First Day at Chloe’s Studio

My first day at Chloe's studio began at 1 PM on the 20th of February, 2020.

Across from an ornate temple, Chloe's studio is situated above a little restaurant that is accessible through the back entrance, using an elevator that doesn’t quite work the way it should! It opens right into her studio like a penthouse suite. She greeted me in a hoodie and slacks whose original color was hardly visible due to the layers of spattered paint that coated them.

As the lift doors opened, I was immediately surrounded by her floor to ceiling paintings that were stacked tall against the walls and gave the impression of walking into an overgrown garden!

(Images taken from Chloe’s Instagram @chloemanasseh_studio)

The room was flooded with natural light and the large windows overlooked the temple across the street. I felt very at ease in this cozy little duplex space.

The second floor is accessible by a narrow flight of stairs. This is where Chloe does most of her painting and canvas building (among other things). I followed her upstairs to find a scene that perfectly captured the organized chaos that an artist thrives in.

(Image taken from Chloe’s Instagram @chloemanasseh_studio)

The hardwood floors were covered with sheets of clear plastic to protect them from the numerous bowls, tubs, tubes and jars of various liquids and concoctions. It was almost akin to entering a laboratory!

Since it was about a month prior to her exhibition, every inch of the wall space was filled with massive vibrant canvases and painted room dividers that were in the process of drying.

(Image taken from Chloe’s Instagram @chloemanasseh_studio)

While Chloe was showing me around, one of the artists that she shares the studio with returned home. Soon we heard her call out that one of the fluorescent lights weren’t working. We went downstairs and Chloe stood up on the chair to try to fix the light, but the fixture came apart in her hands and we had to hold it in place using tape! Chloe joked that the lighting in this studio space was quite poor which was why she got most of her work done during the day when there was plenty of natural light.

Chloe had mentioned during the interview that she would teach me how to build and stretch canvas frames and I was excited to begin! She unpacked four sets of canvas frames and demonstrated how to put the four sides together.

I had never seen how this was done before and she patiently led me through the process of assembling the frame. She brought out a large flat wooden hammer called a mallet and began banging hard, making sure to keep turning the canvas on each side so that the angles would form right angles at a uniform pace.

I gave it a shot and realized that it required a lot of arm strength. This was a good physical workout! I quickly got the hang of it and assembled the other four within the next half an hour, while Chloe lent me her expert eye.

Next came the stretching part.

Chloe was using raw un-primed canvas fabric for her works because she wanted to prime the canvases herself and get the texture she wanted. She had forewarned me that it would leave its mark on my fingers and knuckles (she showed me her knuckles that were a little raw due to the friction of canvas on skin).

She allowed me to use her old and trusted leather gloves that were full of holes as well as her red wood stapler. I found stretching the canvas the most challenging because doing so required a lot of strength to keep the canvas taut and in place while stapling it into the wood.

After some trial and error ( and much pulling, perspiring, groaning and sighing) and with Chloe’s extra pair of hands, I managed to get the hang of it and the canvases could be hit like a drum. I was very proud of the work we had done and was grateful for a teacher who offered me digestive biscuits and urged me on during the process!

She openly talked about her practice and the themes that she was exploring for this exhibition. Her concept was centered round her Jewish heritage and her sense of belonging in the cultures that she had been exposed to.

She had painted both sides of a wooden room divider that was leaning against a railing. One side depicted an indoor setting; this side was cool toned, with rich blue and green foliage and vivid birds. The other side was an outdoor landscape full of yellows, oranges, purples and pinks. I loved the contrast and her fluid mark making!

(Image taken from Chloe’s Instagram @chloemanasseh_studio)

Chloe then told me how to prime the four canvases I had built and stretched. But before we primed them, she showed me how to rid the canvas fabric of any creases that might remain even after being stretched tightly. She had a spray water bottle that she used to dampen the fabric and then used her fingers to rub down any wrinkles.

Next, she gave me a large tub of gesso and a flat brush and instructed me to coat the four canvases that I had built and stretched with one thick layer.

As I was priming the canvases, she showed me how to save my turpentine and reuse it many times instead of throwing it away. The method required waiting for the paint sediments at the bottom of the jar of turpentine to settle for a couple of days. Once there was a clear visible layer of heavy sediments and the slightly yellow turpentine floating on top, all one had to do was to delicately pour the turpentine into a new container without disturbing the sediment layer. This turpentine, although somewhat discolored, was perfectly good to use!

About 5 hours later, I was set to leave at about 6 PM. There wasn’t much else to do while the gesso was drying.

She told me that she would be working largely from home except for Thursdays and Saturdays. This is because there were certain elements of her exhibition such as painted pots and tiles that required a cleaner environment and more precision. Since Thursdays are my busiest day at school, we agreed that I’d come to the studio every Saturday and any other day she’d need me there.