Leslie Landers

There’s a particular atmosphere by a rushing stream that I am striving to bring to the viewer. A sense of movement, the colors in shallow and deeper areas, movement and the play of dappled light.

The sunken garden area of Filoli’s gardens had been a spot reserved for the showiest displays so I had mixed feelings when it was converted to emphasize succulents. Now, I’m a convert. I love that Filoli is responsibly thinking of water management and it turns out the shapely opuntia combined with calandrinia are plenty showy.

I painted this on location and tried to catch the interplay of the eucalyptus trees with the reservoir beyond.

In this painting of quince blooms, I am in celebration of spring. I love the warm red-orange color of the blooms and their early arrival.

I tried to capture the feeling of idleness when painting this in Pillar Point Harbor near Half Moon Bay. Commercial crab season delays help safe passage of whales as the timing of migration coincides with peak winter Dungeness season. Still, it also brings hardship to those who depend on the winter catch.

Winters in the California foothills can be mistaken by turns for spring or fall. On overcast days the vibe can be moody which I endeavored to catch as I painted this at Santa Teresa Park in San Jose.

I painted this on incredibly windy morning. My goal in this piece was to capture the sense of the morning glare on the incoming surf.