Meet The Artist

Hello and welcome to my website! My name is Leslie Helena Evans and I was born on a U.S. military base in Japan. Shortly after my birth, our family's housemaids started calling me "Chisaii"and the name stuck for life! I always have and still do sign all my artwork with this Japanese word which means "Little One."

I'm a self-taught artist. Sketching and drawing has always been as much a part of my life as walking and breathing. Today, my artwork tends towards the highly detailed and photorealistic and my preferred medium is colored pencil. Producing painterly pieces using only colored pencil is a labor intensive process and can sometimes take over 100 hours for larger projects.

For years the subject matter for my artwork was quite eclectic and aside from the fact that I used colored pencil, it was difficult to classify me as an artist. But then I started learning about wildlife conservation...

Like many others, the importance of wildlife conservation was something I'd heard about but never taken very seriously. My perspective changed in 2007 after I became involved in the Federal Duck Stamp art competition. The Federal Duck Stamp Program through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department helps to raise funds for maintaining North America’s wetlands and other natural habitats and strengthening the National Wildlife Refuge System. This art competition gave me an insight into how artwork can be used to help people successfully manage their own nation's ecosystems. It was also the catalyst I needed to completely shift my artistic emphasis to wildlife conservation.

It seems that everywhere you look on this planet, man is destroying natural habitat and devastating the wildlife that depend on these ecosytems. In particular, I would call your attention to the plight of gorillas and orangutans in the wild. These are two of my favorite art subjects and why I feel very strongly about deforestation, poaching, and the bush meat trade. There are numerous organizations around the world working to support the world’s great ape populations. One of my favorites is Koko.org.

I want people who enjoy looking at my art to take the plight of endangered species very seriously and through this website, learn more about which organizations are making a difference. Meanwhile, I'll keep producing artwork that hopefully keeps you coming back for more. Enjoy your visit!

Comments or questions? Please contact me at Chisaiistudio@hotmail.com

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