Painting the Figure in Alla Prima with Lucy Maddox

Painting the Figure in Alla Prima with Lucy Maddox

Level: Beginner / Intermediate (some drawing or painting experience recommended)
Ages: This course is designed for adults
(Art students aged 15 – 17 may be able to attend, please contact to discuss suitability)

3 session Saturday afternoon workshop

• Dates: Saturday 20, 27 September, 4 October – 2025
• Time: 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm (3 hours)
• Location: MAC Union Studio  | Level 1, 85 Union Street, Armadale

During this workshop, you will learn how to approach the figure using only alla prima or wet-on-wet techniques. “Alla prima,” meaning “at the first [attempt],” is a painting style that is quick and loose, lending itself to expressive and impactful paintings. Lucy Maddox will guide you through the main concerns of alla prima painting, including value, colour, decisive brushwork and edges. Each class will feature a nude model (undressed), and instruction will also focus on proportions and capturing a likeness.

Participants will undertake 1 painting each session of 3 hours.

Lucy Maddox is a Melbourne‑based contemporary painter and educator whose work explores connection, gesture and the physicality of the human body. Her richly tactile practice spans oil, watercolour, ink, gouache and digital mediums, with particular focus on hands and intimate physical gestures as conduits of emotion and communication. Lucy holds a BA (University of Pennsylvania) and an MA in Applied Linguistics (University of Melbourne) as well as an Advanced Diploma in Visual Arts (RMIT) She recently also undertook studies with Studio Escalier in Argenton-Chateau, France. Her work has been featured in national group shows and recognised through multiple prize shortlists, including the Wyndham Art Prize and Banyule Award for Works on Paper. Lucy is serving as President of Victorian Artists Society and teaches at RMIT.

Our small class sizes ensure an individualised learning journey with one-on-one tuition.

Images: Works by Lucy Maddox