Photo from the early morning, Hemlock Lodge 2015
Two boys and two boats Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/panel 13 x 18 inches 33 x 46 cm
Reading Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/linen 21 x 16”
Trees at Hemlock Lodge Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/panel
11 x 14
Artnotes: This Country
I wake up every day wondering what language to speak. My gains in Italian were thwarted by three
weeks in Paris; now I breathe a sigh of relief when I realize I can talk to the
kids at the beach in English. On the
rare occasion when the Internet works, I try “memrise” or an Italian video, in
anticipation of August.
Harika and I spent the morning on the beach. I painted these boys three years ago; two
have become men, the other two aren’t far behind and now there’s two more
little ones. The girl seems to have
moved on, maybe in marriage, or to a boyfriend of her own. I can dazzle them with my painting – the two
little boys, the boat, one of the grown ones in the deck chair.
We’ve been coming here to Hemlock Lodge for fifteen years
now – the age of my nephew Henry. The
first year he was only four months old, sat in the water in the “shrimp boat” –
a foam baby chair which floated. My
father can no longer make it up the hill.
When we went out for lunch, I tried to help him out of the car – he is
so light (or maybe I am strong from moving out of Paris), I seemed to have
lifted him off the ground.
I love America – from speaking my own language, to visiting
with women at the thrift store (we bring no clothes here, only paintings, and
must buy a wardrobe each summer), to sitting on the porch electrocuting bugs
and reading books. Going to the grocery
store is easier than anywhere else we have lived.
On Friday, I went to the store to buy lamb chops for
grilling on the barbecue, and ingredients for a carmelized garlic tart (new/old
cookbook: Plenty). They had everything
I needed in one place – imagine it – and I smiled as I placed my purchases on
the cash register belt. Lo and behold,
my credit card didn’t work. It was the
only means of payment I brought. I was
most disturbed, told them I could go to my father and borrow the money – they
said they would keep my basket. Then I
started to think more about it, and went for the cash machine, which didn’t
work either. I looked toward my
basket. Just then the cashier called me
over – “this woman”, she said, “wants to pay for your groceries”. What?
I told her I could send her a check. She told me not to worry about it,
she was just paying for them.
$70.00! I choked up, I was so
struck by her generosity.
What a wonderful country!
We're driving South to
show paintings at the String and Splinter Club, with TAG, on the
evening of 15 July; then onto Figure 8 Island, for their Splash! with
our artwork on the 17 July.
