When The Lights Go Down 

Jeff Jamison painted “When The Lights Go Down” using traditional techniques, with oils applied to a flat canvas. The work’s material qualities are defined by a wet-on-wet painting method, or alla prima, where layers are applied before the previous ones have dried. You can see this in the soft merging of colours and indistinct shapes which results in an ethereal effect. This technique lends itself to a particular kind of fleeting observation, capturing a sense of urban life as lived rather than a highly detailed rendering of it. The wet-on-wet process also speaks to the labor involved, and the quickness of hand required. It's a technique rooted in the history of easel painting, but here evokes the speed of modern life and the world of commerce that goes along with it. This reminds us of how our perception of “fine art” techniques is always historically contingent and in dialogue with wider social issues.