Artists in Italy: Only Nine Weeks Left!!

We left Vermont a week ago today. Again, it seems like a continuation of last summer, but there have been some major changes. Our Danish friends from Gagliano that had the gallery have moved to a large city in Puglio. It was too lonely and abandoned in Gagliano in the winter. They will be here a couple of weeks in August. I am afraid the end may be in sight for Gagliano as a town. There is only a tiny store and a caffe bar. The students will be coming from Detroit and L’Aquila, but that is only for a month. People who have left Gagliano still have very strong feelings about it and will be here in August, but at other times it is essentially a ghost town. Many foreigners have houses there because of our Danish relator, but I am so grateful that we don’t. It would be hard to live there without a car, even for only a vacation.

Serious work has started in CVS renovating the convent and other buildings in the historical center. CVS has a plan for the money they will receive. Gagliano doesn’t even have a plan. No plan, no money.

A rainy start to the day

I forgot to take my painting this morning and had to start a new one. Always take extra paper. This is Wallis.

Jim's finished painting

Changes made in the road signs to reflect road closures

We went to the hardware store today and purchased the paper Jim likes, a pair of scissors, bandaids, and some bug spray. Our friend who owns the place gave us the bug spray for free. She always undercharges or adds in something that we don’t have to pay for. She teaches English in public school so we are going to teach her some American slang. Today’s lesson was: “Awesome dude” and “see you later alligator, after while crocodile.” She loved that one. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before?

Afternoon

Jim did this painting on request. When the guy came by Jim gave it to him, but he wanted the blue door included. From the picture below you can tell that the blue door is out of the picture.