Chris Rosati Yoos: Introducing The Eyes of Africa 

Save 20% on purchases of all artworks from this exhibition in the gallery or online on Black Friday and Saturday ONLY, November 24-25, 2023.

Artworks from the exhibition will continue to be available online through Sean Christopher Gallery thru January 2, 2024. 

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“Introducing The Eyes of Africa by Chris Rosati Yoos” runs through November 25 with an artist donation from proceeds of her sales going to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

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Artist Statement

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The eyes of each animal I create are like the “windows to their souls.” Capturing their eyes is essential for each of my pieces. No creature “great or small” is ever ordinary to me. I never overlook things like the dust on a butterfly’s wings or an elephant’s perfectly imperfect wrinkled skin! It excites me to see the life of each animal, living within its own ecosystem, a sliver of its own bound by countless facts and beauty. The fragility of many of the creatures drives my work so that I can educate people about them and their uniqueness in our world.

I create in response to the many places I have traveled in this world. My two visits to Africa were unparalleled with stunning beauty of the animals. I take hundreds and hundreds of my own wildlife photography to assist me in capturing the life, colors, emotions, movement, and harmony of them within their natural environment. This fuels my art. The creatures always leave an indelible place in my heart; and while I am often saddened by many of their bleak conservation status, I am also overwhelmed with hope as to the work going into protecting, rehabilitating and reintegrating many species back into the wild. I am deeply devoted to conservation. 

I have had countless responses on my social feeds of people thanking me for providing thought-provoking facts on the animals I create. Many of my followers feel inspired by my realistic style of drawing and paintings of my animals. One of my favorite comments from a follower is ~  “So wonderful of you to cultivate passion for animals; information is so useful for making people aware and sensitive. It is becoming too late for conservation and biodiversity.”

I return to my studio each day with the hope and determination my work may play a role in conservation and awareness to the public. I aim to invoke deeper connections between those who see my work and each animal I create. I strongly desire that people walk away and feel as though they learned something or perhaps they pay it forward in supporting conservation efforts within our big, beautiful world and the stunning creatures who play a vital role in sustaining our ecosystem.

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Artist Biography

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Chris Rosati Yoos is a Columbus-based Fine Artist whose drawings and paintings explore “all creatures great and small” and their place in an often fragile world. She describe’s their eyes as “windows to their souls” so capturing them in her work is crucial.

While Chris has studied art since about age 5, she didn’t start working as a full-time artist until about 2017. She was discovered in 2019 by a curator out of LA called RAW and she was invited to participate in their showcase event that year called “IMPACT” at the Bluestone in Columbus, Ohio. RAW Natural Born Artists showcases the independent creative community across the globe. Chris was also recently featured in Art and Color 365’s 2023 Fall Magazine as a finalist placing in their Drawing Competition. She was also recently accepted as an Associate Member of Artists for Conservation (AFC), the world’s leading artist group supporting the environment. This prestigious group is by submission and then invitation-only. On November 4th, 2023 Chris has been invited to do her first solo exhibition at Sean Christopher Gallery in Columbus which she has entitled “The Eyes of Africa,” She will be providing over 50 pieces of art of the some of the many animals that inspired her during her travels to Africa.

Chris creates in response to the many places she has traveled in this world. She cites her two visits to Africa as “unparalleled with stunning beauty of the animals they call their own.” She takes hundreds and hundreds of her own wildlife photography to assist in capturing the life, colors, emotions, movement, and harmony within their own natural spaces.  Deeply devoted to conservation, Chris is hopeful with the work going into protecting, rehabilitating and reintegrating many species back into the wild. Chris provides education about each of the creatures she creates to invoke a deeper connection between the viewer of her work and the uniqueness of each animal. 

Previously, Chris spent over 30 years in a lucrative media and marketing career devoted to thought leadership, agency management and the development of mini-ad agencies designed to support sales teams across 33+ markets in need of research, marketing/media strategy, promotions/experiential marketing and creative/brand support. Throughout her marketing and creative leadership, Chris and her teams were recipients of numerous award-winning marketing and brand campaigns. She says much of her experience has translated to her current role as a Fine Artist in many wonderful ways including an extraordinary understanding of each client’s needs. Chris underwent numerous joint and spine surgeries starting in 2011 forcing her to leave her marketing career. She says returning to art full force “saved her” in many ways after a decade of surgeries, rehabilitation and other struggles to regain her strength and wellness. Chris now spends her days as an instructor within her home studio offering a wide variety of art lessons starting at ages 4 through adults. She works daily researching and creating wildlife art using primarily colored pencil, watercolor, ink and mixed media. Her goal is to continue showing her work in galleries to heighten the awareness of animals all over the world and taking a proceed of her earnings to donate toward selected wildlife conservation efforts. She is also open to collaboration with conservation and other organizations supporting wildlife.

Chris graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Journalism with a focus in Industrial Design. She is also a regular continuing education student at The Columbus College of Art and Design as well as The Art League in Washington D.C. Chris is also a member of the Ohio Art League, a featured RAW Artist and member of the Artist Alliance.

She resides in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Rob, owner of Instant Signs Co./Robbies Hobbies and two beautiful children Jakob, 25 who is a Connector/Strategist/Brand Activator in Chicago IL. and Lily 22, currently in medical school at Marion University in Indianapolis, IN.