Paintings by Blair + Laurie Fox PESSEMIER: Artnotes: Don't Worry, it's Vacation

Loches, France Blair Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 12 x 12" 30 x 30cm 375.00

“Choose curiosity (wondering what might happen next) over worry (hoping that a certain specific thing will happen next, and fearing it might not) whenever you can.” Oliver Burkeman

As we sat in the junkyard office, after our car had been towed, I tried to apply that principle. Berlino’s tongue was nearly touching the floor, in 95 degree heat, and we had a giant pile of belongings near us (we left the extra mattress and painting easels in the car; I took the fan – I brought everything on vacation – we were driving, after all). The junkyard receptionist spat, “the taxi will be here at 5.” It was one one o’clock.

In Concarneau Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/wood wine box 6 x 13" 15 x 33cm 225.00

So went summer vacation. Online, I found a hotel that would take dogs and had a garden in nearby Cluny. It was actually quite nice (The Odilon, if you find yourself in Cluny, France). We sat in the back garden frequently, Berlino and me. We couldn’t come to a conclusion about what to do that first night, so we booked a second one. The next morning we got up, had the breakfast buffet, and headed to the Abbey at Cluny. It is quite a place, with vestiges of its 10^th century roots as the source of thinking, art, and civilization in Europe and the Western world. The complex was rebuilt and rethought at the start of the Renaissance. It was remarkable. And I started to think, maybe this is meant to be my vacation.

Flowers at Loches Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/canvas 10.5 x 9" 27 x 23cm 375.00
I got to paint with Yukie, who I usually paint with online!

On Thursday afternoon, we spoke to the car repair person who couldn’t possibly look at our car for a week. I became uneasy, trying not to worry: be curious. We were paying about 100 euros a night for this hotel, plus meals. On the other hand, it wasn’t free to go back to Italy – we would need to rent a car, or take a train with all of our belongings and the hound. We could stay with someone in France if we had transportation. We waited another day, mostly trying to find an available rental car we could afford. Meanwhile, the mercury was rising. We drove to Concarneau, leaving the fan with a hotel worker from Greenland.

Paiinting Indoors -- Chapel Tremalo, where Gaugin painted (Yellow Christ) near Pont Aven Blair Pessemier Acyrlic/canvas panel 14 x 11" 35 x 28cm Laurie Fox Pessemier Acrylic/wood 13 x 10.5" 33 x 27cm
375 each/ 600 pair

It was cool and misty in Northwest France. We all enjoyed that. Miraculously, on Monday, the car repair shop called us to tell us what was wrong with the car (nothing 1,600 euros couldn’t fix). So we began our trek back to Cluny. The car had to be picked up, as businesses close in late July/August in France and we could be without wheels until September.

Locranon Blair Pessemier Acrylic/13 canvas panel 12 x 12" 30 x 30 cm 375.00

We stopped to see the Alignments, those standing stone megaliths in Carnac, southern Bretagne. They are among my favorite monuments and leave me with a feeling of wonder. We ate duck and burgers for lunch; Berlino loved the burger. The rental car was acting up, and we stopped in Loches (Loire Valley) to get it repaired (when it rains, it pours) and stay with a good friend there. We painted together! By now, Blair, Berlino and I were beside ourselves, and left the following day at 6 AM to get to our own car, five hours away, by 11.

Cabellou Beach, Bretagne: Pulled Right and Left Laurie Pessemier Acrylic/13 canvas panel 4.5 x 13" 11 x 33 cm 175.00

I felt as though I’d been on one of those starvation diet vacations, or a language intensive workshop. The subject: don’t worry, be curious.

APOLOGIES to those friends we didn't get to see....next time.

INVITING All Artists to present their Work: Paint, Literature, Crafts, Food....

Pessemier's Sunday Salon
Weekly on Sunday No Reservation Necessary

How it works: Bring a piece of your ART: that could be visual, like painting or printmaking; or literary, as in poetry or prose; or crafts, like metalwork or knitting; or food, or music. Something you made, or feel particularly inspired by. You have about 5 minutes to present, and we'll ooh, ahh, or answer questions you have. You can also come and see how we work before diving in. Just show up on Zoom at a minute or two before the hour.
No selling, no networking until after everyone has presented.