Saturday, September 07, 2013

Artnotes: Flying from Here to There


 
Tiger Swallowtail Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10 x 20 inches

When I try to sum up our trip to the USA, I am stymied:  it is always wonderful, a little sad, fabulously successful and hard to leave behind.   Although it takes me a week or so to get used to being “home”, it takes that much time to adjust to being back (home, too, I guess—which is which?).    When Blair wanted to look at places to live in the US six months a year, I told him “I can’t live in two places.” 
 I loved the long conversations in which I understood not only the language, but the cultural vocabulary that provoked them.   I discovered that I missed some current lingo:  I shouldn’t be using the word exceptional, except to describe disabled children; special hasn’t been a legitimate description for some time.   I hung on every word, regardless of philosophical or political opinion.  I love that I can do that – coming from afar I lay no claim to any political party, and can like everyone.  I think it is sad that people line up on a side (I can see you cringing as you read this).   I see things as an outsider now, readily uncovering the economic motivations for most political decisions.

From the Badminton Court  Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic/canvas 16 x 20

We drove our Prius (gas economy is all I can say) over 3,600 miles while we were there.  It was impossible to walk anyplace on account of lack of sidewalks and other cars.   I swam a lot.  I loved jumping into the very cool water and being weightless (helping me to forget the pounds I put on while I was there).    We ate lobsters and corn, hot dogs and nachos.
We were in the country with bears and bobcats, skunks and bats.  In the lake there were fish, which would come right up and check me out if I stood still long enough.  I watched the birds pick bugs out of automobile grills, like a barbecue.  Harika rolled in the grass in Connecticut and Virginia; she ate meatballs and cold cuts.
Harika   Laurie Fox Pessemier   Acrylic/canvas  12 x 12    

We have a new gallery, “J Gallery” in North Carolina, and left more paintings with the Riverfront Gallery in Westport, Connecticut.   Our show at the String and Splinter in High Point was a big success.
Our first few days back in Paris were hot and sultry, followed by intermittent rainstorms on Friday’s  painting workshop.  Our painter (just one) braved the elements with us, and we produced a few canvases.  It felt very good to be back at painting again.  

Chair in the Luxembourg Gardens   Blair Pessemier   Oil on canvas 15.5 x 18   

I made dinner last night for American friends, one who lives here, and another who used to.  We played Quiddler using our new battery-powered card shuffler from the US.    My tomatoes are ripening on the vine, well-tended by friends J and M in our absence.  My first one is almost ready to pick.  No deer on the sixth floor balcony.

Butterfly impression    Laurie Fox Pessemier  Acrylic on canvas  16x 20  


 Early AM on the Lake   Laurie Fox Pessemier    11 x 14 
 Butterfly three   Laurie Fox Pessemier   16 x 20
Under Umbrellas   Laurie Fox Pessemier    10 x 12.5 inches

Burr Pond Trees 2013  Laurie Fox Pessemier   16 x 20

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