Draft:Shana Levenson

Shana Levenson (b. 1981) is an American representational painter from Albuquerque, NM.

Education
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.


 * 2016 MFA Painting, Academy of Art University, San Francisco, CA
 * 2005 BS Fashion Merchandising, University of Texas, Austin, TX

Work
Shana’s work focuses on the figure and still-life mantras. 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 background in fashion design has informed her work with the exploration of painting different textiles and jewellery.

In 1992, Her Uncle Alan died of AIDS. The impact it had on her was significant. Through the AIDS community, She met an amazing young woman who shared her story through public speaking and Shana was present in the hospice when she passed. She was 12. Alan and Sherry’s lives live on through her work. AIDS has been a huge factor in her life and the impact it had upon her family is beyond the disease. In 2014, She focused her work towards painting long term AIDS survivors. A project she calls Beyond the Illness to tell stories of these survivors through something that lasts forever, art.

Shana currently lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her works can be seen in regular exhibitions across the United States and abroad.

She is a signature member of the Portrait Society of America

Recognition

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

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 Artist 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