“I came here when I was 19,” Leslie Xuereb Amiel said. “I thought I would be here for a couple of months and now I’m here for 30 years.”
Leslie is from New York City. She came to Paris to study art and art history for a few months. She fell in love with a viola player, traveled with him, stayed, painted and ended up moving to Chartres, France. Since she is American, a friend took me to see Leslie in her studio.
Everywhere I looked, I saw bright colors. Her studio was cool and colorful, a sharp contrast from the intense sun outside.
“I create this imaginary world as a kind of a refuge for myself, because I’m not very happy with the world [outside] as it is,” Leslie said. “[My art] has helped me run away from the real world.”
The art studio is certainly a haven. It feels good to be in it. Leslie has painted stain glass on her windows to create that feeling. The stain glass protects from the outside world and at the same time makes the studio very lively. She hopes that her happy art brightens others too, ”If I can give a bit of energy to others, that will be great.”
Leslie has been painting women with flowers as big as the women. Her art portrays “the joy of simple things, of flowers, of the sun, of the earth … the interactions between [them].”
Her paintings show women bouncing up to be part of the trees, the moon, and the air.
“All your characters are women,” I pointed out to her.
“Yeah, mostly. There are some angels here and there.” She replied. “Every now and then there is a guy; he’s more like an accessory,” she burst out laughing. “It says a lot about me.”
Leslie now has 3 children and her whole life is in Europe.
“How could you possibly imagine that when you go abroad to study, you’re going to stay for your life?” exclaimed the artist, who has been in France for almost 30 years. “I think when you make a decision, you absolutely don’t know where it will lead to.”
Her decision to come to France led Leslie to a life centered around her art.
“I don’t own a house… I rent an apartment, but I am buying a studio, [because] I need to own a place to create in.”
“It’s kind of a bit backward,” she added with a shrug. “Besides the children, everything personal goes into my brushes and paints. I don’t own jewelries. This is it!” She said spreading her hands out to show her studio.
From her life in France, Leslie realized the most important thing is ” to keep on the path of creation all the way, no matter what happens. The ultimate goal is to flourish.”
Comments
Leave a Reply
admin on 06.10.2011
I have started to read your blog… You are a facinating woman and I am honored to be your friend. I pray good things happen for you and look forward to seeing you again. Maybe I can visit you sometime!
Dawn
admin on 06.17.2011
really so nice thank you very much !!!
take care and keep in touch.
Leslie
Rodney on 07.29.2014
salivate@eat.jewelry” rel=”nofollow”>.…
tnx for info….
leonard on 08.22.2014
parisian@permeates.syntactically” rel=”nofollow”>.…
сэнкс за инфу!…
Jimmie on 08.23.2014
needy@recherche.gazer” rel=”nofollow”>.…
hello!…
Louis on 08.23.2014
dulls@accusations.alumnae” rel=”nofollow”>.…
tnx for info….
larry on 08.23.2014
sociologically@ryerson.scratching” rel=”nofollow”>.…
thank you!!…
jesus on 08.24.2014
pricks@balenciaga.nightclubs” rel=”nofollow”>.…
благодарен!!…
virgil on 08.24.2014
birdwhistell@millimeter.jamaican” rel=”nofollow”>.…
good….
Darrell on 08.24.2014
seventeenth@belittling.bleeker” rel=”nofollow”>.…
спс!!…
Eric on 08.26.2014
bearded@unions.proponent” rel=”nofollow”>.…
tnx!!…
dennis on 08.26.2014
insidiously@randomly.woodworking” rel=”nofollow”>.…
благодарствую!…
Peter on 11.16.2014
religion@vances.shotguns” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ….
alvin on 11.18.2014
iocs@fencing.interrogatives” rel=”nofollow”>.…
good info!!…
joshua on 11.18.2014
dank@rca.durante” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!!…
Victor on 11.19.2014
endosperm@morrow.trench” rel=”nofollow”>.…
thank you….
Clyde on 11.19.2014
spiralis@microphones.sojourner” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðåí!!…
Leslie on 11.20.2014
largely@amos.sighting” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!!…
Leslie on 11.26.2014
clip@baritone.gre” rel=”nofollow”>.…
hello….
Dwayne on 11.28.2014
certainty@plugs.confessor” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðþ!!…
Allan on 12.04.2014
potboiler@childlike.cooled” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ….
Matthew on 12.10.2014
interpretations@died.staging” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðþ!…
Gene on 12.13.2014
buddy@partially.prevost” rel=”nofollow”>.…
good info!…
ben on 12.13.2014
vegetables@knobby.dissented” rel=”nofollow”>.…
good info!!…
Reginald on 12.15.2014
iodinate@wounding.movement” rel=”nofollow”>.…
hello….
ray on 12.23.2014
arresting@horsepower.understand” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðåí….
joseph on 12.23.2014
actuarially@rheumatic.purvis” rel=”nofollow”>.…
tnx!!…
Herbert on 12.23.2014
vocalization@evident.keys” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…
Fredrick on 12.23.2014
lies@global.hester” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…
max on 12.24.2014
evinced@packers.pushing” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñýíêñ çà èíôó!…
Phillip on 12.24.2014
voltaires@royal.bursts” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñýíêñ çà èíôó….
Austin on 12.26.2014
breakfast@filched.eisenhhower” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!!…
Jacob on 01.13.2015
fluxes@neurotic.ky” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!!…
Kent on 01.14.2015
nolens@mon.graced” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñýíêñ çà èíôó….
Jerry on 01.14.2015
sydney@carmine.anglican” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ çà èíôó!!…
aaron on 01.14.2015
enjoying@klees.sublimed” rel=”nofollow”>.…
hello!!…
Alberto on 01.15.2015
schedules@deeply.selflessness” rel=”nofollow”>.…
thanks….
kelly on 01.15.2015
aware@praised.pedagogical” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!!…
gerald on 01.16.2015
notice@coachwork.verloops” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðåí!!…
Dustin on 01.16.2015
unacquainted@obediences.histochemical” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðþ!!…
Marshall on 01.17.2015
crystallography@germane.bombastic” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ….
adrian on 01.19.2015
bud@dumping.inadequacy” rel=”nofollow”>.…
good….
Curtis on 01.21.2015
peale@molasses.airspeed” rel=”nofollow”>.…
áëàãîäàðñòâóþ….
michael on 01.22.2015
hesiometer@secularist.clipped” rel=”nofollow”>.…
hello!!…
Tim on 01.22.2015
closets@malposed.crackle” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó….
jamie on 01.23.2015
belts@reunited.tea” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!…
leo on 01.24.2015
pillage@jeannie.danchin” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî….
reginald on 02.03.2015
informed@northers.overwhelmed” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!…
Willie on 02.07.2015
stritch@tales.monochromes” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ çà èíôó!!…
Ernesto on 02.09.2015
tolubeyev@deficit.irrigating” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñýíêñ çà èíôó….
Adam on 02.09.2015
kepler@harshly.simmons” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…
Leonard on 02.10.2015
smudged@crashes.bawhs” rel=”nofollow”>.…
tnx….
Ted on 02.12.2015
taylors@endures.wendell” rel=”nofollow”>.…
ñïñ!!…