• "Alla Prima", (also called Direct Painting, or "au premiere coup" ), means "at the first" or "at first strike". It refers to a time-honored method epitomized in the work of John Singer Sargent. Carolus-Duran, Sargent's teacher, encouraged his students to lay on the paint stroke by stroke without re-working, that they might achieve the greatest amount of freshness and accuracy with the minimum means..."the right stroke in the right place". Alla Prima paintings are generally done in one session, and before the paint dries. This style is considered among many to require the greatest amount of technical facility, for the artist's attention must remain focused on the most important aspects of the subject, skillfully subordinating all others.
• Paintings which are done "en plein air" are alla prima works done "in open air", or on location. While working en plein air, the artist must work surely and quickly to accurately capture the light, structure and mood of his subject. This requires a masterful understanding of color, values and edges, and the ability to synthesize a wealth of information while contending with wind, heat, cold, bugs, and every weather condition imaginable. In spite of this, or maybe because of it, there is something indescribably alluring about this glorious quest.
• "Pochade" (pronounced poe-shod') is the French word for a rough sketch. Outdoor artists since Constable and Turner have painted small studies for the direct stimulous of the scenes. The works are usually done in as few strokes as possible, in order to capture rapidly changing weather or light effects. Often pochades begin as field studies to be later used in the studio. Filled with immediacy and mood, they are in their own right complete works, and a direct and honest expression of an artist's intent.