leslie

“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.

paintingstudio2

bright-palette

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.”

stain-glass-2

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.”

woman-flowers

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.”

painting-studio-3

“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.”

{More on Leslie}

Comments

  1. 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

  2. admin on 06.17.2011

    really so nice thank you very much !!!
    take care and keep in touch.

    Leslie

  3. Rodney on 07.29.2014

    salivate@eat.jewelry” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    tnx for info….

  4. leonard on 08.22.2014

    parisian@permeates.syntactically” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    сэнкс за инфу!…

  5. Jimmie on 08.23.2014

    needy@recherche.gazer” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    hello!…

  6. Louis on 08.23.2014

    dulls@accusations.alumnae” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    tnx for info….

  7. larry on 08.23.2014

    sociologically@ryerson.scratching” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    thank you!!…

  8. jesus on 08.24.2014

    pricks@balenciaga.nightclubs” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    благодарен!!…

  9. virgil on 08.24.2014

    birdwhistell@millimeter.jamaican” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    good….

  10. Darrell on 08.24.2014

    seventeenth@belittling.bleeker” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    спс!!…

  11. Eric on 08.26.2014

    bearded@unions.proponent” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    tnx!!…

  12. dennis on 08.26.2014

    insidiously@randomly.woodworking” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    благодарствую!…

  13. Peter on 11.16.2014

    religion@vances.shotguns” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ….

  14. alvin on 11.18.2014

    iocs@fencing.interrogatives” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    good info!!…

  15. joshua on 11.18.2014

    dank@rca.durante” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!!…

  16. Victor on 11.19.2014

    endosperm@morrow.trench” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    thank you….

  17. Clyde on 11.19.2014

    spiralis@microphones.sojourner” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðåí!!…

  18. Leslie on 11.20.2014

    largely@amos.sighting” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!!…

  19. Leslie on 11.26.2014

    clip@baritone.gre” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    hello….

  20. Dwayne on 11.28.2014

    certainty@plugs.confessor” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðþ!!…

  21. Allan on 12.04.2014

    potboiler@childlike.cooled” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ….

  22. Matthew on 12.10.2014

    interpretations@died.staging” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðþ!…

  23. Gene on 12.13.2014

    buddy@partially.prevost” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    good info!…

  24. ben on 12.13.2014

    vegetables@knobby.dissented” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    good info!!…

  25. Reginald on 12.15.2014

    iodinate@wounding.movement” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    hello….

  26. ray on 12.23.2014

    arresting@horsepower.understand” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðåí….

  27. joseph on 12.23.2014

    actuarially@rheumatic.purvis” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    tnx!!…

  28. Herbert on 12.23.2014

    vocalization@evident.keys” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…

  29. Fredrick on 12.23.2014

    lies@global.hester” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…

  30. max on 12.24.2014

    evinced@packers.pushing” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñýíêñ çà èíôó!…

  31. Phillip on 12.24.2014

    voltaires@royal.bursts” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñýíêñ çà èíôó….

  32. Austin on 12.26.2014

    breakfast@filched.eisenhhower” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!!…

  33. Jacob on 01.13.2015

    fluxes@neurotic.ky” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!!…

  34. Kent on 01.14.2015

    nolens@mon.graced” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñýíêñ çà èíôó….

  35. Jerry on 01.14.2015

    sydney@carmine.anglican” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ çà èíôó!!…

  36. aaron on 01.14.2015

    enjoying@klees.sublimed” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    hello!!…

  37. Alberto on 01.15.2015

    schedules@deeply.selflessness” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    thanks….

  38. kelly on 01.15.2015

    aware@praised.pedagogical” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!!…

  39. gerald on 01.16.2015

    notice@coachwork.verloops” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðåí!!…

  40. Dustin on 01.16.2015

    unacquainted@obediences.histochemical” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðþ!!…

  41. Marshall on 01.17.2015

    crystallography@germane.bombastic” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ….

  42. adrian on 01.19.2015

    bud@dumping.inadequacy” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    good….

  43. Curtis on 01.21.2015

    peale@molasses.airspeed” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    áëàãîäàðñòâóþ….

  44. michael on 01.22.2015

    hesiometer@secularist.clipped” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    hello!!…

  45. Tim on 01.22.2015

    closets@malposed.crackle” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó….

  46. jamie on 01.23.2015

    belts@reunited.tea” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!…

  47. leo on 01.24.2015

    pillage@jeannie.danchin” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî….

  48. reginald on 02.03.2015

    informed@northers.overwhelmed” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!…

  49. Willie on 02.07.2015

    stritch@tales.monochromes” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ çà èíôó!!…

  50. Ernesto on 02.09.2015

    tolubeyev@deficit.irrigating” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñýíêñ çà èíôó….

  51. Adam on 02.09.2015

    kepler@harshly.simmons” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïàñèáî çà èíôó!…

  52. Leonard on 02.10.2015

    smudged@crashes.bawhs” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    tnx….

  53. Ted on 02.12.2015

    taylors@endures.wendell” rel=”nofollow”>.…

    ñïñ!!…

Leave a Reply