The Sister Shop Brings Art to Life

ARTICLE BY STARLA GATSON

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

The story of Chlese and Camellia Jiles begins in the living room of their childhood home in Shreveport. Years ago, when they were just little girls, the two sprawled across the floor in front of the television with their older sister, Kamaya, surrounded by paper, pencils, and whatever else they needed to create their own versions of the characters they saw on the screen. Now, the sisters sit in the living room of the house they share in Ruston, making digital drawings and paintings of the people, places, and things around them. Some call it a full-circle moment, while others say deja vu; either way, with the establishment of Sisters Shop, the art shop the sisters co-created, Chlese and Camellia are bringing it back to the beginning.

Art has been a part of the two digital illustrators’ lives for as long as they can remember, so the decision to pursue it professionally, Chlese says, made perfect sense. 

“We’ve been drawing literally since we could hold a pencil,” she says. “It was our hobby and something that was fun for us, but I don’t think there was anything else we thought about doing other than being artists.”

Her younger sister agrees, recalling a memory of her fourth-grade self answering the question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” by drawing a picture of herself as an art teacher before adding, “I didn’t have a struggle over what I wanted to do because I already knew that’s what I wanted to pursue.” 

The Jiles sisters’ natural interest in art, plus the encouragement of their parents and their high school AP art instructors, steered them to the art department at Louisiana Tech, with Chlese enrolling first and Camellia following just a year later. It was there in Tech’s School of Design that the two studio art majors began discovering their identities as creators. Despite having informative courses and inspiring professors, however, the journey wasn’t always the easiest, Chlese reveals.

  “Being an art major — or just being an artist in general — is so funny, especially when you’re trying to learn and someone’s trying to teach you,” she says. “You can be in one class and the teachers are like, ‘Do this; this is how you do art’ and in another class, they’re like ‘Do this,’ and their opinions are totally opposite.”

    The objectivity was frustrating at times, Chlese goes on, but it provided plenty of freedom to find her own way. And fortunately, her sister was nearby — sometimes no farther away than the chair across the classroom — to offer an empathetic ear. Competitive spirits may have driven a wedge between some sibling duos, but Camellia explains being in the same degree program at the same time only brought the two of them closer. 

“It made it easy for us to understand what the other person was going through,” she says. “We were in it together no matter what we were doing, so we had a lot of opportunities to help each other.”

Thanks to the support of her sister, the expertise of instructors like Nick Bustamante and Nicole Duet, and hard work, each earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art in 2019 and 2020, respectively. And with their undergraduate years behind them, the two artists were free to explore their next steps and figure out what role art would play in their lives. 

After graduating in 2019, Chlese spent two years working as an intern at the university’s Wesley Foundation. When her time there came to a close, the young artist accepted a part-time position teaching art at a Grambling school. Deep down, though, she knew she wanted to pour all of her energy into freelance work. So, she resigned from the teaching position and leaped into full-time freelancing.

“That was really scary because [art] is the thing I think I’ve wanted to do my whole life, and it was like, ‘OK, now I’m going to see if I’m good at being an artist and making a living like that,’” Chlese recalls. “When you’re going through college, all your professors are like, ‘We don’t want to see you working at McDonald’s’ and stuff like that, so it just feels like there’s a lot at stake.”

Just as she had many times before, Chlese turned to Camellia, who, funnily enough, was about to complete her second year in the same ministry internship her sister had worked, for support. As the two discussed life post-internship and what Camellia would do when she joined her sister as a former Wesley intern, the idea for Sister Shop emerged. 

Answering the question of whether they should work together was such an easy “yes” for the Jiles sisters that it didn’t even need to be said — and it wasn’t, Chlese explains. “We just looked at each other and said, ‘What if we…’ and we were just like, ‘Yeah!’ We didn’t finish that sentence.”

From there, the two immediately began brainstorming, tossing around the idea of selling items like stickers, t-shirts, and prints of their sketches and paintings. The pair officially launched the shop in November 2021, kicking things off with an art sale in their front yard and a pop-up shop at a local coffee shop. It’s been nice, both women agree, earning a few extra dollars selling their art, but the real reward is connecting with the people who buy it. 

“It’s so encouraging to have people we’ve never even met come up and be like, ‘Yeah, I saw your art on Instagram, and I’m getting this for my friend or daughter,’” Camellia says. “Stuff like that is, I think, what makes art so special.”

Chlese echoes her sister’s sentiment, explaining that ultimately, the heart behind their business is building community, not just with their customers but with other artists, too. The work they sell is, of course, made by the two of them, but eventually, they’d like to bring more creatives on board, she says. 

“A thing we’ve talked about is more collaboration,” she explains. “Sister Shop is this thing that already is a collaboration between the two of us, and I feel very excited about the idea of inviting other artists to collaborate with us. I think it’d be really cool if we did a zine or a show or something.” 

This means, she goes on, that Sister Shop will ultimately be able to create avenues for other creators to shine. “I imagine it growing to something that does give other people opportunities as well,” she says. “I get really excited about that because people have done that for us our entire lives. We had this idea together, and we’re doing it together, but we’re doing [it] because other people encouraged us, pushed us forward, and put our names out there.”

Camellia agrees, sharing that she hopes they can not only spotlight other artists but mentor and pour into aspiring creatives, too. 

“[I want to] use our shop to encourage young artists to know art is something they have the power to do and bring a lot of joy to a lot of people,” she says. “If we could connect with kids in some way, I think that would be something I’d really like to do.”

That, however, is more of a long-term goal for Sister Shop. Now, as they navigate this still-new endeavor, Chlese and Camellia admit they’re still trying to figure out exactly how their business will evolve. For now, though, they know they want the creations they make and sell to inspire all who see them. 

“I think the art we’re making is for the little girl versions of ourselves and other black women and girls,” Chlese muses. “I really want what we make to be gifts, not only for those groups of people but for others as well.” 

The Jiles sisters’ desire to connect with people comes straight from God, Chlese says. And given the time the sisters spent directly involved with campus ministry during their college years and beyond, their use of art as a ministry of sorts — a means of connecting to and loving people — seems like a natural next step. 

Connection and ministry aren’t the only things that drive them to create, however. Chlese and Camellia find themselves inspired by a variety of other things as well, including the idea of providing the representation they didn’t see very much of on their favorite cartoons. 

“People have always been my favorite thing to draw, and something that has really been a big focus for me in the past few years is drawing a diverse group of people,” Camellia says. “Growing up, watching cartoons and not always being able to see someone that looks like us has led to that being what I want to do with my art: fill the space with a diverse range of characters.”

Like her sister, Chlese too finds herself creating characters that look more like her and her sisters. 

“Even on days when I just want to draw but don’t have a specific thing in mind, the first thing that comes to mind is to draw a black girl,” she says. “We’re beautiful, and I just want to draw and see more black women, more black girls.”

The representation they’re looking to create, however, doesn’t always mean making art that sends a serious politically-charged or social change-spurring message, Chlese clarifies. That’s not necessarily what she wants her work to say. 

“When you’re a minority of any sort and an artist, you definitely have a lot to say, but sometimes, you feel like it’s your job or your duty to make really deep, political art, and I just don’t like doing stuff like that,” she explains. “That’s not to say I don’t like talking about those things, but I want to depict black people having fun.”

Camellia agrees, acknowledging that the sisters’ identities as black women have, of course, influenced and inspired much of their work. But, she continues, that doesn’t mean every piece in their portfolios or listed on Sister Shop must be somber and reflective. They’re coming to terms with this as they carve spaces for themselves as artists and business owners. They’re figuring out what works for them, but for now, they know creating art that spurs joy, awe, and wonder is most fulfilling. 

“We have power in doing art, even if it’s not something heavy, and as I’ve gotten older and since I’ve graduated, the weight of feeling like every piece of art I make has to be something heavy [has lifted],” Camellia says. “I think it’s enough that I’m a black woman making art.”