Lela Dowling was born in Santa Barbara, California.
With over 25 years of experience creating artwork specifically for the field of fantasy and science fiction, she started with West Coast sci-fi and fantasy convention art shows. According to Lela her detailed pen and ink, pencil and watercolor illustrations still reveal traces of early influence by the English Illustrator Arthur Rackham, and her cartoons were certainly molded by Walt Kelly's comic strip 'Pogo'.
After Lela received her degree, she embarked upon a career as a freelance artist. Some of her earlier and better-known published work includes a set of four portfolios with dragon and unicorn themes by Schanes & Schanes.
When Hill House produced the Limited Edition of Raymond E. Feists Faerie Tale, Lela provided several pen and ink illustrations.
Lela currently lives and works out of her studio in Marin County, California.
