Art is much like gardening for me - it soothes my soul. It is my passion. As Henry Ward Beecher, American minister and speaker once stated: “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.” People have asked me where I learned to create such amazing illustrations. I am one-hundred percent self-taught. I consider my ability a gift from God. I have been asked to teach others how to do what I do. I am unsure if I can . . . after all, I simply create for others what their heart desires. I listen to their stories and try to learn the emotion they feel about the subject. It is that passion that I emulate in even the most minute detail of every illustration I create. When I capture that, I have created a forever memory of a moment frozen in time that will be forever cherished.

Claudia Chandler is a native of Olathe, Kansas, and began drawing the moment she could hold a pencil as a child - she hasn’t stopped creating illustrations since! She retired from teaching in 2019 and began building her art creations repertoire. Her hyper-realistic illustrations, which are frequently mistaken for photographs, are created in four mediums: Graphite drawings, professional colored pencil, oil on canvas, and scratchboard. Claudia has created quite a large number of commission pet portraiture in both graphite and colored pencil. An animal’s soul is through his eyes - this is the heartbeat of her pet portraiture illustrations. In addition, she specializes in wildlife, traditional landscapes, and child portraits.

This is Shadow. He appears in The Best of Drawing 2021 Special Issue, and is one of 117 pieces chosen in the world wide Strokes of Genius competition. Shadow’s image is created on Scratch Board.