Dear Art Lover,
How many friends does it take to help a
girl buy a car in a foreign country?
Well, in my case, in Italy,
I would say more than a handful. I was
not really prepared to buy a car just yet.
I mean, that I WAS, after having gotten my international driver’s
license when I was in the US and I gave myself three weeks to research and find
a car to buy [before the license went into effect] so that I could go to the
quarry and start carving a new stone sculpture.
But after falling and breaking my wrist, the need for a car so soon
drove away.
Then it was suggested that I use my
healing time to at least start researching what I wanted. I asked on my Facebook page for much advice
from locals. That posting led to a
friend tagging me for an old car for sale in my area. It looked ok in the photos, one owner (a
90-year-old woman), less then 75 kilometers (which is pretty amazing,
especially if you change that into miles!), and decent looking tires [but bad
spare under the hood].
However, I was nervous and did not feel
ready yet. I did not respond to the ad
for about a week. In the meantime, I did
more research, vacillating about whether or not I really wanted to take action
now. I am still paying off my trip to
the US
after all and I cannot physically drive yet.
But, hey, I might as well go see it and re-learn what to look for in a
car.
The man selling my future car met me at
the bus station in Montecatini Terme, a town perhaps 40 minutes by transport
from my home. But he was in a hurry and
I worried it was a scam. I sat in the
car, turned on the ignition, moved the gears around, but was unable to drive it
(time and ability). I took a few
photographs that I thought my helping friends could use. I asked where to put the oil into the engine,
as well as where to check it, but stupidly did not even take a look at the oil
myself. Sheesh, what was I
thinking?
This is only the second vehicle that I
have ever purchased myself. Before I got
married, I usually drove whatever old car my father had to give me. Once I got married, my husband made all the car
decisions, often surprising me with a new-to-us Volvo 240 when he deemed the
time was right. But after college and
before meeting “the man,” I moved to the big city of Austin, Texas,
and bought a 1979 GMC Dura Van. That was
in 1987. I paid $3,000 cash for it, with
a partial loan from my father that I paid off sooner than later. I had had a long-term dream to finish college,
get a dog, buy a van, and drive to Oregon. I did those things and in that order, coming
back to Texas
as an engaged woman. In 2015, I gifted
my van to a friend who does art restorations in Austin.
I loved that vehicle!
Back to 2017 in Tuscany
(and single again): I returned to my new
hometown in the hills of Italy
via bus after my short visit with the 1998 white Fiat Panda. I had a conversation with my landlord [and
his brother, who recently replaced his old white Panda with another] and showed
him some of the images I took. Later
that evening he spoke on the phone with the seller and then me. Trustingly, I committed to buying the car that
night, but it was not for two more days that I returned to Montecatini Terme to do the title transfer and get driven
home. My landlord was there and looked
over the car [saw a weld in my future] and met the man he had spoken to a
couple of times by then. I was handed
the keys as the man and his friend drove off in a little Smart car.
I had bargained some, but gave all of my
remaining cash towards the new car. For
those curious, the title transfer cost me 370 euro in cash [since I have no
bank in Italy]. Had the size of the motor been larger, the
fee would have been higher. That is more
than half of what I paid for the car itself!
My landlord took these snapshots of me with my new vehicle.
I am still not driving. Although my
landlord and another neighbor helped me get an amazingly low quote on car
insurance for when I am ready, I am postponing buying insurance, hoping to sell some art first. But also, my right wrist is still not strong
enough. I could not even take off the
emergency brake! Another neighbor, who
really encouraged me to get a car and helped a lot in the research, came over
to take a look. He later drove it over
to his property: it is illegal to park a
car without insurance on a public road.
So, the Panda is safe there and I can even see her from my windows.
I am still thinking of a design to paint
on her. I bought a small can of blue
paint for metal. As I told the man in
the hardware store, “I just bought an old white Fiat Panda. Everyone seems to have one. How will I ever find my car in the parking
lot?” I want a design that helps me
recognize my new baby, but not one that shouts, “Kelly just drove by.” You know, in case I do something stupid. [Oh, and the low insurance price came in part
because the agent will install a scatola nera [black box] in my car. It will know where I am driving [so it knows
the local speed limit] and monitor my driving habits. So, perhaps the first year, I will be
constantly taking an exam. And towards
the end of this year, I need to take the Italian driving class and exams and
earn my Italian driver’s license. So, I
get to feel like a teen all over again.
Joy.
Ok, so here is one way that I hope to earn
that insurance. But really, anything I
still have in stock or even many of the products, such as my book about street
painting in Florence,
or shower curtains, pillows, a phone case, prints on metal, etc. would help me
while giving you something that I hope enriches your life… check out some of the
art products here: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-kelly-borsheim.html
Summer SALE:
Original pastel, framed in wood, with glass and acrylic spacers [to protect
pastel from touching the glass] $1500 [o 1200 euro se sei in Italia/Europa],
world-wide shipping included. As usual, payment plans accepted. Offer ends 31 August 2017.
"Sleeping Angel"
[Caravaggio-inspired
original art]
18" x 24" [framed with glass and acrylic spacers, black wood]
Pastel on UART Acid-free Premium sanded paper
© 2010 - 2012 Kelly Borsheim
I look forward to hearing from
you.
Peace,
Kelly Borsheim, artist
Thank you!
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| Detail 1: Soft texture on the male figure to contrast with... |
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| Detail 2 : I really tried to rough up the texture in the sheets. |
This stone was cut from the marble quarried
for the artist's carving of the Gymnast. There was a block cut from
above the head of the Gymnast. 
