Paintings by Blair + Laurie Fox PESSEMIER: Artnotes: Look around

Newspaper Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on wood 13 x 7.5 inches SOLD

ARTNOTES: LOOK AROUND

Friday morning a song drew my attention to a planter I never saw before, at the entrance to the Luxembourg Gardens at Place Auguste Comte. A little bird was heralding in the first day of summer from a carved stone perch fifteen feet above our heads. When I looked at him he stopped, jumped back slightly – do birds really know I am looking at them or is this a coincidence? I said to Blair I must be mistaken that there was a bird there, but as we went around to the back, I spied his little profile.

While painting outside in the Luxembourg Gardens, the skies opened up and the rain came down “in cords” as one would say here. It was buckets, tons, forks and knives of rain, obscuring vision and soaking to the skin in just a few seconds.

Under these circumstances, we moved our painting gear and two other painters beneath the pavilion in the park. There were a good 75 people with us under there, including someone from Connecticut who had bought painting from us in past. He helped me move our chairs to beneath the roof. What were the chances? Their daughter was running in the rain and joined us drenched and cool (the heat and humidity has been oppressive these last few days).

There was a beautiful mother with her child in my view, and a group of black teenagers all a-giggle with being stuck inside/outside. A school classroom of kids enjoying the park shared our haven, and a French woman was eating her lunch was close by. It was a smattering of humanity, which always makes me feel glad to be part of this planet.

There are other things I love about these unexpected moments – they make an otherwise “perfectly-planned” day oodles more interesting. For a moment I felt thrilled with the rain, as it made me feel like there was more to life than what I expected.

On Thursday I actually saw something I’ve not seen before in Paris: men putting little cloth sacks over the immature fruit on the trees in the Luxembourg Gardens. This protects the fruit from the ruthless starlings, who know the minute something ripens. I love the gentleness of this action, fitting the little bag around the fruit. The bag has an elastic edge to keep it on snugly, without restricting growth.

I think I still miss so many little details, which contain the very essence and importance of life. I make a point to leave my phone behind and take my time, look around.