An Artistic Encounter in Paris

I emerged from the Rennes Metro stop and looked around, trying to orient myself to the bustling neighborhood of the 6^th Arrondisement in Paris. I was on a quest to find the apartment of two American artists living in Paris whom I had met through their blog on the internet. Laurie and Blair Pessemier are living their dream as artists in the City of Light, and I wanted to see what their life and art were really like. I arranged to visit their home studio and perhaps take home a treasure or two.

The top floor apartment was very easy to find, and the Pessemiers were so warm and welcoming. The place is tiny, painted bright yellow, and filled with paintings – on the walls, on the floor, stacked against the fireplace.  I knew it would be difficult to choose only one. As we drank café au lait and chatted about their artistic life in Paris and beyond, I realized that it not easy to pick up and move to a new country. Dealing with a new language and different cultural expectations, not to mention the impossibly illogical French way of doing business would stress out anyone, especially when you have the added pressure of supporting yourselves with your artwork.  Laurie and Blair manage to pull it off with flair. I left feeling so inspired, and hope to paint with them the next time I am in Paris. Oh, and yes, I bought two small paintings. 

To read their blog and see their work, please visit   http://artnotesparis.blogspot.com/