Leslie Landers

One of the first things you see upon entering the park from the El Portal is this natural formation. In Spanish El Portal means “the gateway” and I remember passing through this spot since I was a kid.

GPS: 37.686346, -119.730304

In this painting, I am taking in the white azalea underneath the redwood trees in Mariposa Grove catch the dappled light.

GPS: 37.503964, -119.630245

In this piece, I am enjoying a starry night sky illuminating Tresidder Peak along the John Muir Trail in the Yosemite high country.

GPS: 37.813997, -119.427590

The late afternoon sun rakes across the meadow and glows in front of Cathedral Rocks and Spires. Elephant rock is the largest mass in the formation and it is huge.

GPS: 37.727302, -119.624825

This piece is focused on a canopy of redwood trees with a local falcon in flight. It is part of a diptych which takes in the full height of these tall redwood trees in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove.

GPS: 37.503309, -119.601190

This piece is part of diptych focused on a few trees in Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove. I visited the forest for the first time in a long time and loved seeing all of the wild azalea flowers in bloom underneath the tall trees.

GPS: 37.503309, -119.601190

I find painting redwoods to be really challenging. For this diptych I leaned into the height and focused on a few trees in a cluster.

GPS: 37.503309, -119.60119

I started this in a quiet shady spot next to the Merced River in Yosemite. As I was wrapping it up things got busy so when I look at this I happily remember the exuberant sounds of kids jumping into the flow from across the river. Perfect for a hot summer day.

GPS: 37.721784, -119.713759

I painted the 800′ granite tower on a beautiful summer morning. It was painted as a diptych with the lower portion featuring the Merced River.

GPS: 37.722645, -119.712723