Want to conjure a world of possibilities and pearls of wisdom?

The oyster has taken what was at first an irritation and intrusion and uses it to enrich its value.”
― Susan C. Young

First stop in New Orleans was the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. Andrew and I met up with my friend, Devra Dedeaux for cocktails and oysters.

This year is shaping up to be off-the-chart stupendous! My trip to New Orleans was sensational. I introduced NOLA to my boyfriend, Andrew, and we did everything and more. One of my favorite things about NOLA are the oysters. For over 30 years, I’ve been collecting oyster photos with a plan to create a series of Oyster paintings, and after this latest trip, I’m finally ready to start! I’m excited to focus on a subject I have loved and enjoyed for so long, which conjures a world of possibilities and magical transformation. After all, the world is your oyster, filled with pearls of wisdom. I will present the first oyster paintings at the Warren Court Art Walk on Mother’s Day weekend.

Click the button below and head to my events page to see all the fun things I’ve got coming up. Meet me at the opening of the Pierro Gallery show in April and the Chatham Library show in June. If you’re planning that trip to Europe, make sure you plan your visit to Paris around my two-woman show at the beautiful Gallery Roshana, mere steps off the Champs Elysees opening September 19th! Check out Andi Ipacktchi's work. She’s my cohort in Paris.

I’ll be attending the NG Artist Residency in Provence for two weeks before my Paris show. I’m thrilled to be going with my art buddy, Sandra Charlap. When I return from Paris I’ll be prepping for my Wild Cherry Art Halloween pARTy, and I’ll wrap up the year with our beloved Studio Tour SOMA. Go to my website now and get on my A-list to learn about all my events, times, and locations. Don’t miss any of the fun!

See you soon!
Love,
Leslie

RSVP now for Saturday night so you don't miss all the fun!

“Life is a party. Dress for it.”
―Audrey Hepburn

Small seasonal Chalk pastel.

If you’re coming to the party and you haven’t RSVP’d, do it right now! There are only a few spots left and I don’t want you to miss out on the fun. I’m figuring out how much booze to buy so click the button and RSVP now! When you get confirmation you’re in!

Wild Cherry Art Preview pARTy
Saturday, October, 28, 2023
7pm – 11pm
36 Warren Court, South Orange, NJ

There will be a live band, a costume contest, food, fun, friends, and you! You needn’t wear a costume, but you'll have more fun if you do! First prize for the costume contest is this limited edition fine art Giclee print.

I’m so excited to see you!
love,
Leslie
xo

Want to walk on a glacier, see an active volcano, and float in a geothermal bath?

“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!

Life's amazing adventures have me inspired to be back in the studio

“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”
― Oprah Winfrey

Standing in front of The Lake House in Canandiagua in August. Waiting for the wedding to begin

What a whirlwind summer I had. And all of a sudden, it's Autumn! My adventures give me loads of fodder for paintings. I'm sure your adventures would make beautiful paintings too. The best news is my mother has settled back into her home after a lengthy hospital stay. It's been a long road, and she still has far to go, but things look very hopeful. She has been steadily improving. I greatly appreciate the outpouring of love and support.

I couldn’t resist the big chair in downtown Canandaigua.

I spent several days in August on Lake Canandaigua attending the wedding of a dear friend's son: Friday night–French food and cocktails, Saturday –wedding, Sunday–brunch, and a day on the lake with friends. It was gorgeous, and the weather was spectacular. It was an honor to celebrate this beautiful couple. One of the biggest joys in life is celebrating milestones with friends and family. So I'm inspired to create paintings of the centerpieces from the weddings I attended this year. A personalized painting of the wedding flowers allows the couple and family to maintain a deep visual cord to one of the most joyful days in their lives. How special is that?

Any of these pictures I took, will make a meaningful and beautiful painting when I personalize it with loving words specific specific to the happy couple.

On the way home from Upstate New York, I stopped in Ithaca for a few days to visit my beautiful daughter, who is starting her senior year at Ithaca College. She has had one of the strangest college experiences ever. Covid started during her freshmen year. I'm so grateful that she still got to go abroad for her junior year. And I was so fortunate to visit her in Prague. Next Summer, she'll complete her major requirements in Los Angeles. She has thrived during this unprecedented time, and I'm so proud of the resourceful, resilient, ethical, inspiring, and beautiful person she has become.

Adison and I had a lovely dinner and drinks in downtown Ithaca.

I spent a week in Montauk with my dear friend Lucille. We lay on the beach while sipping cocktails and watching whales frolic in the sea. We ate lobster at Duryea's and Ice cream at John's Drive-In. It was just the magical week I needed to connect me to the beauty of nature. While I lounged under the umbrella, I finished reading "The Big Leap" by Gay Hendricks. Read it!

There is no better way to finish a day in Montauk than enjoying oysters and a Lobster dinner at Duryeas’s as the sun sets on “The End” of Long Island.

In the last week of summer, I traveled back to Provincetown. I visited last year with the same group of friends, and we had such a wonderful time we repeated it! Our days were spent exploring shops and galleries and eating some of the best and freshest oysters anywhere.

I’m having so much fun collecting images of oysters for an upcoming series of paintings. These particular mollusks are from Cape Cod and they were exquisite.

Life is for living, and I try to do that fully every day. My adventures provide lots of meaningful imagery for me to paint. I'm sure your adventures do the same for you and your friends and family. I would love to turn your favorite experience into a beautiful painting that celebrates that moment forever. I'm accepting commissions for the holidays now. I want to have plenty of time to give it the attention it deserves, so let's do a 15-minute complimentary discovery call right away and get this party started!

Why don't you skip your usual routine and party with me!

“I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.”
— Nancie J. Carmody

In New Orleans with my bestie, Leah on the right and in the center, Devra Dedeaux, who took me to NOLA for the very first time, many years ago, with her team of restauranteurs from NYC’s Gulf Coast and Sugar Reef.

I just got back from New Orleans. I attended a family wedding. My bestie came along with me as my travel companion, and we had a great time. NOLA is a place filled with incredible food, fantastic music, beautiful architecture, wonderful people, and rich history and culture. It's one of my favorite cities in the United States. After many intense weeks of caring for my mother, it was a great reset.

Cassamento’s on Magazine Street serves up some of the best oysters in NOLA. I’m heading to Paris in a couple weeks and I will do a comparison oyster taste test and report back.

Now I'm back in the studio and preparing for the 2nd annual Warren Court Art Walk. It's going to be fantastic! We have 22 artists for 2022. I'm excited to exhibit and sell lots of new paintings and prints. I may even include some new pieces inspired by my most recent trips to Paris and NOLA pus a couple new cherries! In addition, this year, we have Latin street food purveyor, Miti Miti, offering their tasty eats, and I'll be serving up a delicious cocktail. So please mark your calendar and prepare to spend the weekend chatting with artists, starting or adding to your collection, enjoying our vibrant community, and party with me!

I look forward to seeing you in May. Tell all your friends and get ready for a great time.

Sending you lots and lotsa love,
Leslie
xo