Sunday, June 24, 2012

Another Summer in Pisticci

I got back from Scotland after a lovely time with my family. In true Scottish fashion no one let the weather stop them doing stuff. (It rained - and it was cold!)
So I arrived back in Italy and for the last 2 weeks the temperature has been at least 35c most days and has gone up to over 40c. What a contrast, though to be fair, Scotland's weather wasn't normal and neither is this heat in June.
Sometimes I have plans  for the summer and I am working towards markets or even an exhibition, but this year I don't know what I will do. I have one painting in an exhibition in Ginosa in July with artisti di bellezza. I am working on 2 painted portraits, with another one  to come and I have done 9 pencil drawings of people from Pisticci (only 41 to go), so I have plenty to do but no specific outlets.
The markets so far this summer have not been worth doing and apparently there was one in Pisticci recently but I didn't know about it.
So maybe I will just  go into town a lot, hang out and see what happens. I have lost count of the times when I have been working non stop, taking no time off, selling nothing and I have a day off and get a commission.
I am planning another ten days staying in my studio. That should be fun. I have always wanted to stay here in the summer when in the evenings people take their chairs out into the streets and chat and watch people going by. Then the houses fill up with people from the north of Italy . People eat outside in groups. Almost everyone is related to someone from here and so there is lots of meeting up and greeting old friends.
Maybe I will go out for walks in the evening and drop in on the people I got to know in January and have hardly seen since.
I hope I am not getting old and tired, I prefer to think I am conserving my energy  for the important things in life, like family, going out for coffee and cakes, pizza, the beach. This year my plan was to concentrate on painting and drawing better. That is going ahead.
I am writing this on Sunday when Italy and England are playing football. Am planning to go out for Pizza and watch the football on TV just  like everyone else . (I don't really like football, but it might be fun.)
Perhaps I will go some new places on my new scooter. There is so much of this area that I haven't seen.
Maybe I will take a siesta  every day and stay up late and not miss all the concerts, events etc that all begin about 11pm.
In fact maybe I will just start now, yawn!!


fire at the end of my street. hillside burned.


frisbee and a little bit of posing


adventurous me! That's me up near the top.


summer in the piazza