Preparing the surface: Imprimatura....

OK, I gather that none of you has ever fallen for Ethan Semmel, and can tell us nothing about him.  So let us change the subject.  <div> </div><div>Lately, I have painted several oils - normally, I paint them on an Imprimatura, ie a stained canvas, maybe with a scarlet, or a rich brown, to kill the white.  There are several theories behind this practice, but how valid they are is another matter.  Suffice it to say I normally stain the canvass with a red-brown, or perhaps a raw sienna, when painting in either oil or acrylic. </div><div> </div><div>However: for my last one, I thought = why bother with that?  I'm not especially deterred by a white canvas; why not just paint my colours directly onto it, without worrying about preparation?</div><div> </div><div>And so, gentle reader, I did.  And I don't think there's any real difference at all - for once, I was using an alla prima technique, rather than building my oil painting up from a grisaille (monochrome underpainting) but really: unless you're planning on glazing in transparent colours over a monochrome base (which is really interesting to do, by the way) I just don't see the point in building your painting on a monochrome base: except that it delays that awful point at which you have to apply actual, real colour ... so you can fool yourself that this delaying process is part of sound artistic practice.  </div><div> </div><div>But what do you do?  For myself, I think I shall be less inclined to stain the canvas in future, unless I want to build up a painting from a grisaille, and just go straight in with the colour instead.  But it will depend on future efforts - ie, I'll give it a go and see how it works.  Always interested, though, to know what others think!</div>