Vagabond Artist

Because I fell in love. I fell in love with Benoit Arcangioli a French scientist that researches the sex of yeast at Pasteur. We met in the US nineteen years ago when he was doing research in my home town Frederick, Maryland where I was making coktails at Olde Towne Tavern. I was back in town to make some money after being in Florence. We went out some but I was in love with a Sardinian so left for Florence again. I sold my car for 400$ and bought a one way ticket.

This year on January 17th I moved to Paris 2 days precisely from my 21st year in Florence. The first month I cried my eyes out. Luck had it that I got the biggest contract of my life, three years worth of painting in nine months worth of time making huge paintings for a corporation; otherwise I couldn’t do it even if I have my outlets for my works. I was painting sunny scenes of Tuscany and Florence in this freezing ultra bohemian atelier with holes in the floor, broken glass and no lights overlooking factories in Ivry-sur-Seine in the grey rainy Paris winter weather. I cried and I painted and I spent a fortune telephoning my friends.

I left everything; a super apartment overlooking Bellosguardo a house at the beach in Baratti that has now been sold, a garage to park my car, worth gold in any city and a studio gallery in downtown historic Florence on via Ghibellina and most of all my adorable Jack Russell Terrier Lira. I miss my dog terribly, she is with my ex husband who loves her and treats her well. It is crazy to leave Florence, Italy after 21 years of wonderful life, great friends, food, weather and a super studio gallery in the historic center of the city, for love?! But hey, you only live once. Paris is not Poggibonsi and I know that the person is worth it so here I am.

All of our friends said to both Benoit and I that our story is worth a book so I’ll leave the details out.

Spring is arriving in Paris and I am meeting some people, last night I went to Patricia Laplante-Collins http://www.parissoirees.com Wednesday networking cocktail. There was an incredible young woman named Valerie Vaghn who talked about her life: born in Tahiti studied in California moved o NY, worked the stock exchange then moved to China then Japan where she created a huge company and became the top person then came to paris on her way to Dubai and she is only 30. Everyone else was very interesting with their own story worth recounting.