A Day in the Life with Leona Shanks
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
An Artist’s Reflection on a Life Deeply Committed to Art Education
By Marianne Rice
Artist Leona Shanks, alongside her late husband Nelson Shanks, co-founded the Philadelphia based school for contemporary realist art, Studio Incamminati. For over two decades Leona has given her life to the endeavor and she continues an ongoing role in the school’s leadership today. Gordon Wetmore, a founding member of the Portrait Society of America, once described the accredited school as an “exceptional example among a number of excellent schools which have been instrumental in training a growing population of young artists.” Nelson and Leona worked tirelessly to develop a curriculum that exemplified their shared ideals of a perfect art education, combining classical drawing with impressionist color. Studio Incamminati was awarded the Excellence in Fine Art Education Award at the 28th annual Art of the Portrait Conference this April, in Atlanta. Leona shares with us her reflections on a life spent committed to the arts and education.
You are an accomplished artist in both paint and sculpture. Can you reflect on the influences that lead you toward art and the use of these mediums?
I remember being emotionally awestruck at a young age by great works of art. That early exposure awakened a deep desire to create something worthy of that feeling. I began studying art obsessively through museum visits and books. I was especially fascinated with Renaissance and Baroque art. My lifelong dream and a worthwhile human endeavor, has been to create a work of art that ignites an emotional reaction from the viewer.
By my late teens, artists like Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, and Andy Warhol were all the rage. The popular objective in art was to be cool and hip. Classical training and the very mention of skill building, was frowned upon. ‘Art experts’ informed the public that ‘representational art was uninspiring and no longer relevant.’
Abstract expressionism was perceived as intellectual and the new vibrant future. That art scene left me feeling empty. I was curious and desired knowledge and the ability to paint the magnificent things I saw, with mastery and great sensitivity. That would require skill, and skill required training. I wanted Rembrandt, not Rothko.
Rather than pursuing a formal college education, I sought out mentors in Philadelphia. I studied sculpture extensively with Evangelos Frudakis. He introduced his students to the great Greek sculptors of 100 to 400 B.C. I learned so much from him.
Every artist should spend time experiencing sculpture for its dimensional attributes. Learning about canons of proportion is extremely beneficial to avoiding proportional struggles. Fundamental anatomy, through écorché, the anatomical figure of the muscle and bone structure of the body, provides tremendous understanding of our bodies.
I also began to teach myself painting by copying Old Masters at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Two days a week for two years I copied Italian portraits. There was much to learn. One day, toward the end of the two years, Nelson Shanks was touring the museum with the curator. I was 24 years old when we were first introduced.
Eventually, I became the fourth apprentice, along with Ron Frontin and Eleanor Greaves, at Nelson’s home and studio where each apprentice had a private room in his home. We painted with him every day in his studio. We painted next to him as he painted his clients and models and we would assist Nelson with teaching at the Art Students League in New York two nights a week.
It was a life of true apprenticeship. As students, we learned Nelson’s painting process and how a professional studio operates. After four years of shadowing him as my teacher, Nelson asked me out on a date. We married in 1989 and a fairytale life continued.
What do you find most inspiring as an artist and teacher?
My greatest source of inspiration comes from nature and I strive to surround myself with its visual beauty. When the sun shines or a room is illuminated, the light source creates a unique pattern of light and shadow. Within that pattern of light and shadow there is an endless treasure of values and color.
The effect of light on objects has always mesmerized me. When we were training in Nelson’s studio, he would often yell out “capture the light!” or “Turn the light on in your painting!” It was a rally cry to capture the effect of light in the painting.
When Nelson was five years old, his dad returned home from the war (WWII) with a little paint kit in his duffle bag. Nelson took the paint kit and copied a postcard he found of an adobe house in Santa Fe. The wooden rafters of the adobe roof jutted out, causing long cast shadows on the side wall of the house. This was the beginning of Nelson’s lifelong fascination with light and shadow.
I have always related to his story because I too have a specific memory of the first time I was aware of the effect of light. I was five years old, sitting in the grass while my mom was hanging the laundry on the clothesline. I remember being hyper aware of how the sun, as it shined on the grass and tree trunks, made the colors so beautiful and shifted from light into shadow. The early morning sun made the grass glitter like diamonds.
Never underestimate the observational awareness of children. I believe that exposing children to observation and drawing at an early age is invaluable to developing their awareness and satisfying their curiosity.
You co-founded Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia with your husband Nelson Shanks. Can you tell me more about Studio Incamminati and your deep commitment to teaching?
My husband and I founded Studio Incamminati in 2002. Education was the best way we knew how to give back to society. The word “Incamminati” translates from the Italian language, meaning “to progress” or “walk forward.” It is derived from the 16th century Italian Art Academy “Accademia degli Incamminati,” founded by the Carracci Family in 1585.
This movement was the genesis of the Baroque period of art. Their purpose was to reject mannerism and return to naturalism. We adopted the name Studio Incamminati to pay homage and show respect to the great representational artists throughout history.
The Incamminati curriculum is a series of sequential skill building exercises to strengthen individual artistic ability. We believe that mastery of technique is prelude for creative expression. The point is, if you are trying to express an idea, you don’t want to be bogged down with technical issues of value and color transitions.
Mastery of skill enables one to paint with freedom, while the lack of technique can be paralyzing. Technical fluency enables artistic independence. We train to become enabled through competence, rather than limited by inability.
What advice would you give to a young or developing artist?
I have spent my entire life submersed in the arts. The following is advice that I would want to hear if I were starting over again.
If there is something you want to learn, find good teachers who match your interest. Learn a painting process that works for you. Repeat that process until you develop muscle memory. Stay focused and progress through your development as if preparing to compete in the Olympics.
At the same time, painting is not a competition but a very personal expression of who YOU are and what YOU want to say. Don’t compare, find your own voice.
Build a strong foundation and you will feel empowered. Foundation forward.
Surround yourself with people who inspire you.
Never stop learning. My husband, Nelson Shanks, was a master painter. In his final year of life, he copied two paintings by Anthony van Dyck, just to keep learning. Nelson considered himself a lifelong student and always said “If you stop learning, you stop growing.”
Don’t underestimate the mundane. Work on developing a business strategy. Keep it simple and organized. Be disciplined in your painting practice but also your business practice. Do a financial budget to determine how much you need to spend on canvas, brushes and paints. Learn QuickBooks or a basic financial tracking system and live within your means.