"Flor de Vida" by Leslee Adams

2019 Indian Wells Arts Festival Commemorative Print Original 24”w x 36”h watercolor painting by Leslee Adams. This is a 6-color hexichrome print with outstanding reproduction. Print size 18” x 24” fits standard frame size. Inspired by colorful blooms and the unexpected sustainability found in the desert’s rugged terrain, the Coachella Valley-native paints a narrative of admiration and respect for the harmonious balance of life in the Sonoran Desert. "Flor de Vida" translates from Spanish to English as "Flower of Life" and is the name given to reflect the painting's nod to the history of desert valley inhabitants. Known as The Watercolor Chef, Leslee is lauded for her bold watercolors of food, stunning landscapes, and beautiful florals. As a Parisian-trained Ritz Escoffier pastry chef, Leslee mingles her love of texture and color from the plate to the easel, perhaps best demonstrated through her incorporation into “Flor de Vida” of edible plants native to the desert. Dainty pink flowers blossom atop a cluster of Prickly Pear cacti, which she also uses in her culinary enterprises for her famed Prickly Pear Sorbet and traditional Nopales. Centered is the flowering Agave, widely known for being the source of Tequila and its nectar used as a natural sweetener. Surrounded by whimsical stalks of Ocotillo, savory Purple Sage ground cover and succulents, tiny but essential bees buzz throughout collecting the pollen responsible for the renowned desert superblooms and everyday life that finds its way to spring up.