About Leslie - 


Leslie D'Allesandro Hawes is an artist, illustrator known for highly
detailed colored pencil drawings.  She studied at Tyler School of Art,
Temple University, and began creating artwork professionally in 1976.
Her colored pencil method is self-taught, and has been her medium of 
choice for more than 30 years. Leslie's subject matter for her drawings
may vary, but the drawing medium is invariably colored pencil.


"I have been making art for as long as I can remember. My first artistic
attempts began at around four years of age. I spent lots of time with my
coloring books, and always had all the pencils and typing paper I could
want. There were wonderfully illustrated books given to me as a child,
and I was encouraged to read and draw.


Influences at this early age were "Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame,
"The Giant Golden Book of Elves and Fairies" with illustrations by Garth
Williams,  "Dog Stories" by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Feodo
Rojankovsky, and my favorite, "Stories from Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers,
illustrated by Gertrude Elliott. Arthur Rackham, Maxfield Parrish, John
Singer Sargent, Gustav Klimpt, Norman Rockwell, Walt Disney, and N. C. Wyeth
were later added to my list of artistic influences.


My vivid imagination, and intense love of animals and all things natural,
are sources of my subject matter. I grew up in a rural area of New Jersey,
and spent much time playing 'pretend', outdoors, in the woods by our home.
What an extreme luxury to have had that." 
 
Leslie has concentrated her artistic efforts on Fantasy art and illustration
for the past 15 years.  Fairies, dragons and all things imaginative and
humorous are her subject matter.  Leslie authored and illustrated her own
book, under the name Leslie D'Allesandro Hill, titled "Fairies Have Wings,
But They're Not Angels!", published by Dragon Tales of The Woodlands, Texas.
Leslie displays her Fantasy artwork nationally at Science Fiction/Fantasy
literature and art conventions. She had been chosen to be Artist Guest of
Honor at InCon, Spokane, WA, and at TusCon, Tucson, AZ. Her work is licensed
for publication as Fantasy Art greeting cards, corporate Christmas cards, and
CD and album covers. 


Leslie also illustrated the books,  "Two Glass Buttons: A Story of the Texas
Runaway Scrape", by Marguerite Crain, published by the Haley Library, Midland,
Texas, and "Granger Pinkbelly, The Puppy From Hell", by author Carolyn Banks.
Leslie specialized for many years in fine art pet portraits, and still
maintains a loyal clientele for these special art pieces. She continues to
welcome commission requests.
 
"The launch of my commercial website is an important step for me. Now, I
will be able to offer art and products that a much larger audience can enjoy.
My deepest gratitude to my Web Administrator." 


Originally from Rahway, New Jersey, Leslie has lived most of her adult life
in Midland, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona.
 
"I am interested in gardening, because it gives me a good reason to be outside,
and reading, because it gives me a good reason to be inside. I love cooking,
because it gives me a good reason to eat well.  I love listening to blues music,
because it keeps me from having to hum to myself." 


-Leslie D'Allesandro Hawes