Artnotes: Spring in a Shell

 

Spring in a Shell   Laurie Fox Pessmeier   Acrylic/wood  7 x 9.5"  17 x 24cm

 Struggling with Winter  Luxembourg Gardens  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/linen  11 x 14"  27 x 35cm

 First trip to Trouville 2015   Laurie Fox Pessemier   Acrylic/linen  9.5 x 11" 24 x 35cm

 Trouville February 2015  Blair Pessemier  Acrylic/linen  11 x 14"  27 x 35cm

 St Sulpice En Plein Air   Laurie Fox Pessemier   Acrylic/wood  9.5 x 7"  24 x 17cm

Blustery Day St. Sulpice   Blair Pessemier   Acrylic/panel  12 x 12  30 x 30cm

Artnotes:  Spring in a Shell

I scooped out the bulb and emerging flower from my balcony planter, and set it in a glass shell container, placing SPRING on the dining room table.  Yes, finally, the hyacinthes are beginning once again to emerge in Paris.

As you can tell from a motley group of artnotes, our transition from Italy to Paris hasn’t been an easy one.  Harika was terribly sick, followed by me,  developing an infected lung.  I rarely take antibiotics, but the doctor let me know with a temperature of 39 (102.2), it was antibiotics or the hospital.  I am improving, with my last nauseating dose of antibiotic today. Ptui!

We sold more than 20 paintings from last week’s sale.  As if on cue, three new exposition opportunities have opened up for us in Paris:  Genio, a Venetian restaurant on Boulevard Raspail will host a wall of our Venice images beginning on Monday; in April we will have a show of our winter work “outside of Paris” at the Petit Lux; and from 24 June – 5 July we will be at Space 102, at 102 rue Cherche-Midi, where we had a show last spring.  As I type that (run-on) sentence I breathe a giant sigh of relief, that we will be able to show and sell work in Paris.

There is a grand bed of saffron colored crocuses in the Luxembourg Gardens this week.  I saw Mimosa for sale at the florist.  The sun comes up just about the time I wake up now, and it stays light out well after 6 PM.   It’s still a bit too cold to paint outside, but Blair and I bucked up on Friday at St. Sulpice.

It has been a difficult February for most merchants here – tourism is down.  I can see on Google Adwords fewer people are searching “painting Paris”.   Negative publicity is on the rise, and people who have zero credibility are spouting off about the dangers of Paris.  Some fellow walks around in neighborhoods which are of no interest to tourists, and wonders why people are rude to him:  he’s looking for trouble.  Honestly, it is much safer now that it was two months ago.  I remember how businesses closed in New York City after the World Trade Tower tragedy – in retrospect, what good did that do anyone?  Really, it was the WRONG-EST thing one could have done.

The sun is pouring into our apartment and I have a commission ready to paint.  After five years (we’ve been at 110 rue de Rennes that long), Harika (canine) walked into the kitchen for the first time.  I guess she thinks it is time to start living!