Christmas Lights on Rue de Rennes Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/wood 13 x 7 inches
Artnotes: We need the rain
It’s cold and rainy and I have been holed up making
Christmas cards and books, and reading Samuel Pepys’ diaries from 1659 – 69,
and the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon.
Pepys’ diaries are some eleven volumes, and after more than
a year on Kindle I have crested the 2/3 point.
I’ve been through the Plague and the Great Fire. I don’t especially like Sam, but the point of
view and time is so interesting, I can never (and may never be able to) put it
down.
Japanese Tourists at Giverny in the Rain Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/wood 13 x 5.5 inches SOLD
The Pillow Book is the diary of a Japanese lady-in-waiting,
in the latter half of the tenth century.
She writes about what people
wore, and where they went, what they did.
I love her description such as, “she had on several plum- red under-robes
of different shades, an unlined costume of deep red damask, a long, flowing
robe of darkish red and an over-robe of richly embroidered light green silk…”. The other thing I quite enjoy about her
writing are her lists: of “things that
make one’s heart beat faster”, “unsuitable things”, “rare things”…
Under a Turquoise Umbrella Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on wood 13 x 5 inches
Which brings me to today’s artnotes theme: we need the rain. We do NOT need the rain. Whenever it rains ANYWHERE people like to say
“we need the rain”, whether they do or do not.
Weathermen revel in “we need the rain”.
Rain makes me sad. Short of
living in or near the desert, most of the rain that comes is superfluous, and should
be limited to night time. Hence, some “repeat”
pictures in artnotes: it is impossible to paint outdoors.
Our elevator has been out of commission for two weeks now,
as Blair, Harika and I trudge up six stories to our apartment three or four
times a day. If one more person tells me it is good for my
health, I will be glad to show them just how healthy I am and strangle them.
These two elements for the foundation of my list of tiresome
RATIONALIZATIONS which also include:
“It’s for his own good”:
uttered by parents as they conveniently shuffle their child off to an
undesirable event.
“We cut down all of our trees so they wouldn’t fall on the
house”. This seems to
be the mantra of the electric company as an excuse for not burying the power
lines.
“We’re not getting a dog because we won’t be able to travel”. Most people don’t go anywhere, anyway.
Buying back “carbon credit” is right up there with driving a
giant car/SUV/van to the recycling station.
Less hateful, but
just as silly is: “let’s go out for dinner, it’s as cheap as eating at home”. With that, I am making pork and clams for
lunch.
Laurie and Blair PESSEMIER
Rain in Auver sur Oise Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic on linen 13 x 16
COME TO THE FAIR at the AMERICAN CHURCH in PARIS on 16 November! we'll
be selling hand made Christmas Cards, Books and small Paintings!
