Chess men Spring 2013 Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on Linen 10.5 x 16
We had a delightful painting session in the sun on Tuesday – watching the chess players on an early
spring day. When I haven’t looked for a
long time, it’s hard to SEE. But the
longer I sat, the more I could see the hat, the gesture, the slouch in the
chair, the look of interest in the eye by lookers-on. I could feel myself reaching my own stride as
the chess players did, changing chairs, changing tables -- a smile, a handshake
and a game. It’s like a moment out of
life – I have been reading how Vladimir Nabokov became maniacal when he hunted
for butterflies – he’d walk 12 kilometers (about 7.5 miles) a day searching for
butterflies. He couldn’t feel the limit
– it’s how I feel with the painting or the chessplayers feel with their
game. No matter I have painted that
scene fifty times, Nabokov would go over the same territory, like the chess
players sit with the same pieces every
time. It changes, it’s
new. And when this day is over there is
another one.
Chessmen Bundled Up Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic onlinen 12 x 12"
I can feel that way a little with writing. I have a new article in “A Perfect Event”
magazine, where they also feature pictures of our home: http://issuu.com/
Rue Vaugirard from the Park Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen panel 12 x 12" SOLD
We went out on Friday
to make a portrait of a woman and her children, in the park. I wasn’t sure the proximity to the playground
was a wise idea, but in fact, the closeness to the lollipops was a bonus. They
were a lovely family, from Holland (where it’s colder than here – the forsythia
is not yet in bloom). Blair and I both
painted them, in just 90 minutes – small pictures.
.
The daughter, almost three, was very interested in the
painting process. She’d place face and
nose close to the palette – to look deeply into those colors and smell the
paint, then watch me put the brush to canvas. It was charming and inspiring,
and makes me feel lucky to have such an intimate experience with someone so
young. Maybe someday she will be a
painter, too.
I painted again that afternoon with a family of three, in the Luxembourg Gardens. Because the Senat (which adjoins the Gardens) has been debating volatile
subjects, our bags are checked each time we enter. With painting supplies for four people, I
worried I’d be there all day, but the guard recognized me and waved us
through.
Forsythia Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen panel 12 x 12 inches
Laurie and Blair Pessemier
