Shalese Sands was born in Willmar, MN in 1989. She graduated in the spring of 2011 from Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN with a B.S. in Studio Art. She spent the next 11 years working as receptionist, while pursuing her art on the side. In July of 2023, Shalese was finally able to quit her job to become a full-time wildlife artist, which was a lifelong dream fulfilled.

Shalese discovered the world of scratchboard on a professional level in 2013 after trying Ampersand scratchboards. She had dabbled in the medium in high school, but the paper scratchboards that were used had less than stellar quality. Before long, scratchboard not only became her favorite medium, but also the one she excelled in the most. She also creates paintings and drawings.

Shalese has been honored to achieve many forms of recognition and awards over her career so far. She is a Master Scratchboard Artist with the International Society of Scratchboard Artists (ISSA) and a Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists (SAA). She also has many articles and awards published in different magazines over the years (Artists Magazine, The Best of Drawing, Southwest Art Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine), and has been juried into many noteworthy shows, such as Birds in Art, the annual shows for ISSA and SAA, the Settlers West Miniature Show, and others.

Traveling to get reference photos for her work is something else Shalese really values. She has been to Africa and Alaska multiple times, as well as Yellowstone, Badlands National Park, the Gunflint Trail, and many others places. Her work is truly derived from the many wonderful experiences she has had in the field, and it brings a deeper level of connection and realism to her work.