“An Afternoon in Eagle River", 2025
Alla Prima
Oil on Belgian linen board, 16 x12
Private Collection
Alla Prima
Oil on Belgian linen board, 16 x12
Private Collection
This is an outlook to the Chugach Mountains from a boardwalk at the Eagle River Nature Center in Alaska. It used to overlook a river that salmon used to spawn--but the beavers used the poles of the boardwalk to build a damn! The water levels rose and almost covered the boardwalk, and many plants and trees are under water now. It's created a new habitat for many new creatures, including swallows that enjoy the mosquitos. Most swamps and marshes I have seen elsewhere have very muddy, cloudy water, but this water flowing from the mountains is so clear and cold, it is tempting to drink it! (Which you should never do with standing water, especially if beavers live there!)
This is my second attempt to paint "alla prima", or in one sitting. Traditional oil paintings typically rely on many layers of thin paint that take days, if not weeks to dry before the next addition can be made. It allows for complex detail and nuanced color glazing that oils are known for. The alla prima approach still enjoys the beautiful, rich colors of oil, but creates something much closer to concept art--loose details, but emotionally evocative. Because all of the paint remains wet, much care must be made not to pollute colors with each other and create mud. Easier said than done, but like most things, enjoyable when it goes right!
This is my second attempt to paint "alla prima", or in one sitting. Traditional oil paintings typically rely on many layers of thin paint that take days, if not weeks to dry before the next addition can be made. It allows for complex detail and nuanced color glazing that oils are known for. The alla prima approach still enjoys the beautiful, rich colors of oil, but creates something much closer to concept art--loose details, but emotionally evocative. Because all of the paint remains wet, much care must be made not to pollute colors with each other and create mud. Easier said than done, but like most things, enjoyable when it goes right!
