Cultural isolation does wonders for the imagination. The bizarre, surreal, and humorous artwork of Chris Leavens is a perfect example. Chris grew up in a house on a dirt road in rural east-central Pennsylvania and relied heavily on his imagination to keep himself entertained. Impressed upon by Sesame Street, Saturday morning cartoons, and science fiction iconography, Chris began drawing at a young age, doodling in class and drawing scenes for twisted comedy sketches while enduring the excruciatingly-long bus rides to and from school.

Chris's sensibilities took him to Penn State University where he focused on studying animation, earning his BA in film and video. While at Penn State, Chris was introduced to digital art and he began using computers to create and enhance his artwork.

Today, Chris Leavens is an illustrator specializing in vector artwork. He creates nearly all of his art, from start to finish, using Adobe Illustrator. His artwork, although a bizarre, tends to be optimistic, whimsical, and humorous. According to Chris, the goal of his work "is put a smile on your face and make you think. Life is hard enough as is. I guess morose art has its place, but I want to help people escape from what's bringing them down." His work portrays absurd and surreal scenes in which monsters and anthropomorphism reign supreme.

Chris's work has appeared in numerous galleries, magazines, TV shows, feature films, and children's publications. In addition to his artwork, Chris also directed the feature documentary, "I Don't Know Jack," a biography of actor Jack Nance. Chris currently lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, Adriana.