My early morning writing has fallen by the wayside as we
have more and more painting workshops.
This week we went out to the Bois de Boulogne and Auvers-sur-Oise. Coming up is a day at the Seine and
Tuileries, just before the opening of our “he loves me, he loves me not” Flower
Art Show on Thursday.
Through the Cherry Tree Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 12 x 12 inches
We picked up our painter at 9:30 this Sunday morning – traffic
was negligible as we headed Northwest out of the city. We visited the graves of Vincent and Theo
van Gogh – Harika snuck in behind us, despite my best intentions to keep her
outside the cemetery. “We in France
welcome dogs,” an older woman told me as I tried to catch her, so off she went. Something about all those bones made me
nervous, but it was fine.
We walked through the field where Vincent was shot – it is
pretty clear now that he was accidentally murdered by young boys playing with a
gun. I really feel happier about him
knowing that. A path leads from the
fields down to the church. We continued
through the town – Blair had hoped to paint in the city park, but there was an
event going on. We continued further on,
where our associate visited Vincent’s rooms.
We painted not far from there –on a street overlooking
buildings and flowering trees. Harika schmoozed with every tourist that walked
by, as well as the locals. “This dog
wants water,” a local woman in a house dress and penciled on eyebrows
admonished me. She could have been
Vincent’s model. “There’s water in the
park, where they are serving lunch,” she continued, “it’s the best water in all
of Europe.” I told her I’d be sure to
try it.
French Bulldog and friend Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 10 x 7"
As we finished up our morning painting, we decided to go for
the lunch “event” on the grass. Salad, bread, duck and roasted potatoes, crepes for dessert, wine and coffee. Eaten beneath a tent, people sang-along to
live tunes played on the accordion.
People at the Bois de Boulogne Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on wood 16 x 7.5 inches
We had lunch of a different sort at our Bois-de-Boulogne
session. We took the ferry across the
lake to the Chateau-des-Iles, where we ate a gourmet lunch on the patio. Men wore jackets and the napery was
linen. I did my best to clean my painted
hands.
Lunch at the Bois de Boulogne Blair Pessemier 12 x 12 inches
There were a plethora of dogs, people and bicyclists at the
Bois de Boulogne. Most played well
together, save for an English bulldog who took exception to a fluffy dog (all
ended up intact). We had lots of
admirers and our fellow painter was a good sport.
Mid-week, we ate dinner at our house with an old friend from
the Cordon Bleu Cooking School here. I
made a Barbue (which I believe is the equivalent of a Sunfish) – more than four
pounds of fish, like a giant sole. I was
honored she took a photo of him.
Single Iris Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen 13 x 9
Three Story House Auvers Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen
Reflections/Boats Blair Pessemier Acrylic on wood
The Big Tree Blair Pessemier Acrylic on linen
