Plein air is a technique for painting outdoors from life. En plein air is a French term for "in open air". The challenge with this type of painting is having to work with the elements of nature, primarily changing light. While I have dozens of finished plein air pieces available, many serve the purpose of field sketches that are used to develop full studio works at a later date. Several of the images you see are taken in stages, on location, as the painting developed. Alla prima, an Italian term, refers to the technique of wet-on-wet or first attempt primarily with oil paints. This is a process I like to follow as it's very challenging and yields fresh and dynamic results. I work plein air mainly in oils and occasional pastels. Most of my plein air paintings are usually created within 2-3 hours in one session, (alla prima). For the art collector, there is a distinct look and feel to plein air works; less detail, loose brushwork, "unfinished", fresh and juicy application of color, usually smaller scale due to the time constraints.