Last piece of Wallis paper

My easel and our bag of supplies are just to the right of the vegetation. After we finished drawing, we went up as high as we could get and looked into earthquake damaged houses. We were a long way up into the village. It was very sad, but also interesting, because they could be such beautiful places to live.

Pastel finished today. The dark square shapes are bolts put into the buildings after the 1915 earthquake.

Jim's drawing of the same spot.

Earthquake aftermath

These are some amazing pictures of how the buildings are being held together while waiting for repair after the earth quake three years ago.

See the cable holding the house together?

The work that has already gone in to preserving the buildings is monumental.

We got Mail!!

Our first mail from the Stati Uniti

Garden picture done on black sand paper.

Two more pastels done on black sandpaper.

My next to last piece of Wallis paper.

Rock out

The Band.

The setting.

The happening scene at Al'Kaffe.

Salvatore at work

Salvatore framing in his new door with tile and mortar. No wood here.

Today is so foggy we can’t see beyond across the street. No painting for me. The gardener liked the garden painting and now has told me where she wants me to do the next one. The good news is that they gave us a big bag of, wait for it, zucchini!! Also their only red tomatoes, lettuce and a cuke. See I can support myself here. She said that they would invite us over for a cook out in their garden soon. This area was a total wasteland and in five months they have transformed it into a garden. I can’t even imagine the money and work that has gone into this and they are so happy with it.

Our neighbors got their new windows and doors installed yesterday. When you have so few windows in a house you can go all out. We have two windows and three doors. They have screens. Some day we might have a door with a screen. The old doors are beautiful, but they are like old windows, nice to look at, hard to use.

Last night was amazing. We went to a concert in the Piazza of San Francesco d Assisi. So here is this rock and roll, jazz band playing their hearts out in the shadow of the church. The audience is mostly sitting there with their arms folded across their chests. What, they thought they were in church? People of all ages were there and it was loud. We left at 11 and there was no end in sight. As we walked through the piazza, where we have caffe, it was packed with people and it was a better place to hear the band. All of the usual guys were lined up at al’Kaffe and the hipsters were under the Komodo tent.
As we walked home the music stayed with us, until we turned a corner and the howling of the dogs took over.

Black velvet paintings

I can’t believe it is almost August. The time has slipped away in cups of coffee, cloud watching, meeting new people, unabashed nosiness peering down from our balcony and pastels. A few days ago, one of our neighbors stopped her car by me, in the line of traffic and had her English speaking friends tell me it would be ok if I wanted to paint in her garden. It is a very nice garden, home of most of the gnomes of Castelvecchio, but it is not really somewhere I would chose to paint. Yesterday she wanted to know WHY I hadn’t painted her garden and WHEN I was going to do it. I said tomorrow or the day after. This is an acceptable answer. So today I slunk around taking pictures through the fence. They have put up a locked gate so I can’t go in. I sat here on the terrace and did manage to finish one of her garden. I hate to show it to her. If she doesn’t like it I am quite sure she will tell me.

It is another magic cloud day with rain in different parts of the valley. I am so chilly that I am wearing a long sleeved shirt. I am going to do some more black sand paper terrace paintings of clouds. It would be a big risk to take my stuff and go anywhere with threats of rain from so many directions at once.

Dinner with the Danes was a big success. They loved Jim’s burgers and fries. Today I ate the pear I had drawn and it was the best pear I have ever eaten. How can this be every time? Jim and I realized that we cook fruit so often because it isn’t hat good, but I see no reason to ever cook fruit here. We haven’t tried apples yet, because they are not in season and Vermont has the best apples ever. I am sure it is the difference between eating locally and eating food that is shipped from other countries.

Picture from Castelvecchio

This is the name of the man who's house this was. It is one of the supports for the kitchen balcony. Andrea Salutori

Laundry. We are washing by hand and it is creepy how dirty our clothes are.


Earthquake restoration: next 3 photos.

Waste not, want not

July 28

Today I tried my black sand paper. I was so please I rushed out and bought 12 more sheets for 3E. I was doing quick cloud studies off the deck. One made me a little angry, so I gave it a little thump. Almost all the pastel fell off. I have never seen that before. I am feeling less confident about this paper. I basically had to start all over on what I was doing. I did not thump it again. I did spray it with the fixative I bought in Sulmona. I think it is a non-workable fixative. It smells like turpentine. After it was dry I touched the pastel and it came right off on my finger. I guess I will not bring 100 sheets of this paper home. It is so interesting to work on black. The colors look nothing like they do on gray paper. I like the effect, but I am worried about how well they will hold up. Time will tell. They are no more archival then the sand paper from Germany that I used to use. How long does stuff have to last anyway? Will anyone care in 100 years or even less? Anyway, I am happy to have something to keep working on. I did four small, quick, pastels off the deck today.

We walked up to the newly finished earthquake renovation area. It is amazing. They have done a beautiful job and have kept or created architectural areas of interest such as peep holes and arch ways. They have put in rails where window used to be so you can look out at the view and other windows that they have stoned in still have their surrounds. It is all open air, but you can feel the layout of the houses that used to be there. Looking straight down you see the destroyed houses that have no roofs. A turquoise blow dryer lies in the middle of the floor. Three years and still so much work to do.

Willa Cather in her book, “Death comes for the Archbishop”, said about New Mexico that you don’t know whether the land is the backdrop for the sky or the sky is the backdrop for the land. The same could be said here. The mountains are ever changing, but it is because of the clouds that tower up, blow away and tower up again. Behind the clouds is a sky of the darkest, richest, blue that comes with no humidity. With a sky this large it is possible to see it raining on distant mountains and a rainbow in the other direction. In the morning the clouds touch the mountains and roll down over them. Sometimes you see the jagged peaks and sometimes the tops look like gentle rolling hills. Sitting on the terrace all day is not a wasted day.

Our grocery store

Breakfast cookies

More breakfast cookies.

Meat deli.

Bread: in the afternoon so not too much.

Cheese counter. Price are in kilos so they are reasonable.

People that live in stone houses should not drop glass

July 25

We got up too late for our morning spot so we went out in the field. (I posted my picture yesterday.) There is a man who works at city hall that Jim gave a painting to. He reciprocated by giving us some potatoes from his garden. (great french fries) Today we went to see him about paying our taxes. There were so many people in city hall. I have no idea what they were doing, but I think they had been waiting a while. They were having a good time all talking and enjoying themselves. No one seemed impatient. We got to go right in. (I do think all the people were waiting for some other official) We have to figure out our taxes which are due on June 16, 2012. We are supposed to pay them in person, but we are not sure we will be back to do that, so we want to pay them now. Vittorio said he would figure it out and to come back tomorrow at 10 a.m. We use google translator to talk to each other about these complex matters. Earlier this morning his wife showed us the rooms she has to rent for tourists. They were so nice and include a kitchen. They were really nice!! I would be happy to recommend them to anyone. It would be a great place to have a group of art students stay, for instance. After that we went for caffe and then the weather started getting threatening. We were sure it was going to rain. I wish so much you could see the mountains here. Every moment is a different cloud phenomena. Today it was raining across the valley, but in the end we only got maybe two drops. We could see the rain coming over the mountains and starting across the valley. There are almost always clouds climbing over the mountains and sliding down the sides. The sunsets are always incredible with the combination of clouds and sun. It is like a message from God. Rays of light shine down and illuminate different fields and you can watch the sun move over the land as if in a speeded up film. Our friends, you should come here. Spend some time without a car. Experience the slow life. Learn to paint. Face yourself, because you have nothing else to do. Meet wonderful people who will try so hard to make you understand what they are saying. Relax, because you don’t have to talk about the horrors of your life. Let go and let Italy consume you.

July 25
Today was market day. We restrained ourselves from buying too much as we seem to have to eat non stop to catch up. We are working to pay our taxes for 2012 ahead of time. So far we have managed to pay our garbage fee. We kept saying no this is too little. If we didn’t have our friend to help us it would really be hard. It would be hard if we didn’t have google translator to help us both.

Between market, business and caffe most of the morning was gone. I got some sand paper at the hardware store to see if I can use it for pastels. I only have two reasonable sized pieces left and then some very small ones. I did some drawings yesterday while waiting around the house thinking it would rain. Gregor sent us some colored charcoal pencils and some regular colored pencils....all the colors of Abruzzo. It was fun to just play around. The other fun activity is scrubbing the tile floors on our hands and knees. Jim is mostly letting me do this fun job. I will let you help if you come visit!

My pastel from this morning.

Me in the field with my easel...the reason for funny posture.

Jim in the field examining sticker plants after he finished his drawing.

So far it has been a productive day. Besides painting, we also went to city hall for some help about paying our taxes before we go. It has been great that Jim gave Vittorio the pastel, because it is great to know someone. I don't know how we would figure it out otherwise. There was also time for caffe and pastry!

Another Anterno Valley Sunday

Pastel I started today.

Pictures from walk we took today. Castevecchio is in the background. It was actually cool today.

Last night the neighbors, Salvatore and Enrica came for dinner. Jim made french fries and we both thought they were the best french firies we had ever had. Is it the potatoes? We did buy a special combo of oils for frying. They were the potatoes that Vittorio gave us from his garden. We had a blast. I think it is more fun to not really speak Italian. The conversation stays light and easy. There are lots of reasons to laugh. They liked the American meal, but were concerned that we did not eat pasta. Enrica brought over an English Truffle for dessert. It was mad good. Every bite was like paradisimo. They also brought, surprise, ZUCCHINIS. See it is just like Vermont here, everyone is trying to get rid of zucchinis. This morning we went out early for painting. We had already picked the spot. I like knowing ahead of time where we are going. It is so hard to decide otherwise. It is a cool and beautiful day here. The sky is crystal blue. It seems strange that we would be cooler in southern Italy than it is in Vermont. This is a great place to be in the summer. The sun shines everyday, but a few. By the time it is rainy, you are glad to see it.

If it’s Sabato, it must be Portolga

Typical J&J Breakfast....petrified donut.

Latest re-decorating of guest bedroom.

Jim somewhere in Italy surrounded by satellite dishes.

All week we have been seeing a sign at the the Supermarcato that said, “Sabato, Portolga." (I have spelled this wrong) We went there this morning, Saturday, without considering the sign. The place was packed with people lined up at the meat counter. Some were even a little pushy. There were two large, roasted, somethings about two feet long and 8 inches in diameter. It must be the protolga and everyone is here early to get it!! We got some and it was amazing. We will be lining up next Saturday as well. It is like roasted pulled pork, but it is spicy. I am pretty sure this is the recipe:

http://italianfood.about.com/od/porkrecipes/r/blr1798.htm

After that I spent most of the, somewhat rainy, morning finishing the pastel of the neighbor’s house. I had to do it indoors so I could see my picture on the computer. I think they will like it, but I have no idea where to get a frame. After the excellent lunch I took a two hour nap. How can I sleep so much? After four we went to get coffee and then walked around and looked at the usual stuff. They have been dumping rock and rubble down a big slide into a extra large dumpster for three years, since the earthquake. It has gone right over one of our friend’s houses. I really can’t imagine being able to stand it. Today it is gone and all the stone work above it looks terrific, but it is still not accessible by foot. I think their plan was to secure the walls that would protect the houses below before starting on the church and houses that are higher up. It is an amazing undertaking to rebuild a city of stone.

Tonight Jim is making the neighbors an American dinner. Burgers and fries. We are both nervous, but he thinks it will be fun.

Back to Sulmona

Our shady spot.

JIm's drawing from today

Jim's drawing from yesterday. He did not move his stool, just looked a different direction. It is an amazingly beautiful city. And who has heard of it? I would rather go there than Rome.

My view from under the aquaduct

Same spot, but turned 180 degrees.

We trekked back to Sulmona today to finish our pictures. Jim started a new one with perfect drawing. Sometimes I do not like going painting with him. I was able to finish my two starts. We arrived much earlier than yesterday so I did not have to make up the light on the first one and I actually had to wait a bit for the light on the second one to be correct. After, we drove up to a high town above Sulmona that had an incredible view. There is no point in posting a picture, because it does not show the beauty of the layers upon layers of mountains. They are working constantly for the big horse race. Since yesterday they put up one whole side of the grand stand and have brought in tons and tons of dirt. Guys were out there today checking the slope of the ground to be sure it is perfect for the race. It will be a dusty business. It really isn’t dirt like you might be thinking. It is more like the rocky soil of Abruzzo. I do not see how any horse could run on it with out injury. There are nine different areas in Sulmona and each has its own flag. These flags fly on every street within each area.

Today was market day and we bought fruit and vegetables for the weekend. We got some bread shaped like bagels that we though might be something like a hearty donut, which are popular here, not hearty ones, more like Dunkin’, but they turned out to be donuts in shape only. I am not saying they weren’t good, but they resisted being cut in 1/2 with a big knife and we are wondering if they are actually stage props for a long running play. Tomorrow it will be back to painting only locales to where our feet will take us. That is good with me. I am reminded again how happy I am we don’t have a car, although it was great to run around in Gail’s car for two days.

Two great days

My pastel.

The artists.

July 20
Jim and I headed out before 8am, because it was a cool, breezy day. We went out in the field on the way to Gagliano. It wasn’t just cool. It was actually cold. The wind was blowing and the clouds were racing across the sky making areas go in and out of shadow. Just when I thought I might have to go home, the sun came out for good and I got to do my favorite thing: lie in the field and look at the sky. I didn’t even care that the field smelled of fish fertilizer and manure. We have not seen a single cow here but today we heard them in the barn. There is no land here that is devoted to pasture. It is all little fields of different grains and sunflowers. Nothing is fenced, so cows outside would be a problem.

In the afternoon we took a different route and found an oddly placed stone paved pathway. It led to an old church and a fountain, but the church was closed off and the fountain wasn’t running. We continued on the trail to its end at the fenced in archeological site of early Christian catacombs. We still weren’t satisfied with the view so we scrambled up a steep hill on our hands and knees. It was worth it for the view and the sudden feeling I had to sing, “The hills are a live, with the sound of music.....ahhhhhhhhaaaaa”, we kept walking until we came to the edge of a sunflower field and then looked back toward CVS. The clouds were still moving fast so I did the town when it was in sun and used the clouds shadows to my advantage.

We had a last minute invitation to Gail’s house for dinner. It was excellent. People are starting to return to their ancestral homes from Roma and other countries. There was a couple who live in Sulmona and return to Gagliano for July-Sept, two sisters were back from Canada and a man from Pescara came and cooked dinner. I do not think we have the attachment to home that Italians do. One woman left Gagliano when she was 15 and she has lived in Canada 54 years. She talked about how much it broke her heart when the family home was sold. That is why there are so many empty properties here. People do not sell the family home. With property taxes so small there is no imperative to sell. It was an interesting and unexpected evening. I finally got to wear the black dress Jessie talked me in to. It was chilly, but I used the scarf my mom gave me as a wrap. Thanks, Gail.

July 21
Gail picked us up at 9am after a wild evening. We drove to Sulmona and went to some of the stores that leave weekly flyers in our door. We now have two comfortable chairs and a stool for Jim to sit on when out painting. We parked ourselves just outside the piazza where we went to the big market. It was being filled with rock and sand for the upcoming Paolo. I did not know they had this horse race anywhere except Sienne. I am glad we went to market when we did, because there will not be another market there until after the horserace and midevil festival is over. There are four choices on view from one place. I started two pastels, but will either have to go back or finish them or use the photos I took. I am going to have to face the fact that I am going to run out of paper. We went to an art supply store today and they had no pastel paper. I guess if I had been thinking better I could have got a tube of acrylic paint and some watercolor paper. I did get a new can of fixative. I am thinking of seeing if the hardware store has some very smooth sand paper. The other option is to do pencil drawings. I thought I had so much paper I would never run out. I expected to leave some here. It is good how much work I have done. So we had a great day thanks to Gail. We had a great lunch with homemade pasta at a place she knew. It is starting to seem to me that pizza is an evening food. Although the bulk of the menu was pizza, it was not available till evening. They also charged a 2E a piece table charge. Once we got back to CVS we had gelato.

The New Zealanders are here. We ran into them walking up from their car. Their home in Christ Church was badly damaged by the earthquake and they had just gotten things back together when there was another bad earthquake on June 22. I hope I get to see their house. It is for sale, but too expensive for anyone we know. It is hard for everyone else when we got the steal of a life time.

Lund, Lunn & Escher

Jim's version of Goriquo Sicoli

My version of Goriquo Sicoli.

Escher's version of Goriquo Sicoli. He drew from much higher with the biggest mountains behind the print. See how the bell tower and round part of the church are reversed? This is because it is a lithograph, which like all prints turns out the opposite of the drawing.

Goriquo Sicoli

This morning: Gagliano Anterno

Gail, Jim and man that told us about Escher with his drawing.

Yesterday was a great day. Gail (person with house in Boston and Montpelier).drove us all around the valley. I have enjoyed not having a car, but it was also fun to get out and see stuff.

We decided to paint in Goriquo Sicoli. I did my worst painting ever, but bad painting are a sign of taking a chance. I was pretty discouraged, but it didn’t look as bad today. We were at Goriqno Sicoli. This is a town where Gregor would like to buy a house. The train stops in this town, but it would be hard to live there as there is no grocery store and only market once a week. There was a beautiful Roman fountain with dolphins. We thought about painting there, but there were too many wasps. It was a wonderful cool place under large trees, but everyone in town was sitting at the caffe. Goriqno Sicoli is also a place that M.C Escher worked. He did his first lithograph of this village, but from higher up. It looks menacing and dark. I did not know he had an Italian period, but it seems obvious once you know. He was Dutch. Once you know it is obvious his images did not come from Holland. We met a man who’s grandmother had given or sold Escher bread while he was in the village. He was there for five days in the 1920s. The man also went home to get his Escher book to show us the litho and to get some of his artwork. It was not bad. He was very good at sepia watercolor drawings and had a well done oil of his grandfather sharpening a scythe. He was using a tool we found in our cave that we did not know the use of. Gail stayed for dinner. It was fun.