

Artnotes: What Would We Do Without You?

 

Circus in Forano    Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas   10.5  x 16"  27 x 41 cm   475.00 For the first time in a few years, we heard the shepherd playing the bagpipes beneath our window in Stimigliano.  This time of year they bring the sheep down from the higher elevations to graze on the fallow fields that border the Tiber.  The hardworking shepherds keep their watch, along with their vicious dogs, over hundreds of sheep.   It always puts me in the spirit of Christmas, one of my favorite times of the year. Barnacles  Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/flat Canvas   9  x 12"  23 x 30 cm 175.00 We went to the beach on Tuesday, where they were renovating our favorite restaurant.  We spent a long time on the beach – Berlino digging mammoth holes (Stimigliano is not to his liking, cobblestoned).  The sky and the sea were a deep ultramarine blue.  Even though I had my suit on, I didn’t swim – it was a combination of cold water and no other people to save me, just in case. We yelled hello to the late Harika-dog, where we set her ashes afloat 4 years ago.  Pitcher This   Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/flat Canvas   13  x  9.5"  27 x 46cm 175.00 A trip to Castiglion-Fiorentino was in the cards for Thursday, where we checked up on a friend’s house.  Luckily we did, as the window was open and cold air blowing through.  The last guest forgot cheese in the fridge, and shut off the electricity.  We abandoned the ship and will come back in a week when the smell dissipates.    We made a stop at one of the many used furniture stores in Arezzo, the “capital” of flea markets in Italy.

Over the Moon   Blair Pessemier  acrylic/canvas 12 x 12"    30 x  30cm   475.00     We met someone new – that used to be a regular occurrence when we lived in Paris, but in small town Italy it is rare.  I had chosen that day to pin a rose to my beret, and it caught the notice of a photographer from the area (originally from Rome).  She would go to different small towns, interesting places (Orvieto was a favorite), and look around.  It was just a lovely chat with hope of more to come. Egg and Ball   Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas 10.5 x 16"    27 x 41cm   475.00     It is social here in Stimigliano, which is part of why we came down to the Rome area.  At the same time, it is difficult, when being an artist, to accommodate a social life.  Last night we listened to a poem, Of Power and Time, by Mary Oliver.  It was about having three selves:  a childlike self, a regulated self (like the clock), and an artistic self.   That artistic self really needs solitude to perform.  Berlino  Laurie Pessemier  acrylic/canvas (flat, not stretched) 16 x 23 "    41 x 58cm   175.00     Berlino very thoughtfully starts the day for us about 4:30 AM when he must walk (no matter when he last went out).   Blair takes him, I feed him, and he goes back to bed until about noon (lunchtime).  Blair and I rest a little (I almost never go back to sleep), but in this way, we are able to put in a good few hours of art time before the town comes to life, about 10.   Oh, Berlino, what would we do without you? HOUSEKEEPING:  We make art to order, including portraits by Blair Pessemier.    Follow us on Instagram @lauriepessemier See all of our painting 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 8PM; NY 2 PM; LosAngeles 11AM