Every artist has a special muse. Cynthia Riedel’s was an elderly impressionist named Leonard Herbert.

During his final years, Herbert’s infirmities kept him confined to his Lihue condo most of the time, away from the natural beauty of Kauai that he loved. Still, he painted every day, transforming whatever he saw from his lanai and windows — pigeons, old abandoned cars, even crumpled pieces of paper — into beautiful works of art.

"Leonard’s closets were full of paintings," Riedel recalled. "He exuded a joie de vivre — an eagerness to keep learning, keep creating. He generously shared his time and knowledge with aspiring artists. When he passed away in 2005, it was a huge loss."

Before she met Herbert in 1996, Riedel had never picked up a paintbrush. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in art design from the Rochester Institute of Technology but initially focused on illustration, graphic design and digital artwork.

For her degree, Riedel studied design and composition, figure drawing, art history, color theory and conceptual theory, but she never had to take a painting class.

"Painting involves a whole different skill and mindset," she said. "As Leonard showed me, you have to consider color, composition, shape, shadow and light. You’re not seeing subjects in terms of lines; you’re seeing them in terms of value — the degree of an object’s lightness or darkness compared to another object. No other person has inspired me or taught me as much as Leonard did in a few short visits."

Vivid sunsets at Tunnels Beach, morning mists drifting over taro patches in Hanalei Valley, and the dramatic topography and rich earth tones of Waimea Canyon are among the scenes that Riedel has captured on canvas.

"Painting increases my awareness about my surroundings," she said. "It’s healing, rejuvenating. It brings out intense feelings. Many artists say they’re happiest when they’re painting, and I agree. I wake up every day excited to paint. My notebook is full of ideas I want to develop."

Riedel launched Brush with Nature in 2008, taking groups to different spots around the island to paint, hoping to help people express themselves through painting just as Herbert had helped her. "My plein-air tours connect people with nature and their inner self," she said. "We spend a great day of discovery outdoors together, and guests leave with a painting they’ve created as a memento."

Locations vary depending on weather conditions, the number of participants and their expectations and preferences. On Kauai the possibilities are endless.

"You can pause just about anywhere, turn in a circle and see hundreds of paintings," Riedel said. "It’s like kids going to the Fun Factory and trying to decide which game they want to play first."

Scenes never look exactly the same from day to day, even hour to hour, because light moves and fluctuates in intensity, altering colors and shapes with it.

"The most frequent comment I get from guests is, ‘I can’t even draw a straight line,’" Riedel said. "My response is, ‘Neither can I; it’s a good thing there aren’t many straight lines in nature.’"

Once the fledgling artists are at their easels, they relax, overcome their inhibitions and let their imagination guide them. "They lose track of time, and when they look at their finished painting, they’re amazed," Riedel said. "They say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I did this; it was fun!’"

Slowing down and observing the environment — the rhythm of the waves, the cheerful song of birds, the perfume of flowers, the tradewinds nudging trees — is key.

"You can’t experience that if you’re constantly on the go," Riedel said. "Plein-air painting forces you to be still and attentive. Some of my guests have stood in awe, watching the color of the ocean change from minute to minute. They weren’t aware of that until they tried to paint it. Brush with Nature is all about telling a story on canvas and preserving wonderful memories."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Sta-Advertiser have won many Society of American Travel Writers awards.