Green River, 2011 – Michaela Harlow – Oil on Panel, 24″ x 24″

The past two days have been busy ones here in my studio. I’ve been priming larger panels for new work and archiving more pieces for the website.

I just finished the first layer of gesso on a number of 3′ x 3′ panels and another group of vertical pieces with 3′ and 4′ dimensions. Next, I need to prime a group of 4′ x 4’s. I try to do this during dry weather, so that I can fling open the dogtrot doors and keep dust to a minimum by sanding panels outside on the terrace.

I’m very excited to get going on some larger work and to break out the oil paint.

 Priming panels with gesso isn’t the most exciting way to spend an afternoon. But I love these barefoot, summer days in the studio; doors open to warm sunshine and Portuguese music floating on the breeze.

 And now I have a room filled with big, blank pages. So exciting.

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