Autumn Fragment, 2014 – Michaela Harlow – 15″ x 20″, pastel on (19″ x 24″) paper 

It’s an incredibly dark and gloomy day —rain mixing with snow beneath a heavy overcast— as I shift from oil paint on panel to pastel on paper.  So dark is it, in fact, that it was rather difficult to photograph today’s pastel painting in natural light. It’s not satisfactory in terms of capturing the texture, however I think I got the general gist of color and a sense of the layers (hues are definitely more vibrant, as you can imagine looking at the surrounding paper, which is in reality, bright white).

The process of painting with pastel is similar, but much faster, than painting with oil. I began this morning with a quick sketch, applied fixative, and primed some panels while waiting for the piece to dry. Within a half hour I was able to add another layer —and then another layer, and another layer— all while completing other tasks. I expect to work in pastel for a few days, and then return to oil painting again.

 Sunlit Veneer, beside the studio door

I’ve stacked some plywood beside the door, anticipating a bit of help cutting a few more 1′ panels. And look, there’s a different angle on ‘Sunlit Veneer’, drying beside the door.

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