Leslie Landers

In this piece, I am celebrating the arrival of penstemon blooms in the Yosemite high country.

By chance, I met the most delightful California family while I was painting at a lookout in Princeville on Kauai. They liked the piece and it is now in their home. So wonderful to be part of their Kauai memories.

We really enjoyed our time on this quiet beach on the north shore of Kauai. While my friends enjoyed the sunshine, I found a shady spot and painted them.

I painted this from a a magical spot about 4000′ above Kauai’s Napili coast just east of the Kalalau Overlook in Kokee State Park. It was an incredible experience to paint the scene looking down on passing flocks of Hawaiian Geese (NeNe) and helicopters.

Rain is part of the menu on the north shore of Kauai. Still, I enjoyed painting the scene out the window while waiting for it to clear.

I painted this while visiting a popular beach on the north shore of Kauai. The day was pretty much perfect … except for the dang parking ticket.

I saw loads of wild and beautiful chickens while I was in Kauai. They were near the beach, in town in Hanalei and up in the mountains. I love the variety of markings and iridescent plumes of the roosters. There are stories that the chickens escaped domesticity with the strike of Hurricane Iniki. But I’m not sure. In any case they are kind of a Kauai mascot and I am charmed.

While I was painting these Hot Poker Aloes at Cottle Park in San Jose, I was struck by the chartreuse grass of early spring and enjoyed the entertainment of a hummingbird making the rounds.