Dilys Evans, Founder of The Original Art, was a fine artist before falling in love with children’s book illustration. In 1978, she established Dilys Evans Fine Illustration, LLC, an agency that represented many acclaimed artists. Over the course of her career, those artists won Caldecott Medals and Honor Book awards and consistently appeared on New York Times bestseller lists. She brought Marcia Leonard and Laurent Linn on board as advisors to The Original Art; then in 2011, she retired from active participation in the show.