“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Andi and I met when we attended Parson’s School of Design in New York City. She went to Paris to study and never returned! Now we’re teaming up and having a show in her neck of the woods.

Remember, as a kid, how you fantasized about creating a remarkable life filled with exciting possibilities? I hope you're living yours. As for me, I'm living my dreams of becoming an artist and a rockstar. I encourage you to go for it. You get one chance–make it count!

Abracadabra is from the Aramaic phrase avra kehdabra, meaning “I will create as I speak.” I’m speaking about my desires and possibilities. Many things that I thought were beyond my grasp are coming into being—like traveling to somewhere beautiful for an artist's residency. I have several artist friends who have recommended residencies they've attended. Most were either very expensive or very competitive. But I kept asking myself, "Why not me?" I started researching and imagining an incredibly expansive experience. Out of the blue, my artist friend, Sandra Charlap, asked me to meet with her, and she invited me to join her on a retreat at the NG Art Creative Residency in Provence. This prestigious residency offers a breathtaking environment, a 17th-century Provençal olive mill nestled in the foothills of the stunning Alpilles mountains. I filled out the application, had the interview, and guess what? I'm heading to the South of France in September with Sandra to deepen my creative practice at this spectacular program. Check out the incredible digs. Click through to see where we’ll be staying:

After I complete the residency, I will be high-speed training back to Paris for a show with my long-time artist friend, Andi Ikpatchki. The Show, entitled "The World is Your Oyster," opens Thursday, September 19th, at the Galerie Roshana, 120 Rue La Boétie, 75008 Paris.

Meet me in Paris and attend my opening. It's an absolute dream come true–just like magic. I can't wait to share this incredible opportunity with you. Anything can happen if you believe. Stay focused on the life you want to live and manifest all the wondrous experiences waiting for you. Go get yours! It's probably in Paris in September!

Let me know if you want to meet up before I head to Paris for some summer fun! See you soon.

Love,
Leslie

“A good friend listens to your adventures. Your best friend makes them with you.”
—Unknown

I just flew in from Iceland, and boy, are my arms tired! I had a spectacular trip with my bestie, Leah. 💖 Earth Day was Saturday, April 22nd, and I’ reflected on how Iceland forever changed my relationship with Earth. The beauty, majesty, and the power of our planet was more palpable than anywhere I'd ever been before. There's a backdrop of panoramic snow-capped volcanoes, mountains, waterfalls, thermal pools, and glaciers in the distance, with otherworldly lava fields sprawling as far as the eye can see toward the fierce ocean. The energy and life force on the third rock from the sun was powerfully present. It was like being on Earth long before it evolved into this lush, dense planet we currently inhabit.

We had a Northern Lights Tour reservation with our Guide, Thor, on the night we arrived. Unfortunately, the forecast called for clouds. So we asked Thor if we could move our adventure to the following night. When we had clear skies and, according to Thor, perfect conditions for Aurora Borealis sightings! We were only about 40 minutes outside Reykjavik when Thor pulled over and announced, "There it is!" And I was like, "What, that cloud?" He insisted that this was it and if we were lucky, it would get bigger, brighter, and have movement and possibly colors. And if it really "blooms," it could ultimately converge across the entire sky in a swirling vortex above our heads. And guess what? That's precisely what happened.

The blurry pictures of the Northern Lights are from my Iphone. The beautiful clear images were taken by Thor.

The next day we got up and headed out before daybreak to catch a bus that would take us on an all-day adventure on the south coast. The farthest destination was Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach. A delightful Icelandic curmudgeon barista overheard us talking about our upcoming adventure and told us, "The real name of the lagoon is Jökulsárlón and the beach is Breiðamerkursandur, which no one can say. Then a travel agent marketed them as Diamond Beach and Glacier Lagoon, and now they take busloads of people out there every day." Well, it was fabulous! We got our diamonds, glaciers, lava fields, waterfalls, snow angels, icebergs, black beaches, yummy seafood soup, and a few tree jokes from our delightful guide Mia. I had some Brenevin-the Icelandic "health tonic." at our lunch stop in Vik. It was a magical day.

We spent our last few days in Iceland at Silica Hotel on The Blue Lagoon. It was worth every penny! The hotel pool was essentially the Blue Lagoon. We still went over to the proper lagoon and had in-water-floating massages. While basking in the heavenly milky geothermal bath, we enjoyed three facemasks—Exfoliating Lava, deep cleansing Silica, and nourishing Moss Algae. We had a glass or two of Cava while floating around, surrounded by steam, sky, lava formations, and mountains. We went to both restaurants, Michelin-starred Moss one night and Lava the next. Moss was excellent, but Lava gets our stars!

The marketing says The Blue Lagoon is one of the 25 wonders of the world. I'm still trying to find that list! But it's definitely on my Top Ten list. We loved it so much that we went back on our stop-over, flying home. We stayed at the Northern Lights Inn for one night, and, low and behold; we saw the Aurora Borealis again! The NLI offers a wake-up call if the Lights show up overnight, and of course, they did!

I'm excited to return to my art studio with fresh eyes, new experiences, and magnificent inspiration. I am grateful for my adventures and all the beautiful souls I connected with along the way. Life is so precious, and every moment is a gift. I'll be at my easel painting colorful, inspired acrylic paintings. If there is anything in particular, you'd like to see me paint, let me know! Come over, see the new work in the studio, and I'll tell you more about Iceland. I wanna go back in the summer!

Love,
Leslie

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THE WARREN COURT ART WALK—JUNE 3RD & 4TH!