This Saturday June 11, Jordan demonstrated the “alla prima/color spot” oil method based a small still life in our studio.
This “alla prima” (at first attempt) painting Art Clinic really gets to the heart of what representational painting is, just pieces of color on a canvas. Yet when the color is accurately mixed and placed next to other accurate pieces of color, the paint vibrates and tricks the eye into believing the marks are more than just paint. Alla Prima stresses application of paint and color mixing to get an accurate painting the first time.
Still life painting can look labored and lifeless. I believe this is a result of having too much time to finish the painting. Yet after changing the paint application method and shortening the amount of time allowed to complete the painting, the energy returns to the final product. This art clinic is about keeping the spontaneity and freshness alive in your still life painting. We’ll practice the three steps in creating a fresh painting. 1) Identification of the color 2) Mixing the color 3) Putting the color in the right spot. Simple as that!