Mother in Child Christmas 2019 (Golden Italy) Blair Pessemier acrylic/canvas
Happy Thanksgiving Weekend to All. We travelled this week (paintings from the archives) to Uzes, France. It is an eight and a half hour drive, through the Frejus tunnel. On the way there, we ate lunch on the French side, enjoying a warm chevre cheese salad and a lapin moutarde. The landscape and architecture moved from Golden Italy, to tones of Maroon and Blue in France. Grey skies never look so good as they do in France – yellow leaved trees set against a cold sky.
Portrait of Two Boys (France in Winter) Blair Pessemier acrylic/canvas
We stayed at the home of a good friend and one of our biggest art fans – Blair’s portrait of her dog occupies a place in the living room. Two Thanksgivings ago, she bought my Lamb. Together, we are planning strategies for selling our new work: bigger, bigger. I took photos of the plane trees lining the streets of the city. We reveled in the Medieval and Renaissance architecture; markets; restaurants.
Portrait of Violet, our Hostess's dog Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas
There were 12 people around our Thanksgiving table, citizens of France, the USA, Canada and England. We were all Francophiles and understood the language and customs. I felt nostalgic for the land of croissant and delicious wine. A generous attendee brought bottles of Sauterne, a wine I love. It’s rare to taste a Sauterne, and many wine shops no longer stock it. It pairs with certain fish and always dessert, when it was served at this meal. It’s a beautiful color, too.
The Lamb Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/newspaper
The French, who made up a third of the group, were thrilled to be celebrating this American holiday. It’s the only time we eat with abandon, and I have to say the quality of the food improves every year. Thanksgiving is a truly North American phenomenon I take pride in (not necessarily so, Black Friday, which has been adopted in France and Italy).
Guyon Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas
We had a 23 pound turkey and all the trimmings. I brought a Sicilian caponato that I made: one of those dishes that gets better the longer it rests. Blair made a beautiful pecan pie, which tasted even better than it looked, which was incredible in an old copper pan.
Portrait of the same Two Boys, 3 years later Blair Pessemier acrylic/canvas
I kept on meaning to paint, but the caresses of Violet, the wire-haired fox terrier; and the brilliant conversation of our hostess beckoned. We even visited the auction house in Avignon. It was a real holiday!
Grey sky, Yellow Trees Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas
INVITING All Artists to present their Work:
Pessemier's Sunday Salon Weekly on Sunday No Reservation Necessary
No comments:
Post a Comment