About Patricia Leo
I arrived in Hawaii in 1974, a young girl with a backpack and a dream to experience something very different from the world that I had grown up in. Reflecting back today, I know that there is a special thread that began in my childhood. My parents introduced me to the love of outdoor life, camping and a deep appreciation of nature. So, it was with this foundation, I listened to the call, with thoughts of Hawai’i, the exotic tropical beauty of the ocean, the beaches, the rainforest, with its trails through the warm jungle valleys.
Any personal history has certain defining moments. For me, the big one was discovering Kauai and experiencing an intense and immediate love of its north shore. This is something that I can go to in my thoughts effortlessly, and I do. I arrived on Kauai in my 20th year, having grown up in Ontario, Canada, a dreamer in patched jeans with a true intent to have fun and enjoy life. With my childhood friend, we first headed up the Na Pali coast to Hanakapiai Valley, an amazing reality shift for me. The rains that seemed constant, tested hardiness, and as the sun re-appeared, I knew I was in love with this place.
For me, the discovery of Taylor Camp was like the feeling of when one first falls in love, a most powerful magnet to my natural new home. It was in Taylor Camp that I met and fell in love with my husband, Andy.Our son was born soon after Camp came to a close and we found ourselves pulled to the Big Island. A place so different, yet many close friends made the move as well, making the transition very comfortable.
From childhood, I have loved to express myself through art. When asked what I would be when I grew up, my answer was always “an artist.” With no formal art education, I have followed my own path, working on my own techniques and understanding of how to go about bringing my art, my vision to the canvas.
Andy and Pat