Conceived in the glorious bushland setting of the Blue Mountains, Australia, surrounded by the intensity of sound from a million cicadas, in 2008 Cicada Symphony Designer Jewellery was born. That same year the Cicada Symphony brand was launched at the prestigious Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and subsequently at the inaugural Sydney Fashion Festival. At the time an expat Kiwi, although now living in the Bay of Islands, Leslie was also selected to participate in New Zealand Fashion Week 2014.
Working principally with hot glass – lampworking and kiln-firing – Leslie says “I am inspired by the drama of glass. The factors that influence my work are elusive – more internal than external – but possibly stem from my early travels through Asia and Europe. In my work I try to combine a natural eye for design and colour to capture those influences in a luxurious and tactile form.” With a new range every year Leslie is extending her work to include other interesting, unusual and exciting materials, complemented by her own distinctive glasswork. “My themes are often influenced by the natural environment – like the Gaia Principle where everything is somehow interconnected and mutually dependent. I look for contrasts and similarities to achieve their own harmony, with colour being the main element. I find it therapeutic and meditative, simple joy in a complex world, and I love the fact that my artwork brings beauty to other people's lives.”