Small Alla Prima Paintings

Alla prima is an Italian term which means “at the first” or “at once”. Also known as direct painting, it is a method in which paint is applied wet into wet and the painting is completed in one session. My usual way of painting is to work wet over dry with a multitude of painting sessions spanning a couple months, allowing dry time in between each session to build up many layers of paint. I wanted to challenge myself to do the opposite. These small alla prima paintings range from 3 1/2 x 5 inches at the smallest up to 6 x 8 inches at the largest.