Shana Levenson

Shana Levenson is a representational painter from Albuquerque, NM.  Her passion for the arts led her to pursue a BA in Fashion Design from The University of Texas, in Austin, and after the birth of her children in 2009 and 2010, an MFA in Fine Art Painting from the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco.   

Shana's work focuses on portraiture and the figure.  Her inspiration comes from painting people that are important in her life, and her goal is to capture each person's story in an honest and meaningful way. Shana draws inspiration from her own experiences and uses specific series as a way to illustrate chapters in her life.  Her current work incorporates lace dresses along with surrealistic elements to highlight the strength and beauty of women.  

Along with a busy painting and exhibition schedule, Shana runs a private art school out of her studio.    She and her fiancé, artist David Kassan, also started Art Crit Academy online, which an ongoing online Live Mentorship program and community that is organic, catering to the needs of an individual's goals and skill level.  She currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her kids and fiance.  Shana's works can be seen in regular exhibitions across the United States and abroad as well as being represented by McLarry Fine Art Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. 

Teaching 

• 2020 Painting Hands, Albuquerque Studio, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2020 Painting Beyond the Photo, Co-teach with Dorielle Caimi, Albuqueruque, NM 
• 2020 Lace Painting, Scottsdale Artist School 
• 2020 Drawing the Portrait from Life, Scottsdale Aritst School 
• 2019 Painting Beyond the Photo, Co teach with Dorielle Caimi, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2019 Apprenticeship, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2019 Drawing the Portrait from Life, Scottsdale Artist's School, Scottsdale, AZ 
• 2019 Painting the Portrait from Life, Art Academy, Adelaide, Australia  
• 2018 Painting Beyond the Photo, Albuquerque, NM  
• 2018 Drawing the Portrait from Life, Hull Acedmey, Dallas, TX 
• 2018 Drawing the Portrait from Life, Seville, Spain 
• 2018 Painting Beyond the Photo Workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2018 Drawing the Portrait from Life Workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2017 Painting Beyond the Photo Workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2017 Drawing Beyond the Photo Workshop, Stellenbosch, South Africa 
• 2017 Drawing Beyond the Photo Workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2017 Painting the Skull from Life, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2017 Painting Beyond the Photo workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2016 Drawing Beyond the Photo Workshop, Art Studio Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2016 Figure Drawing, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2015-current-adult and teen art classes, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2015 Figure Drawing, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2015 Portrait Drawing, New Mexico Art League, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2015 Portrait Painting: David Kassan, Scottsdale School of Art, Scottsdale, AZ (assistant)
• 2015 Portrait Painting: David Kassan, Rochester, NY (assistant) 

Awards 

• 2019 Outstanding Figurative Award, American Women Artists Online Exhibition 
• 2018 Chairman's Choice Award, ARC Salon Show 
• 2018 Best in Show, Allied Artists of America, Salmagundi Club, NYC 
• 2018 Honorable Mention, Portrait Society of America 
• 2018 Best in Show, American Women Aritst Online Juried Show 
• 2018 2nd Place, June BoldBrush online awards 
• 2018 Honorable Mention, NOAPS Best of America Exhibition 
• 2017 Best Oil Painting, NOAPS Best of America Exhibition 
• 2017 Chairman's Choice Award, ARC Salon Show 
• 2016 3rd Place, American Women Artist Online Juried Show 
• 2015 Honorable Mention, ModPortrait Competition, MEAM, Barcelona, Spain 
• 2015 Best of Show, Bold Brush competition, FASO.com 
• 2015 Second Place, TRAC Online competition 
• 2015 Gold Award, The American Artists Professional League 
• 2015 Finalist in RayMar Online Competition 
• 2014 First Place, Beaumont Art League, Beaumont, TX 
• 2014 First Place, Naples Art Association, 50th Founders Juried Awards Exhibition, Naples, FL 
• 2014 Gold Ribbon, FAME exhibition online 
• 2014 First Place, Shades of Red Show, Vista, CA 
• 2014 Second Place, Louisville Art Association, Louisville, CA 
• 2014 First Place Award, EAFA Gallery, Seattle, WA 
• 2014 Exhibition, NOPAS online international competition 

Group Exhibitions 

•   2020 Artist and the Muse, 33 Contemporary Gallery, Chicago, IL May 
• 2020 Women's Group Exhibition, Sparrow Gallery, Sacramento, CA March
• 2020 Women's Group Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, NYC, NY March 
• 2020 The UNSEEN, Stone Sparrow Gallery, NYC, NY March  
• 2019 5th International Figure Painting Competition, Salmagundi Club, NYC, NY 
• 2019 Women's group exhibition, Meyer Gallery, Park City, UT 
• 2019 Portrait Society of American Tri State Competition, Oklahoma City, OK 
• 2019 Paint The Figure Now, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL 
• 2019 Solo Show, Sheer Strength, McLarry Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM   
• 2019 Painting Today: International Women's Day, MEAM, Spain 
• 2018 Miniature Holiday Exhibition, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 
• 2018 Galeria Artelibre 20x20 Anniversary Show, MEAM, Spain 
• 2018 WMOCA, Wausau Museum, Wausau, WI 
• 2018 Painting the Figure Now, Wausau Museum, Wausau, WI 
• 2018 Lot 5 Collective, Royal Opera Arcade Gallery, London, UK 
• 2018 ModPortrait, MEAM, Spain 
• 2018 ARC Salon Show, traveling exhibition, MEAM & Sotheby's Los Angeles 
• 2018 Royal Society of Portrait Painters, Mall Galleries, London 
• 2018 RJD Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
• 2018 Women's Group Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, NYC, NY 
• 2018 Works on Paper, Dacia Gallery, NYC, NY 
• 2017 "Something more than realism .. XI", Galería artelibre , Barcelona, Spain 
• 2017 Distinction Gallery, CA 
• 2017 Best of America, NOAPS, Castle Gallerieas, Fort Wayne, Indiana 
• 2017 Women As Warriors, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL 
• 2017 Sight Unseen, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 
• 2016 Miniature Group Show, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 
• 2016 Maxwell Alexander Online Show 
• 2016, Holiday Exhibition, Dacia Gallery, NYC, NY 
• 2016 Miniatures and More, Albuquerque Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2016 Contemporary Configuration Exhibition, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 
• 2016 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY 
• 2016 Freak Out, Zhou B Art Center, Chicago, IL 
• 2016 Nexus, Abend Gallery, Denver, CO 
• 2016 ModPortrait Exhibition, MEAM Museum, Barcelona, Spain 
• 2016 Principle Gallery, Alexandria, VA 
• 2015 AAPL 87th Grand National Exhibit, Salmagundi Club, NYC 
• 2015 Women Painting Women, RJD Gallery, Sag Harbor, NY 
• 2015 Tell Them Stories: Origins, Mark Miller Gallery, NYC 
• 2015 Portrait Society of Atlanta, Maretta Cobb Art Museum, Atlanta, GA 
• 2015 Unconfined Exhibition, Albuquerque, NM 
• 2015 Academy of Art Spring Show, San Francisco, CA 
• 2013 Academy of Art Spring Show, San Francisco, CA 

Publications 

• December 2019 TIME Person of the Year, Paintings of Influencers, Emannuel Macron 
• March 2018 12 Women Artists, International Artists Magazine 
• June 2017 Cover and featured article, Artists Magazine 
• December 2015 Featured Artist to Watch, Southwest Art Magazine 
• June 2015 Featured Artist on FASO.com 
• May 2015 Staff pick on FASO.com Daily Art Show 
• April 2015 Artist to Watch, Rosemary Brushes Catalogue