Foggy Day at Leo Carillo
As Southern Californians know, June can be a very cold and foggy month at the beach — we call “June Gloom.”
I think plein air painters are optimistic by nature – we know this about June and yet, we still head to the ocean to paint.
Malibu is particularly attractive: lots of cliffs, (ok, lots of stairs going down those cliffs — those aren’t particularly attractive — especially with all your paint gear!) rocks, and coves. This day, I was all set-up ,the sun was shining, turned my back for a moment, and the fog rolled in. Did I mention when the fog rolls in it gets cold? Luckily, I carry a bag of clothes in my car. It includes an old cashmere sweater, a plaid shirt, an old thermal shirt, a wool beanie, socks, scarf and gloves with the fingers cut off.
This piece wasn’t painted plein air — I painted it in my studio tonight. But, I still remember standing there and painting in the chilly afternoon air.