A LIFE THAT SPARKLES

Lake Forest Country Day School parent Lauren Lichtenstein turns everyday objects into luminous works of art.

STEP INTO LAUREN LICHTENSTEIN’S STUDIO and you’ll find a world that sparkles—literally. Tables are lined with paints, brushes, and bottles covered in thousands of hand-set glass rhinestones that catch the light just so. It’s a space filled with energy and color, the kind that seems to mirror Lichtenstein herself—vibrant, creative, and endlessly curious.

“I guess you could say art is the family business,” she says. “My mom is a makeup artist and my dad is a composer.”

Lichtenstein’s Michigan childhood was deeply rooted in creativity.

“You know how some families always have a ball around and play catch?” she says. “In our house, my dad was always playing and writing music, and my mom was at the MAC counter experimenting with colors and textures.” That early exposure taught her to create without hesitation. “I never thought to judge myself,” she continues. “I just did it. I liked doing it. I didn’t ever think, am I good at this?”

But Lichtenstein’s artistic path wasn’t straightforward. She was “a theater girl” first—studying acting in Santa Barbara before eventually becoming a lawyer.

“As an actor, you have to be given permission to perform—you need to be hired in order to be in a show,” she explains. “And when you’re not hired, what do you do then? You still have to find ways to fulfill your soul and spirit.”

She found fulfillment as a maker over the years in many forms—from large scale acrylic paintings to custom designed sneakers. But her latest venture began one day when she spotted a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and thought, “that would be so cool to paint.”

“It was totally impulsive,” she says. “I hand-painted it first, then started beading it—and I was hooked. There’s nothing I’d rather be doing.”

Lichtenstein describes her process as part instinct, part puzzle.

“I love to start something and see where it goes,” she says. “My brain loves a mystery.”

Each bottle now takes about three days to complete and can feature more than 20,000 rhinestones—something she discovered after asking ChatGPT to estimate from a photo. “That’s a lot of time and a lot of glue,” she adds with a laugh.

From champagne to olive oil and perfume bottles, her pieces have become signature gifts for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays.

“People can drop off a bottle, and I’ll create a design for it,” she says. “Every piece is completely unique.”

Her Deerfield home studio is her happy place.

“Most days, I’m just locked in,” she says. “Time flies. When my husband says he’ll take care of the kids and I get a full day with no interruptions, it’s heaven.”

And if she ever feels stuck, a trip to the art supply store reignites her creative spark. “Every time I go, I can’t wait to get home and make things.”

When asked if she ever allows herself to dream about where her art could take her, Lichtenstein has a thoughtful answer—to collaborate with a brand and bring her bottle art to life through live activations.

“That would be the ultimate,” she says. “I’ve even created a pitch deck.”

It brings Lichtenstein so much joy to see her creative genes running deep in her family. Her son Mason, 15, is a talented sketch artist who works in pencil and paper, while her daughter Omi, 14, is already making her mark on Chicago’s theater scene—currently rehearsing for White Christmas at Paramount Theatre in Aurora. Mason is a recent graduate from Lake Forest Country Day School and Omi is now there in the eighth grade.

“I have loved our time at Country Day so much,” she says. “They have been true partners with my husband and me in our children’s education. I would never have been able to focus on my work as I have—I have such confidence in that school.”

Lichtenstein wishes there were clubs for artists the way there are for clubs for sports. “It’s such a wonderful thing to be part of a creative community. I’m always amazed at the creativity I discover in our friends and neighbors.”

For now, she’s found that community right where she is—surrounded by family, color, and the joyful hum of creation. “I’m so lucky,” she says. “When I’m in my studio, time disappears. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.”

To learn more about Lauren Lichtenstein’s art or to contact her, visit @lauren.lichtenstein.artist on Instagram.