Untitled #3 â“’ 2013 Michaela Harlow -16″ x 16″ Pastel & Pencil on Paper

 This is the third piece in a trio of paintings, completed over the past three days. All of the beech leaf paintings are 16″ x 16″, pastel/pencil on paper. This afternoon, I started on a different series.

Untitled #3 ⓒ 2013 Michaela Harlow -16″ x 16″ Pastel & Pencil on Paper

My work time was a bit disjointed; start and stop today. Driving back to the studio from Barton Cove early this morning, I discovered that it snowed in the hills overnight. It was slippery on the highway and there were many cars off the road. I made it halfway up my hilltop driveway and ended up jack-knifed on the hair-pin turn. Sounds like the name of a Johnny Cash album, doesn’t it?

Now that the adventure is over and my car is out, I have just enough time to post my entry for the day. I was hoping to make a run into town for a few soft, white pastel sticks. Not quite enough time. The stark beauty and quiet seclusion of winter in Vermont is fantastic inspiration for my work, but the demands of self-sufficient living in such an extreme environment often eat away at my creative time. Today’s events presented another strong reminder of the tenuous balance between the pull of two poles.