Nothing to Hide: an Alla Prima Painting

This alla prima painting, entitled Nothing to Hide, seemed like a perfect image as we careen towards Valentine’s Day this week. Why? Well, first there’s a red background in it. Second, there’s a lovely nude model who is sitting confidently.

As I painted her, I felt as if she exuded a sense of self awareness and calm. This sense made me wonder how different this world would be if we could all approach each other in a similar manner.

I’m excited to share this figure painting with you for several reasons. First, figure painting is a challenge to a painter that a marathon is to a runner. Completing an alla prima figure painting like this takes training, persistence, discipline as well as an ability to connect with the sitter.

What is Alla Prima

Wait before I continue, I guess I should share with you that, in general, alla prima, means a painting completed in oils, in a single session and typically from life. So, in other words, I painted this lovely model in one evening at a local studio/school here in Raleigh, NC.

I have been painting models in these alla prima sessions every week since we returned to Raleigh last summer. For me, the combination of painting a live model and gathering with other artists interested in the same topic and goal is the closest thing to ‘church’ I know.

You may wonder if I consider these paintings ‘complete.’ For their intended purpose, that is, to finish a figure painting in an evening, I do consider it a complete painting.

Cultivate Ideas

However, I also believe that working these paintings with different models, poses and fellow artists each week, helps me cultivate ideas. In other words, I have numerous of these paintings here in my studio. And, as I evaluate and critique them, I imagine how I might incorporate what I have finished in a single evening into longer paintings.

So each painting builds on itself. At least that is my hope, goal and dream. What’s interesting is I have decided to incorporate alla prima still life paintings into my monthly goals. Ideally, I hope to share these paintings with you as a part of my 2020 “Favorite Things” project.

This week’s Favorite Things alla prima still life painting was a big HUGE bomb, people. Ya, it just shows you that this creative process I’m in (and maybe you are in, too?) is an ever evolving state of proficiency and, well, duds.

Wipe Out Time

What’s that I hear you wondering? How bad could your alla prima still life painting be, Julie? Oh, it was bad! So bad that after working on it for about 3 1/2 hours, I wiped it off.

Why in the world am I sharing this with you? Because, dear reader, the learning never ends. And, there’s value in being able to step away from something that’s not going well. Think of those amazing monks who create beautiful Mandalas and then blow them away when they’re finished. Except the alla prima still life painting I painted this week, didn’t need to be viewed, it just needed to be blown away and pronto! (Insert smiley emoji here).

Is this hard for me? Of course! Does it kinda … you know stink to have to do this? Absolutely! But it’s freeing to let some of these paintings go. They vaporize into nothingness and make room for the next painting that is calling to me.

For Sale

The good news is that this lovely alla prima figure painting is for sale here! If you think you’d enjoy this painting in your home, I would love to send it to you. And, if you think you might enjoy getting weekly updates from my blog, you can subscribe here.

There you have it, friends! What’s the alla prima equivalent of creativity in your world? Please share in the comments below and thank you for reading here today!