Once again, I fly from
Canary Islands to spend the weekend with my favorite
living artist and one of my best friends as well. Skip
intro, for between the two of us, after all these years
and after all these countless moments of mutual excellent
conversation, shared bizarre episodes and a few unspeakable
adventures, by all means no ceremonial rituals required
whatsoever, simply put and absolutely true. He picks
me up at the densely populated airport and the silent
perfect-mannered chauffeur drives us back to his idyllic
castle more popularly known as Antonio Pessoa-Home Studio.
A new life in the sun, a new weekend in the relaxing
and cosy atmosphere of the spacious living area all
the more enchanting by the friendly staff, let alone
the artist's awesome and most entertaining recent new
line contemporary fine art canvases and watercolors.
Wall Art at his unquestionable very, very best, if you
ask me. After a dimlit mediterranean food dinner at
the balcony overlooking the warm summer night, during
which we pleasurably break news and get on with our
lives latest episodes and metaphysics updates, we have
a Scotch while strolling about Studio 1 as he shows
me his on- going canvases, drawings and watercolors,
a true dream factory, and sooner than I expected it
was 2.a.m. and my obnoxious yawning was already warning
me it was just about time to call it a night, so next
thing I knew I was between sheets and thereby quickly
going into night time oblivion. Delicious! Indeed, I
actually have to admit I simply adore this recovering
and rewarding total forgetfulness of the great oblivion
of sleep. So does the artist, for all I know. I wake
up early morning just to witness once again the dynamic
full-swing stimulating on-going racing activity all
over the place. The telephone keeps ringing, business
partners, clients, art collectors, friends, family,
art merchants, co-workrts, you name it, from all over
the world. Pierre Fontanals and Luis Santiago seem to
be successfully handling the situation, as in everything-under-control,
with their usual experienced, stree-free and that easy-to-do
look on their faces, savoir faire and know-how...while
the artist is nowhere to be seen. Well, not quite so,
actually. Antonio Pessoa is already painting in his
sound proof Studio 1,basically relaxed, happy, however
totally focused on the huge canvas before him. Antonio
Pessoa always faithful to his traditional studio performance
unique style, is working on several paintings at the
same time, despite today's main artwork at stake happens
to be a gigantic canvas on the skyscraper like easel,
seemingly succeeding to be grabbing his full attention
and his eagle eye concentration. I light my pipe and
silently observe the artist at work for quite a long
while, genuinely fascinated by his reputable art action
speed, as if he were actually only the art making mediator
between Divine Guidance and the canvas. I politely coughed
lightly twice before I broke the silence. "What's
going to be the title of that masterpiece ,my friend?"
"Free!" said the Pessoa without even bother
to turn around. "Free, my dear, just what I wish
to be above anything else in the world. Free!"
As a matter of fact ,I love to admit, Free, indeed turned
out to be one of the most awesome and charming king-sized
canvases of the artist's latest contemporary series
and definitely one of my favorites ever. Laser focused
and maximally productive, the artist all of a sudden
takes a break and moves about the studio, gladly aware
of my dear friendly presence, brush in his right hand
staining here and there on the watercolor papers scattered
all over the spacious studio. "I have this feeling,
this don't know what something about this weekend",
he tells me, thoughtfully contemplating- and I think
- seriously evaluating one of those unfinished watercolors,
with that peculiar self-criticism look on his diamond-white
face. One of his cell phones rings. That's the Home
Studio "Special One" cell phone as he ironically
titled it. As far as I know it's actually the bad news
breaker, the last-minute urgent issues cell phone. What
do you know! He picks it up and I hear Pierre Fontanal's
voice almost screaming from the other side, meaning,
from the "Concepts into Action" headquarters,
where everything usually looks as if the Universe is
conspiring to make business matters an easy-going task
and some other times it looks as if indeed all hell
broke loose! That was Maxwell Armstrong from San Francisco,
California, absolutely anxious and under pressure and
demanding (...demanding!) ...to speak directly over
the phone with the artist. By now, Antonio Pessoa is
painfully back to real-life again, takes a seat, thinks
for a while...and I hear him say... "Pierre, please,
just tell him I'm out of order" Silence again,
while Pessoa listens to what Pierre has got to communicate...
"OK, then tell him I won't be back untill next
week." He hangs up. He's never going to change,
I'm thinking, the artist definitely hates a life full
of problems and the best way he knows to get rid of
them all once and for all, or at least for a peaceful
while, is the same old formula. Get back down to work
and once again life is Heaven, just Paradise! With the
happy ending of the canvas fast approaching, the artist
quickly recovers from the interruption. Obviously the
key to full and fair recovery is to get on with what
he was doing and that's precisely what he does. Congratulations!
There are always unplanned occurences that prevent him
from painting just the way he simply adores. Peacefully!
Getting caught up in the day to day activities of his
team, isn't precisely his idea of indeed getting a kick
out of art studio performance. Talking about the devil,
the cell phone rings again ( ...at the right time...at
the wrong place ...),as the artist gets ready to get
back down to work. How convenient! My eavesdropping
is supposed, more than basically tolerated, fully accepted,
just for the record... "Not again!", he sighs.
However, he picks up the phone while looking at me with
that funny helplessness expression on his face. Pierre
once again screaming from the busy room, just to tell
him Maxwell Armstrong wishes to know whether the artist
is once and for all decided to deal with him directly
or not. "Tell him... well, Pierre, just tell him...Or
Not" He hangs up the phone. I must say that in
real-life philosophy this is theoretically a definite
"Leave me Alone!". One of Antonio Pessoa's
most peculiar secrets is that deep down inside- unquestionably
- he sure loves this art studio daily ritual, delicious
silence, this self-imposed exile... well, in a manner
of speaking. What turns out to be his big What and Why,
that's for us to know and for you to find out throughout
all it's been said and written about the artist's Life
and Oeuvre. Strange how this weekend seems to be shorter
than I would like to expect, just in the exact proportion
to my delight to stay by his side and enjoy the making
of all this scattered collection of unfinished canvases,
drawings, sketches and impactful watercolors. Whatching
him build on the fine art dreams factory always creates
me an exciting state of antecipation. Inevitable fact.
However, the cell phone is persistent enough and there
it is once again ringing and once again inevitably forcing
the artist losing steam and probably reminding himself
that indeed at last check Paradise will be only possible
in a far away tropical exotic island between the Pacific
Ocean... and Eternity! So it seems - from what I can
make out of my legitimate eavesdropping - Maxwell Armstrong
just comes up with a brand-new proposition, fair enough
to put a broad smile on the artist's face and probably
a helpless curiosity expression on mine. "It's
alright then, Pierre, please let him know he can have
those six canvases for that price...oh, and by the way,
please tell him that next time he calls us four times
in a row I won't negotiate..." We have lunch on
the balcony, a nice mexican food combination, served
hot...and how! One of the benefits of his lifestyle,
by all means. Now we concentrate only on the tasty good
smelling positive aspects of the mexican cuisine, while
wandering about this and that...as a fresh, almost sweet
wind breeze starts blowing from the seaside. Just two
good friends and Art Connoisseurs making the most out
of being together again. Harold MacArthur is in town,
so the three of us decide to go for a rejuvenating long
walk along the seaside Avenue, it's just a beautiful
day, clean cloudless sky, Springtime just smells fun,
the sea is light blue contrasting with the light-golden-blue
sky and it's just wonderful to be here in this idyllic
scenery of western world tropical life, as we easily
overcome procrastination and stroll further and further
away while pondering and review several topics, including
the artist's current and upcoming projects. In spite
of the inevitable fact that Pessoa is actually more
than twenty years younger than we are, he proves systematically
to have reached this mature-like unmutable consistency,
this inspiring effortless reliability charisma, wherever
he is and whatever he does, a remarkable combination
of qualities playing an important role in our unique
mixture of logical and philosophical reasoning inter-exchanging
chemistry. Nothing like a six-kilometer boulevard stroll
with such distinguished company, along the clear blue
waters, crystaline sand and dazzling coral reefs, the
ideal place to take full advantage of excellent conversation
focused on interesting issues, including Art. Nevertheless,
let's face it. Sir MacArthur current situation seems
pretty obvious both for me and for the artist as well.
His personal increasing interest in Antonio Pessoa's
latest artworks, his definitely his main motivation
to pay him a visit from time to time, well... more accurately
at least once every month. Define this simply as art
collector's persistence would be basically unfair, for
I know that apart from his main reasons to fly from
London on such a regular basis, roughly twelve times
a year, his admiration for the artist is by all means
clearly genuine to the point of true growing friendship.
That much is transparently in the air. However, the
high price of the artist's canvases, namely and very
specifically his latest contemporary fine art series,
New Era - New Line, if not being precisely beyond his
financial reach (definitely not!!!) at least have achieved
a global demand effect, feverish enough for a drastic
rise in prices, eventually rather unexpectedly and as
far as Harold MacArthur is concerned, from his strict
point of view, fairly acceptable, on the other hand,
painfully unfair. In spite of the inevitable everlasting
situation of being systematically "blessed"
with new exciting and painfully unexpected challenges,
Sir MacArthur is never going to change his faithful
sense of personal commitment concerning both his friendship
with the artist and his private art collection growing
reputation, continuously updated integrity. No big deal,
whatsoever. Hard working art collector's self-consciousness.
I like that...and so does the artist. Anyway, just as
with the tides in the sea, there is an ebb and flow
to the tides of Antonio Pessoa's Home Studio leisure
weekends. Swimming in the art world, understanding its
awesome Universe and eventually, of course, swimming
through the sand of bizarre timing and close encounters
with unannounced visitors. What all this reminds me
of is how great is to have the world in our hands and
time by our side. At last check I find myself wondering.
Visitors...or Invaders? Miriam Di Rosa! A Lady in the
Water! The water of the Art Ocean. Atlantis? It's tea
time, in the contemporary Fine Art Shrine! Miriam sits
down at the steaming good smelling table with her gentle
jet-set complexity although grotesque proportions. She
starts by complaining about the weather, then seriously
complaining about her love affairs setbacks, then about
the art market impractical foolish unpredictable roller
coaster unreliable flux and flows, then she goes on
complaining about the enough of non-sense world we live
in, and at last she complains about all topics in a
row, she says she's had it...and by then, surprise,
surprise, believe me or not, crazy as it seems, forty
five minutes had gone by and tea time was over. Miriam
Di Rosa and the artist, they are actually so used to
share whatever-you name it together, yet so aware of
the intentions of one another, that they don't permit
themselves anymore to become ruffled or victimized.
Sir MacArthur looks mildly tolerantly patient and me,
well, I fortunately have reached that level of after-walk,
after-tea. who-cares, accomplished calmness. Tea time
is over and Antonio Pessoa looks bored, slightly standoffish,
I suppose a bit tired. Miriam somehow always succeeds
to set this mood paradigm shifting in the artist emotional
mechanism. He accepts her exactly how she is and she
remains in his life playing the important role of art
critic, art curator, although systematically, hopelessly
expecting to keep the artist image strangely tuned in
what he was six years ago...still illuminated by the
pure oil smelling Romantic Period's Modern Art bulb.
On the whole, Miriam Di Rosa regards Pessoa's contemporary
series as a road-map to something which hasn't yet been
achieved and I think she secretly believes it never
will. I understand her feelings (let alone her old fashionad
artistic concepts) however, by all means I don't subscribe
her point of view. Pessoa in my opinion is actually
going through his fine art very, very best up to now,
and that's the general public perspective, except for
Miriam who still has this secret hopeless hope to re-
convert the artist to the old models of Modern Art.
Too late, if you ask me. Pessoa wastes no time climbing
back aboard the now urgent loneliness of his studio,
while the fictional Lady Miriam keeps me company as
we sadly watch him go, leaving us behind...and he's
gone. After a long silent while Miriam Di Rosa stands
up and gets ready to go. I light my pipe as I hear her
say "It's not all, isn't it? Antonio doesn't need
my company nor my advice anymore. Enough Genius IQ,I
suppose." I say nothing. I know exactly what's
going on between the two of them, and I also know it's
none of my business...well, at least while she is around.
"If he's aiming for Genius IQ Perfection that's
his problem." she goes on as she walks towards
the door. "But my previous experience tells me
he was a much better artist, before. Anyway, the great
Antonio Pessoa will never be successful if he sticks
to this contemporary abstract non-sense. That much I
can tell you. He's just trying to be a little innovative
but definitely losing the Great Master's touch. It's
a shame, really, it's a shame, but there's nothing much
I can possibly do about this weird situation. Anyway,
guys, take care, all of you. I'll be in touch...I think.
Goodbye." She closes the door behind her. And she's
gone! Under my circumstances I kept on smoking my pipe,
while recognizing she couldn't have been more mistaken.
If to much art studio action can be at times responsible
for making the artist's mind dense, it's also true the
his controversial relationship with Miriam - always
on the verge of actually going down the drain ( which
miraculously never seems to happen )- hasn't helped
much to improve his mood after our tea time nail-bitting
session. So after sunset, Jasper drives us to the Meditation
Center,nº39.The ultimate shrine for total peace
of mind, discernment and relaxation. The most valuable
thing you can learn about Meditation multiple benefits
is that it indeed shapes your character, provides you
with a rewarding inner-self awareness and asures you
this happy and healthy well-being, the great foundation
that enables you to wake up every single day ready and
steady to get up and literally go fot it, whatever that
might happens to turn out to be, particularly concerning
Antonio Pessoa's challenging life, a great powerful
mindset and a solid self-centered unbreakable motivation,
more than enough to overcome professional obstacles
and general serious commitments. It's imperative by
now to understand how these systematic meditation sessions
and rituals have contributed immensely for the artist's
amazing personal growth and his latest increasing artistic
performance success. The power of balance, minimizing
all external and internal clutter, recalibrating the
artist and assess his direction regularly, implementing
higher love principles, clearing out inconsistent behaviors
that may eventually push him off track, discerning when
it is appropriate to let go or move forward, making
honoring his truth in art expression his top priority,
honoring and encouraging his continual growth and learning,
setting a clear and focused intent so he can share it
and follow through to completion, and discovering how
to strengthen his character and soul so they can't be
bought nor manipulated. Antonio Pessoa has embraced
these commandments at Bala Mani's Meditation Center,
and since then, he has been teached and coached surrounded
himself with Masters of the Mind he believes and trusts,
and consequently adopting naturally and gradually a
surprising new line attitude, actually the key element
that has been a positive and successful step towards
his current genius efficiency not only in art performance
but in his personal, social and professional life, with
remarkable results so far, providing him with the inevitable
super easy going skills and know-how to get out and
play to win. Pessoa's weelky sessions at the Meditation
Center have been setting his mind to face and overcome
all professional obstacles plus providing him with a
remarkable Know-How and easy-to-doingness when it comes
to make the most of his multiple projects, challenges
and dreams, let alone his highly effective art performance.
The Age of Aquarius has given us the great possibilities
of Quantum Physics. There is an infinite universe of
intelligent and highly creative energy where the artist
pulls out the Quantum Ocean, enabling him to continuously
accomplish with little time and effort, his personal
lifestyle concept, artistic projects and professional
commitments. As an art collector, art critic, art coach
and counselor, supporting and reviewing Antonio Pessoa's
Life and Work, has proven to be probably the most exciting
experience of my seventy-two years of multiple interesting
projects all over the world so far. Thereby, as a matter
of fact it's rather rewarding just to witness how the
artist has actually increased his artistic performance
to such an extent of quality, visual impact providing
art lovers with a substantial new contemporary literacy,
furthermore making it possible for a huge amount of
public realize the full potential of his Oeuvre and
very particularly of his innovative capacity. Systematically
exposing himself to exciting new ideas and perspectives,
Antonio Pessoa, with a relevant help from his impressive
mindset proceeds with the right attitude, progresses
into the future on a full determined one million-steps-
forward journey, with the energy, feel, style and proficient
imagination, plus his absolute clear purpose serving
him and all his collaborators in all important specific
areas, possible and "impossible" ways. Back
home, we spend the rest of the evening just the two
of us, listening to soft music and relaxing at the balcony,
emotionally at ease and enjoying the spendid warm night
atmosphere and the ongoing cheerful crowd celebrating
life down at the charming square. We have dinner, confidently
sharing our viewpoints over so many interesting subjects
and next thing we know, the square is empty, it's 1
a.m. and we call it a night. Saturday morning,I woke
up before the house got really busy, so after having
breakfast delivered by Arturo and his wife, consisting
in a cross-between mediterranean food and english ham
and eggs, I took a stroll along the seaside avenue,
not too long a walk, just enough to stretch my legs
and let the blood quicly flow into my grey cells as
the bright sun rays provided me with enough energy for
the rest of the day. When I got back to the artist's
Home Studio it seemed as if all hell broke loose. James
Babel was once again feeling pretty lousy over David
Medina and his usual dread failures. Life basic essentials
teach you different ways to look at life. In this specific
area, mine and Antonio Pessoa's traditional detachment
was indeed being used to our great advantage. As everybody
seemed just about to start crawling up the walls, only
Pierre Fontanals, the artist and myself, seemed to remain
cool, calm and collaborating aiming at finding a snappy
solution for what seemed to be the financial crash of
the century. Twenty minutes later we all went out for
lunch. An early, struggling and out loud speaking nerve-shattering
lunch. Bad news is we had Pietro Fabricci to join the
club... he and his humorless sense of humor. The artist
and the sophisticated and versatile Pierre Fontanals
might see him as a smarty-arty sort of clown, or should
I say, multifaced juggler clown...never mind... The
circus entertainer was after all James Babel and his
out of breath manifestation of blame on the guilty one,
David Medina for having sold nine valuable masterpieces
for a substantial incorrectly measured price. Eating
at random and struggling to get his message across,
James Babel was losing his self- made man public relations
strategy as Antonio Pessoa was getting seriously bored
and so was I, just for the record and for all that matters.
We left the restaurant in a quite remarkable polite
hurry and made our way back home, fortunately quickly
recovering from the embarassing sort of everything-you-need-to-know
about how to throw a lousy lunch party. Pessoa once
again looks slightly bored, moody blue. I suppose so
many types of people around him quite often actually
succeed to take his concentration away, or at least
to a less effective level in which he inevitably can't
help feeling awkward enough to continuously avoid situations
that might turn out to interfere negatively with his
deliciously silent philosophical universe. Very far
from being some corny sort of ethereal spiritual mumbo-jumbo,
Antonio Pessoa's lifestyle is definitely based upon
a practical wisdom and vision of emotional abundance,
aiming at making his art performance, private and social
life, professional commitments, flourish, grow and expand.
Thereby, no wonder his Studio 1's celestial peace is
for the artist his ultimate heaven, favorite playground
and his divine castle where all ghostly apparitions
dissolve and melt away making way for spiritual lightness
and proficient creativeness. The artist has become more
and more conscious, concerned and aware that what he
expects to happen in his art studio - specifically when
it comes to excel in art expression is determined by
the thoughts he dwells upon plus the intensity of the
emotions behind those thoughts. Systematically using
imagery to create innovative contemporary art patterns
he knows how to give himself the freedom to reach for
the stars of supreme awareness (inspiration!),one idea
leads to another, and the momentum he generates with
these mind tools, one thousand and one visions and beyond,
will begin a magical fast shift in his creative power
so is art performance becomes a passionate flow of emotions
where he finds himself mastering the process of being
the ultimate mediator between the reality circus and
visual poetry. Art! The mystery about the current amazing
chemistry between Antonio Pessoa and Boris Dainville
is after all very clear, so it's no mystery al last
check whatsoever. They are both emotionally concentrated
on the power of all forms of Art, including human relations.
They hop on the strong rules of spiritual energy, learning
together how to prioritize the great Truth known to
all mystics and ancient sages. What they mean to each
other, more than sympathetic resonance, is an absolute
like attracts like effortless harmony, sharing the same
life approach in which basically the only possible option
is to be and feel absolutely alive. So this Saturday,
once again, they keep in touch over the phone, as the
artist goes on working on several canvases and watercolors
at the same time and I keep him company as I sit quietly
reading, taking notes or simply watching him suggest
awesome visual propositions with every painting brush
stroke as time goes slowly and pleasurably by in Studio
1 and as the sun beams keep coming in anticipating yet
another delicious warm subtropical night. Once again
we're having dinner at the comfy balcony. Antonio Pessoa
looks relaxed now, however thoughtful, sharing the silence
with me, plenty aware that I, more than anyone else
in the world, can make out the essence of his pondering,
even in the silence, or when we talk exchanging ideas,
projects, secrets, concepts, dreams, you name it, I'm
able to read the underlines, able to accurately interpret
the inner-areas of the artist's intimate reflections
and thereby succeed to come up with a rather clear picture
of his current perspective of the whole field of life,
world, art... and beyond. He is a complex, informed,
wise distinguished man. He has embraced the whole creative
process, art studio, lifestyle and beyond. This is the
big one, and this is the main reason why I've been reviewing
his Life and Work for the past ten years up to now.
Some of Antonio Pessoa's top qualities are definitely
his increasing capacity to keep his mind on task, it
actually gets easier and easier for the artist to become
fully focused on what's more important, beginning with
his art studio daily action, indeed a creative ritual
which has become a pleasurable and inevitable part of
his life. Also using his subconscious to accept that
what he desires is possible to achieve, even his wildest
dreams, keeps him steady on the right track and mastering
the art of being ready when the magic happens, like
something he will most certainly will enjoy, even when
it comes in the most unexpected ways. Pessoa handles
this emotion- charged feelings aiming at expand his
multiple issues and areas, an ever growing display of
fascinating projects, leading him to reach higher levels
of living the ultimate Life Supreme! After dinner we
move back to the studio, where Scotch is served in cognac
snifters by the silent-polite Arturo. He leaves us alone
as the phone rings announcing an incoming call fromm
Felix Nuñez. Felix Nuñez is taking care
of the artist's affairs in San Francisco, CA, and he
has been doing it for over two years already, now. From
the five minutes conversation I can figure out Nuñez
has successfully added three more reputable art collectors
to the artist's U.S.A. crème de la crème
clients list. Fair enough. Pessoa hangs up the phone
with a broad smile of satisfaction on his face. "This
young man is just about to hit the big time, Jacob,
and so are we" he says. "You are, not me"
I say "I'm just an innocent bystander. But I like
it! Are you hearing me complaining?" We're laughing
out loud, now...making a toast to good health. The Art
World! Bigger names have come and gone, but few careers
in contemporary fine art have been more consistently
interesting over the last ten years than Antonio Pessoa's.
Painstakingly careful and accurate the artist goes on
this Saturday after midnight exhaustively staining here
and there, living up to his art studio wizard reputation.
His latest paintings are just amazing, passionate and
so chromatically beautiful and at the same time deliciously
absurd in their successful attemp to reproduce the artist's
serious sensory experiences. Saturday's featured artist,
takes the midnight express absolutely motivated and
comfy in the spacious comfort of Studio 1.Into art action
now completely, his burning fire seems to go higher
and higher, and once again I feel helplessly inspired
as I watch him dancing about the awesome scenario, mainly
furnished by huge easels, gigantic and medium size canvases,
oak tables covered with an apparent chaotic display
of finished and unfinished watercolors, drawings, collages,
mixed medias and small sketches here and there and everywhere.
There's a beautiful abstract acrylic on watercolor paper
on a chair I hadn't noticed the day before. I ask him
where did it come from. The artist tells me he started
doing it yesterday, and that's where he was actually
writing this wonderful weekend poetry. What poetry,
I just asked, not because I didn't know what he was
talking about, I did, but just to get my private kick,
well, mainly to make conversation. "Momentum takes
over " he says "It's easy enough to dream
and plan big projects, but when it comes to see a particular
weekend measurable progress, nothing like a watercolor
to draw the whole map. It's like an episode. That's
what it's meant to be. The Weekend Report!" So
that was it, I thought. Antonio Pessoa's intention generator
was on once again, with the rushed busy flow of his
eclectic style, the artist's ever present amazing capacity
to see artistic challenges as supreme opportunities
working toward innovative ideas, as he goes on and on
staining here and there filled with passion, creative
fire and almost childish excitement. Suddenly he stops
and looks at me as taken by surprise, slightly puzzled
and definitely amused. "I don't know why I bother
to go on painting, it's almost 2 a.m., you must be tired
and I'm keeping you here, Jacob. We should be going
to bed and call it a night." "Let your inner
light shine, my friend, go on with what you were doing
and please do not worry about me. I'm quite alright
and very entertained if you ask me." The artist
shrugged and said. "Just a few minutes more and
then we'll have another scotch on the balcony."
I watch him as he gets back down to work. Antonio Pessoa's
amazing power of persistence, I thought, that's the
real secret for his artistic success. It's always been
as far as I can recall. And it was indeed 2 a.m. by
then. As soon as I discovered it was already 11:30 a.m.,
I jumped out of bed, simultaneously recasting my priorities,
such as a good cold shower and a late breakfast delivered
by a silent Jasper at the spacious kitchen, all part
of a process of treating me like a special honor guest.
After taking a look a the ongoing situation in the artist's
Home Studio as I watched my energy level raise up by
witnessing the energetically vibrating excitement of
everyone's pleasurable working flux and flow, every
step I take toward Antonio Pessoa's contemporary Fine
Art shrine, Studio 1, the clearer it became that he
had company this morning. As I got closer to the door,
I knew the artist was facing a new challenge today.
Listening patiently to Boris Dainville's latest episodes.
I let myself in and after taking a sit and picking up
my notepad, I had to face the fact that Boris Dainville
had just been through yet another love affair setback
with a strange woman from Dublin who at last check proved
to be a tough pill to swallow for the millionaire and
enthusiastic art collector's delicate emotional attachment,
another overwhelming failure to join his rich content
love affairs diary. Now that I come to think of it I
have to admit The Beatles were right when they came
up with "Can't buy me Love" song. No matter
the stage of art performance Antonio Pessoa finds himself
in, he can't help run through a whole fully concentrated
working day, without being almost systematically interrupted
by unexpected visitors out of his endless list of unique
soul mates. Although this list seems to be the list
of an artist with a pretty wide and diverse social life,
unquestionable fact, the pros and cons of this circumstance
after all very often provides him with a rather awkward
momentum, sometimes in the form of a focus saboteur,
when art action remains stuck, eventually totally inactive,
while these overwhelming unexpected last minute visitors,
may prove to be long lasting gossip overloaded whimperish
meetings, classified information sessions, where his
best and closest friends, as bizarre as it may sound,
come to his Studio and to his arms seeking wise advice
on multiple emotional subjects, soul mates who at a
certain point of their lives seem to know little or
nothing about how to handle a specific situation, particularly
concerning matters of the flesh, of course. Although
I know and have to admit that running away from this
almost daily inevitable scenario may be Pessoa's first
instinct, somehow he ethically finds it more beneficial
to meet it head-on, taking a different approach to every
different situation. A valuable exercise! The artist's
good listener magic is thereby created from being a
giving person who gives to giving people, such as Boris
Dainville. The day goes by as the three of us continue
the communicating process, through lunch, another art
session time, tea time, a sunset walk along the boulevard
and by dinner time we were basically emotionally exhausted,
literally almost passing out on the dining room floor,
a simple way to put down in words how Boris Dainville's
love affairs setbacks can turn out to become a totally
thumbs down negative feelings network. Anyway, just
before midnight the lover boy goes away for good after
seven seasons with the saints, leaving us alone in a
sea of sighs in the ultimate effort to pull ourselves
together, having the last one for the road double Scotch
on the rocks at the exotic balcony overlooking the stunning
bay. Some Sunday! I woke up monday morning to join the
temper- based complaints of Miriam Di Rosa at the steaming
breakfast fancy round table. Contrary to what she seems
decided to believe, the artist is not bound for getting
easily trapped on her nightmarish reality, nor is he
willing to be mistakenly dropped off on her outmoded
planet. "Why isn't your Art the way it should be?
Just the way it used to be?" She complains as Antonio
Pessoa copes as best as possible with her sadness, with
his traditional well-being, tolerance and joy- even
detachment- as a pure realization that after all her
opinion matters, in spite of her stubborn unwillingness
to take the ultimate step and expand her vision into
the larger and far more innovative world of contemporary
art. This hard to deal conversation goes on for about
one hour, while Miriam's unsuccessful attempts to overcome
her hidden desperation became more and more obvious
till the moment the artist and I get up and leave the
kitchen, however no fast enough to miss her last disappointed
remark. "If you don't change your artistic style
I don't know what I will do!" That's the high price
for artistic freedom. I watch his amazing latest artworks
as we once again enter Studio 1.This room has become
his holy retreat, his world, his destiny. There was
only one particular mixed media on watercolor paper
which had been puzzling me throughout the whole weekend.
"One last thing... why don't you have it finished
yet?" I asked the artist. "Well...I suppose
I'll do it tonight, my friend...this one is a special
combination of our latest interesting events...including
yourself" He smiled. A naughty smile. "What
do you actually have in mind?" I asked as I came
closer to the unfinished artwork. "Because this
one is The Weekend Report". Jasper took me to the
airport after lunch. While we zipped along the highway,
suddenly I got the whole picture. After all that has
been his secret all the way during these days. The ultimate
relationship between real life and artistic interpretation.
The Weekend Report!
