October in Cal/Ital

October light is so beautiful here in Southern California. Sunshine is certainly no stranger here, but it takes on a special quality in October. Whether it's the lemony light of morning, the saffron gold of afternoon, or the peachy glow of early evening, it is both seductive and taunting. Seductive because it tempts me to go outside and bask in it's glow--and paint. Taunting because I know that the days are getting shorter; the sun makes his appearance a little later and goes to bed a little earlier each day. Come on, it says, what are you waiting for; come paint.

Come out here and paint en plein air.

Ah, it sounds so glamorous in French, doesn't it? Well, it's not. I think of it as the tent camping of painting. You have to get everything you might possibly need---and it's a long list--try to pack it in such a way that you can carry it in one or two trips, find a place to park that's not too far from the car or a restroom, find a fairly level spot to set up your easel, choose a subject to paint, choose the appropriate size and shape canvas, squeeze out paint, adjust your umbrella, gnash your teeth over whatever essential item you forgot, resolve to do without it, block in your painting, and hopefully, all before dark! Seriously, rapidly changing light is the biggest challenge, and that's even on days when there are no clouds chasing each other across the sky. But let's not forget wind, glare, bugs--even the occasional snake.

But it's worth it. There is no teacher like Mother Nature; no better way to learn to actually see the temperature of the light and the colors it reveals. No other way, really, to establish your bona fides as a landscape painter.

Some days are more productive than others: some days you return to the studio with nothing more than a couple of sketches, some memories, and perhaps a few good reference photos. Often, though, the sketches, the memories, and the photos combine into a worthwhile studio painting.

Three years ago in October Rex and I were in Italy, our second favorite place on earth. Both the light and the terrain are so similar to San Diego County that sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart. Here are a few paintings from both sources.