Artnotes: "God Does Not Play Dice"

 "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!