What's not to be thankful for? I get mangos in January!

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
— Marcel Proust

This is a chalk painting of a pasture raised, organic turkey that created when I worked at Whole Foods painting signs.

As I prepare my home and pantry for the holiday, I'm connecting to all I'm thankful for: family, friends, my boyfriend, good health, extraordinary experiences, a beautiful home, a wonderful community, and all my creative gifts. I'm grateful for living in this time of indoor plumbing, heated car seats, electricity, grocery stores, pillow top mattresses, mangos in January, and everything available in this modern world. Most of us live like kings and queens. It’s an amazing time to be a human. It's also a very turbulent time in a frightening world. I get through it by focusing on the light and practicing gratitude.

This holiday feels especially powerful, and I'm grateful for my freedom and ability to help others. I volunteer at a nonprofit, the WConnection, where widows help widows rebuild their lives. This organization was instrumental in my healing journey. Right now, every donation is being doubled through a matching grant! However you give, and whatever you do to help others improves the world. It has a ripple effect. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could turn that ripple into a tsunami of love! Let's not give up until we succeed. Let’s honor our earth and each other, appreciate all we have, and give back from our hearts. Each of us can make a difference.

Wild Cherry Art holiday open house

Join me on Sunday, December, 3rd from 1pm till 6pm.
36 Warren Court, South Orange, NJ
Sip, snack, shop, and socialize. The first 10 people receive a free gift.
Our connection is what brings me the most joy. So come and make my day!

From my table to yours, wishing you and yours an abundance of blessings this Thanksgiving.
With love and gratitude,
Leslie

How to embrace life's delights while dealing with the challenges

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”
– Dr. Seuss

Day one of fun with my girl on our trip to the Pacific Northwest!

My cup is so full it's overflowing! Get this: I offered to take my daughter anywhere she wanted to go as a present for graduating high school, and she said, "Why would I want to go anywhere with you? That would be weird." When she graduated college this year, I courageously asked again, and she said yes! We went to Vancouver, Victoria, and Seattle and had the best time! We walked over 100,000 steps, went to the aquarium, ate oysters, drank cocktails, visited museums, went to the Bumbershoot music festival, stayed in two hotels that the Beatles stayed in, saw dahlias bigger than our heads, ferried around the Pacific Northwest, swam, met with friends, made new friends, and had so much fun together. The morning we returned, she walked toward me, and I was uncertain, but she hugged me, thanked me, and went to bed. I nearly fell over from the weight of my heart, growing three sizes!

In Seattle we stayed at the Edgewater Hotel where the Beatles famously had a picture taken where they were fishing out their window. Edgewater doesn’t let you rent fishing equipment any longer but they do let you borrow a guitar!

I'm gratefully embracing a deeper connection with my daughter, but I am still preoccupied with my mother's health and care. Life's challenges can get us into a dark place so quickly. It is the nature of our mind in service to our survival instinct. Now, that tendency mostly gets in the way of our joy. I've learned to accept and deal with the challenges as best I can, focus on life's delights, and lean into the fun stuff! We get to choose.

Lean into the fun with me at my preview pARTy for the SOMA Artists Studio Tour! It's the Tour's 20th Anniversary, and it will be sensational. Save the dates and be part of the fun!

Wild Cherry pARTy
(Exclusive to my A-Listers)
Saturday, October 28, 2023
7pm — 11pm
I’ll be performing new songs with a live band, new artwork, new friends, yummy snacks, delicious drinks, a guaranteed good time! Costumes encouraged not required. There will be prizes!
RSVP now by clicking the cherry red button above to reserve your spot!

SOMA Artists Studio Tour
Saturday & Sunday 11am - 5pm
November 4th & 5th
Stop by my studio on Warren Court and see me first!
Then, see how the magic happens as more than 70 artists in two towns welcome visitors to their studios.

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!

Five things you can do to shift negative thoughts to positive.

“If you look at what you have in life, you'll always have more. If you look at what you don't have in life, you'll never have enough.”
—Oprah Winfrey

Field of Possibilities is an acrylic painting that connects you to the powerful beauty found in nature. Connecting to nature fills you with ease and joy. This is a painting of Wightman’s farm in Morristown, New Jersey.

What do you want out of life? Focusing on what you want your life to be rather than what it isn’t, has the power to release a lot of negative thoughts. It shifts your thinking from stress, anxiety, sadness, worry, guilt, resentment, blame, frustration, dread, or lack to possibility, hope, ease, and happiness. 

We live in strange times, and it’s easy to get caught up in all the negativity flying around. Gaining clarity can help us shift from fear back to ease and joy. First, we must remember that negative thoughts aren’t facts. They’re just thoughts, and thoughts don’t exist outside of your mind. By accepting them as thoughts, you’re telling yourself that they’re not real and that you don’t have to act on them. That helps you to stop obsessing over them.

What else can help you release negative thoughts? Try these tips:

1. AWARENESS The best way to understand our feelings is to feel them once we’re aware of them. The first step towards changing any behavior is becoming aware of it. Acknowledge your emotions and make mental shifts over time. A meditation practice can be super helpful to become aware of your inner dialogue. 

2. TAKE CHARGE Emotions don’t just happen – they originate from thoughts, beliefs, memories, and experiences. Tell yourself a different story concerning those events if you want to change your emotional state. You get to remember things any way you want. Remember it from a positive point of view, one that uplifts or gives you hope. A belief happens when you tell it to yourself repeatedly. Tell yourself something good and create positive affirmations

3. NO JUDGEMENT Let go of judgments. It’s easy for us to judge others and ourselves. Instead of comparing yourself to your peers, list the good things about yourself and your life. Replace the negative thoughts with positive ones from your list. Think of the positive traits you or the other person may have.

4. GRATITUDE For me, the best way to move from negative thoughts to positive ones is by practicing gratitude. I use a technique called the "Gratitude Formula" from the book by May McCarthy with the same name. This helps me conquer anxiety, move through procrastination or blocks, release fear and sadness, and embrace possibility and hope. The Gratitude Formula is a practice that makes way for joy. Read about it in this article, Strengthen Your Ability To Perceive More Joy.

5. ART! Lastly, to stay in that place of gratitude, place visual reminders in your home to help you stay uplifted and inspired. Beautiful and meaningful art on your wall has the power to move you emotionally. It helps keep the focus on beauty in your world and in your life. The more you see beauty, the more beauty you’ll see, and that’ll kick negativities ass!

Commissioning a piece of art adds a meaningful focal point in your home to connect you to uplifting and joyful emotions. I created this piece in 2021 for my collector's stunning home.

How do you deal with negativity? What helps you to banish negative thoughts? Please share your tips in the comments. That way we can help each other to shine.

Stay positive and enjoy all your days, whatever comes.
Love,
Leslie