I thought I would amuse myself by looking at some of the paintings I have sold and the stories around them. Then I had difficulty in picking one to start with because I could remember so many things about most of them.
But I finally settled on this one because it was a sort of collaboration between me and Amadeo the photographer.
It all started because I often take my camera and go round pisticci taking photos of anything and everything. Then I print out the best ones and keep them in a folder which I take to the market in Pisticci and have available in my studio for clients to check out if they want a painting . I have hundreds of photos now. Anyways I had this folder on my stand and Amadeo, presumably out of professional interest was looking through it when he saw a house he must have recognised. He went off and returned later with a lady and they looked through the folder till they found this photo again. My italian is not brilliant (or even average) which means there is always room for mistakes but after several minutes , the general idea was that Amadeo would go take a photo of the ladies house and I would paint it.
So several days later I went into his shop and he showed me the photo, which he had cleverly changed by adding a couple of extra flowerpots and deleting all the electrical cables etc.
I enjoyed painting it . It was a bit of a challenge to make the whites different but I enjoyed it and had it finished and delivered it just when I said I would. (He seemed surprised)
Instead of me leaving it in the shop, we went straight round to the house. It was strange because I had spent the previous few days looking a the photo . I hadn’t seen the actual house.
We went in. It was lovely inside too. I was shown all round and as is normal here the small space was used to make several rooms plus an upstairs. We sat and had a coffee, chatted, I got paid and then we left.
I love this painting. I think it’s a little romantic but nevertheless accurate record of someones house. I like the colours (White!) and I actually managed to get the lines more or less straight. But not only that .It was fun to work with someone else, to paint something pretty and to meet the house owner, and finally to leave my painting in that house.
When I look at it I see much more than a painting.
BELLABASILICATA 
Wonderful and very interesting
You should consider painting the Hotel Torre Fiorre just on the outskirts towards Tinghi
It has a history dating back to 1600 and was abandoned for 60 years this century until the Giannone Family returned to their roots and purchased it and gave it new life.
If your paintings were displayed in the lobby of the small hotel many international travellers especially canadians ( that is where the Giannone family emigrated to and returned to Pisticci to undertake this project)
You should contact Mariana Giannone at the Hotel and ask if she would consider having one or two of your paintings of displayed and for sale
A great idea would be to offer a service to those who have emigrated to have a painting of their home as it was when they emigrated and as it is today if ther is any major change.
It is worth an introduction pisticci
Tell her Dani with an i suggested it.
|Keep up the good work
PS
My wife and I were just in il Dirupo in September looking for her father’s ancestral home and after several failed attempts in past years on my own with perseverance and asking questions of the locals we actually found it
The family homestead was of the ” Langalutta” family that is their sopranome nickname
no one remembers your real family name.
I asked a senior in Mr Barbetta who pointed us in the correct direction where we asked more persons and voila’ we found it.
Amazing stuff
Where in il Dirupo would we find you on our next trip to Pisticci?
I could also spread the word about your Studio to others visiting from Canada and USA
to see if they have any interest in your work or in a special request of their ancestral home.
STrangers things have happened
Look at you livi g and painting in Pisticci in “u Diruppo” of all places.
who would have ever dreamed.
D. Gesualdi
Toronto, Canada
drgesuladi@rogers.com
hi. thank you very much. Amazingly I read your comment on saturday and bumped into Mariana on sunday. So am arranging to go to the hotel this week. I have just painted 2 paintings of someone’s grandfather’s house (Plus some others) for another Canadian who got in touch with me via my other blog http://moltobrava.blogspot.com and she is staying at the torre fiore next week.
lots of coincidences!
I would be delighted if you told others visiting about my studio and look forward to meeting you on your next visit. I am in via custoza, at the edge of dirupo, near the little church .
I tried to email you as i wanted to say more but it would not go. best wishes and many thanks. anne
I
WOW
that is fantastic
there are visitors and quests that will be thrilled by your service
I will certainly spread the word
D. Gesualdi
drgesualdi@rogers.com
Hey Anne—-Nice post, the story of your children (paintings) as they venture off into the world. Think we can get an artists’ community started? Stranger things have happened, look up Marfa, Texas when you can. Right now here in Bernalda (and in Basilicata in general) artists are really p’d-off because there was a juried show for the Biennale and nobody was informed. Big mystery as to how the artists were chosen. Smell like typical Italian-style shenanigans to us!
Sandra
this picture is amazing!!!!!!compliments