A Little Alla Prima

Greetings and Salutations Everyone!

In this post I wanted to share and discuss a recent and quick little (5” x 7”) alla prima still life I finished not too long ago. What I feel like I enjoyed most in the this work was the continual feeling of effortlessness in its construction; almost as if its freshness in preserving its simplicity was doing the majority of the work.

Once again beginning with a loose and general preliminary drawing in paint, I started to focus on the placement of the biggest shapes and planes, while paying special attention to the variations in edges. Typically when painting directly, I find it very helpful in working on edges first then working away from them. Always remember in that it is easier to make sharper edges later than it is to keep soft edges in the present. When painting directly and in this quicker mode of working, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of making all your edges uniformly sharp. I find it is best to keep in mind that if you see an edge that needs correcting, that to do so in the present and not wait til later when the paint is dry will save you some trouble.

What I find that I appreciate about this painting is that I feel like I was successful in preserving the objects local color and refraining from overmodeling. I have a tendency to go on autopilot in a way and I instinctively want to turn form everywhere as opposed to strategically turning form only in areas that will aid in leading the viewer’s eye around the painting where the artist wanted them to.

Please feel free to let me know what you think? Feedback is always welcome.

Thanks for reading Everyone!

-James Hansen
https://jameszenartist.weebly.com/