"God does not play dice" AE
Playing Cards Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on panel 5 x 10 inches
“ ‘God does not play dice,’ Albert Einstein proclaimed. But
who knows what kind of games God likes to play? My parents and grandparents
taught me that God can’t be trusted; that, powerful as He is, He’s not above
trying to pull a fast one. When God hands you change, make sure to count it.
When God showers you with blessings, make sure a lightning bolt isn’t heading
your way. Ask Job how much you can trust your good fortune…” from
Sy Safransky’s notebook.
It was one of those weeks:
the good and the bad, the sun and the rain, the up and the down and more.
Trouville in March 2013 Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen 15x 18 inches
We spent three days in sunny Trouville. We painted pictures of the beach every day, made
lots of sketches, and carved some printing plates. We found:
a cocktail umbrella – reminding me of a ‘Shirley Temple’ with a
maraschino cherry served at a grown-ups party;
a mass of net and seaweed, suitable for a scarf; a rock [among millions],
completely black, another completely white; a yellow plastic boomerang which never
came back; paper amidst the sand giving the impression of blue willow pottery;
a bottle cap shaped like a hat on top of a sand fort. Sand
castles abounded – it was school vacation week and kids were prolific.
Napoleon at the beach Laurie Fox Pessemier Acyrlic on wood 6 x 12 inches
All this was thanks to a friend’s apartment. It was a rugged place, three
twin beds and pigeons on the roof and in the walls, day and night. We walked up three flights and a near-ladder
(Harika had to be carried) to the penthouse, and my neck has just regained its
normal verticality.
The view was
good. I cooked fresh fish two days in a
row, on a funky gas-fired stove, two of three burners working. The olive oil was frozen in the bottle when
we arrived. Lucky the heat worked in the
bedroom. We stayed three days because
Harika was having a good time and we had to get back for work at the gallery on
Thursday.
Playing on the Beach at Trouville 2013 Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 9 x 13.5
At the gallery, butterflies [prints] flew out our door, into the hands of an
old friend we’d not seen in years. I sold another painting, just as our landlord let us know he's sold our space. We have to move out by the end of May. The
French authorities called to let us know our naturalization papers
would take another five years (the cheery woman behind the desk, told
us "don't be discouraged") There are
lots of other people who need naturalization more than we do.
Sleeping on the Beach Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen 11x 16
The highlight of the week was the staging of “D’Artagnan”
from our gallery, by a private troupe of players for a Russian man making a
gift to his wife and son. But I am
saving that story for next week, no kidding!
