The young artist

After Leone’s father died at the premature age of 26, her mother,  left Cape Town for Johannesburg, pregnant with a third child and with 2 little girls aged 3 and 4 years, in tow.

Leone and her two sisters were raised in Pretoria, South Africa with the love and support of grand parents, her aunts and uncles.

Leone’s mother worked for the bank, and even though money was short, Leone boasted a well kept secret collection of art mediums with which she regularly provided gifts, drawings and small sculptures in a variety of mediums - for family and friends.

When Leone was 8 years of age, her mother remarried a geological surveyor.  The family left their tiny 2 bedroom flat and moved into a beautiful new home in the Pretoria country side. Each of the little girls were delighted in having their very own bedrooms.  Her stepfather, now boasted a entourage of 7 beautiful girls.

Since Leone was always busy making something for someone, her stepfather encouraged her to continue, he even summoned up family and friends to pay for their commission, thus keeping her in art supplies.

Before long, Leone had little piles of money lying around in her studio-bedroom. It did not take much to realize that her art was lucrative, so her father began to invest her income and taught Leone what he could about marketing her art.
 

Foundation of her life:
Leone’s love for drawing, sculpture and painting led her to graduate from the Pretoria School of Art, Music and Ballet, in 1981 with an university exemption and best achievement in graphic art. Leone was nominated by the principal of the art school and was commissioned  for a sculpture - bust portrait, of the principal for the school.

Very sure of her artistic ability and fresh out of school- Leone decided to study architecture.

Leone’s family was large and her father had a mammoth task of providing for the needs and education of 7 girls, his wife and himself. The family also had a nanny by the name of Johanna, so that concluded a full household of 10 mouths to feed.

As a result, Leone knew that if she wanted to achieve her dream, she would have to carefully plan her own future and pay for all her own studies. So when the opportunity came to go to...

Cape Town
to continue her studies in  Architecture and in the establishment of a CAD Architectural Drawing Office in Parliament, Cape Town, Leone jumped at the chance.  Here she also found the time to graduate with a National Diploma in Architecture.

Although Leone favored architecture and excelled in  architectural design, she also enjoyed helping her fellow draftsmen and -ladies students with design and presentation drawings.

Due to her prolific creativity, knowledge and flexibility in her artistic skills, Leone was often loaned out to numerous departments throughout the company.  

Over and above her artistic skills Leone was also assigned to projects in town planning, photography, magazine layout, designer for  architectural trade shows, portraiture for the media, cartoonist and illustrator for Parliament and Media Services.

Photo:  Government portrait for the Upington Airport in South Africa of  Sir. General Pierre van Rijneveld - a total of 8 portraits for the Johannesberg and Pretoria War Museum.

Return to Pretoria
Leone’s career was rudely jolted by the early and unexpected death of her biggest fan, mentor and advisor, her stepfather.
This was a very dark time for her and she stopped painting all together. Shortly after the death of her step father Leone escaped her emotions through travels to Europe, but even after traveling for 5 months through 15 countries in Europe - Leone returned to her life in South Africa still angry and lost in her pain.

Leone married and started a family, a year later.  She resigned from her Architectural career in 1994 - following her was a profound 13 year career of over 163 portraits of Government Heads of Departments and Ministers, a deep architectural discipline and a complex portfolio of 37 private oil paintings,

CAUSE Academy
In 1994, Leone decided to return to art, by accepted the post of  junior lecturer for the BA Fine Art bridging course at CAUSE Academy - to pay for her Fine Art Degree at UNISA ( University of South Africa ).

Photo : Painted during her pregnancy with her oldest son, Keith - Dalmatian. Oil on canvas - 100 x 150 cm


It was only after the birth of her son Keith, that Leone finally returned to her own art-making. Leone also established her first private art studio school namely,  Autumn Shades in her later years of lecturing at CAUSE Academy.

Sadly her revived passion for art was not shared by her husband. Regardless, Leone persevered and together with her youngest sister,  Leone returned to art studies by enrolling at INTEC College, where she completed her  Interior Design Diploma.

Together with her youngest sister, Leone  developed plans to start a small Interior decorating business, after having completed her  Entrepreneurship at FEBDEV, but when this idea was not met with approval by her husband. Leone and her sister parted ways.

Pottersjoy & Argila
Even  in 1996 when Leone successfully launched a small company called Potters Joy into the European pottery market, for ethnic South African Pottery - her husband remained determined on his own ideas for Leone.

Photo 1: Out of Africa I ,  One of the many pots that Leone designed and threw for Pottersjoy. Leone became infatuated with South African symbolism and interior design.  In her painting, the Arum Lilies are a symbolic and in memory of her two lost fathers.

Photo 2: Out of Africa II ,  Leone had traveled extensively with her father so it was no surprise that her work became an eclectic exhibition  of memories.
 

 As luck would have it, ...

Argila - the largest pottery company in South Africa, discovered Leone and offered her the post of Artist & Products Designer. Here Leone worked her way up to Assistant to Production Manager and Quality Controller for ARGILA earth ware - Krause Enterprises,

Photo:  Clay sculpture for Krause Enterprises.

Leone’s success was short lived, as her husband,  applied for a transfer to the post of  Regional Manager in Port Elizabeth.

With her second child merely a few months old, Leone resigned her post at Argilla and relocated the children with her husband in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape. 

In a desperate attempt to find inner peace, Leone applied for several job positions, but was deemed over qualified, because the income structure for Coastal Cities are well below that of  major cities like Johannesburg or Cape Town.

When unemployment was evident, Leone quickly turned her attention to the area she knew well - The Art world in the Port Elizabeth ART market. In her research, Leone discovered a niche that she could fill. In confirmation, Leone acquired the trust of  several local  Art Galleries and ... in the process had a chance meeting with a young Dutch lady by the name of Gea, who had just immigrated from the Netherlands to South Africa.

Autumn Shades reopens in Port Elizabeth
In 1998, despite all odds -Leone divorced her husband, took a leap of faith back into the Art World and reopened Autumn Shades Art Studio while accepted portrait commissions and wildlife, for oils.

It was Paul Ward  - an established Port Elizabeth business man in the International leather trade, who gave Leone’s her a largest oil painting commission: 6 x Wildlife Landscapes.
 

Photos: the Springbok trading commission: Oil on canvas 250 x 250 cm. Also include paintings for the boardroom - 60 x 230 cm. Springbok trading bought all her preliminary designs and oil painting sketches for this commission.

The Fine Art School of Port Elizabeth
Leone’s teaching studio flourished. Mr. Barry Blyth and Graham Ward approached Leone to assist in the to establishment of  the Fine Art School of Port Elizabeth and the Blyth Art Gallery in the beautiful Scottish - Free Masons Lodge, Port Elizabeth Central.

Leone became Art Master and Director of the Art school studio.  Here she offered full- time art courses in all drawing and painting mediums to all levels of artists.

Leone coordinated Lectures and invited Professional Artists as guest speakers to share their views on local and international Art and Artist mediums.  Renowned South African Artists, such as Terry Mc Mennigall and even the renowned South African Photographer, Tim Hopwood.
 

Blyth Gallery

The Blyth Gallery and Port Elizabeth School of fine Art was situated in the old Free Masons Lodge, in Port Elizabeth central. The unique building and atmosphere soon became a social hub for local artists to learn, teach and exhibit with other International Artists.  Such as Buccanan, Bretten-Ann Heath, Boekooi  Art Gallery and Lez Bird from the Chat Noir Art Studio.

The Blyth Art Gallery was attached to the Art Studio and offered Opera evenings, while promoting a variety of art disciplines and artists.

Photo: Barry Blyth at the Free Masons Lodge in Port Elizabeth Central.

This is were the Dutch lady, Gea Groenhof  reentered Leone’s life for the second time and they became friends even though Gea enrolled at the Fine Art school of Port Elizabeth as a Student Artist.

 

The Artists Guild at EPSAC
In 2002 the school expanded it’s teaching staff moved on to establish the much needed Artists Guild at EPSAC ( the Eastern Province Society of Art and Culture )  with  the help of two other local Artists, Marie Breetzke and Lisa Emmett.
 

The break from Blyth’s

After leaving Blyth, Leone honored a one year restraint of trade to the Blyth Art Gallery.

However, this meant finding work outside Port Elizabeth. Leone found herself with no choice but to bravely hand both children over to their father, while she traveled and struggled to set her self up again.
Despite her dedicated attempt to win the the Brett Kebble Art Awards, (Brett Kebble was assassinated the following year). Leone found few clients at the Grahams Town festival and through private tuition, but this was`nt enough, before long Leone depleted her funds and was forced to return home.

The birth of ...TonkinsonFineArtstudios

With help from her mother and financial guidance from her Patron Mr . Paul Ward.  As soon as her restraint of trade was complete Leone wasted no time in launching, Tonkinson Fine Art. cc.  Her famed painting “Inner Pride “marks this major step towards freedom.

Photos: The exterior and interior of the studio.

The news spread like a wild fire and almost all her previous art students returned to join her. Between 2004 -2006 Leone became recognized as an independent Art Master,  offering inspiration to all levels of artists, promoting young talent, coordinating group exhibitions, offering workshops and lectures to the Eastern Cape artists and paint-outs at the Algoa Bay Yacht Club
To name a few:
Marie Breetzke, Lisa Emmett, Antoinette Meyer, Hermanus Havenga, Paul Smit, Reg Marshall, Carina van der Walt, Kinnie Minnaar, Gea Groenhof, Wendy Strijdom, Di Evans,  Liz Pearson, Riana Nel, France Harrington, Liana Dikkert, and many many more.

Leone offered workshops and demonstrations in a variety of oil painting techniques. She worked with artists in the developing of their own personal signature as well as  paved her way in stabilizing  a few wet oil painting techniques, namely, the fossil marbling technique, the crackle technique, wood grain and multi glazing.

Leone also developed a fail-proof color mixing palette, participated in group Workshop restorations and set up paint-outs to inspired artists to maximize their mediums as well as plein-air experience.
 

Although Leone’s studio-schools were successful, she still wanted to obtain affiliation with a recognized educational facilities in Port Elizabeth.  Leone felt the value in offering her students a certificate for the courses that she offered. In so doing - it would graduate the art studio school into an academy. Leone was informed by all the local art educational facilities of Port Elizabeth, that she was required to complete her  Sabbatical, before she could make an application.

Through family connections - Leone decided that Leone would best be suited to complete her Sabbatical in France, near family.

Just 5 months before her departure to France...

In mid -2005, the Dutch lady Gea Groenhof,  introduced Leone to her brother - Mr. Ruud Oskam who having heard her story, offered Leone a sponsored Sabbatical in the Netherlands. Needless to say, after deep deliberation and a gentle shove from her Mother, Leone finally accepted.

This was a giant leap for her, but it also meant that Leone would have to leave her children behind in South Africa.  However, Leone took comfort that her studies would only take one year and that the consequences thereof would better secure a future for her and her two children.

It took 12 months of grueling administration between the South African and the Dutch Home Affairs, but finally in May 2005, Leone’s grant to study in the Netherlands was approved.

As a farewell gift to her students, Leone hosted the:

Tonkinson Fine Art Expo 2006
On the 26th April 2006, Leone together with 8 student Artists hosted an exhibition in Port Elizabeth of over 500 oil paintings.

The Tonkinson Expo 2006 featured a wide variety of oil painting techniques and subject matter ranging from landscapes, seascapes, portraiture, still-life, modern, contemporary and abstract styles.

An excellent example of Leone’s flexibility and aptitude.

The exhibition was so large, that it had to be hosted at 3 separate buildings, independent Art Galleries, namely :
The Cuyler Street Art gallery,
The Eastern Provence Society of Art & Culture and the
Rick Bekker Gallery.
 

Photo: Invitation to the Tonkinson Fine Art Expo May 2006

*** Europe  ***

In May of 2006 Leone closed her studio-school doors and left South Africa for Europe. Her home base became a unique, small town called  Radio Kootwijk, situated in the heart of the Netherlands as well as in the heart of a Forest Reserve called the Hoge Veluwe.

The Netherlands ... Traveling from as far north as Groningen,  as far South as Maastricht, Leone and her Patron Ruud Oskam visited Art galleries throughout the Netherlands, Ireland, UK, Germany, Belgium, Scotland and France.

First solo exhibition ... Leone was invited by the Town Council of  Radio Kootwijk to exhibit in the local Monument, on monuments day, on the 9th May 2007 on  Monuments Day. 

Photo: Gebouw A  in Radio Kootwijk.

Boasting 1 800 visitors,  13 News paper articles, an interview with Radio Gelderland and  TV Omroep Gelderland - all assisted in launching a grand platform for Leone - which also led to her return to Art tuition.

Leone fell in love with the Dutch Culture, the people in and around Radio Kootwijk and being so close to the art she had only studied in books.

Tonkinson Art Masters ... was Registered with the Chamber of Commerce,  in 2008 - as a private art school: Tonkinson Art Masters opened it’s doors to students on the 21st February 2008 at the Radio Kootwijk Kunstcentrum.

The art school offers drawing, painting and sculpture to all levels of artists. Corporate Workshops and Summer paint-outs in and around the Art Studio, in the Forest.

2008

Second Solo exhibition... Leone hosted her second solo-exhibition of 40 new paintings at the Hotel Oranjeoord in Hoog  Soeren.  From the  1st- January  to the 1st April 2008.

Photo: Invitation to the art Tonkinson Art expo at Hotel Oranjeoord. Her oil painting  “Inner Pride”  150 x 100 cm”  Oil on canvas.

Photo: Hotel Oranjeoord - Opening night of my 2nd solo exhibition.

Leone’s travels... Leone has in the interim, been to a few neighboring countries, such as, Paris, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and returned to  South Africa to network. Seizing every opportunity to attend Festivals, seeking out the Art quarters, Galleries, Museums, local artists and sculptors, artists paradise like Rue de Matignon, Rue de Mazarine, Rue de Seine and almost everything in between.

2008

Dutch integration...Leone obtained her  NT2 Certificate, on the 11th March 2008.  Distinction in all subjects, including the Dutch language with 80% on level MO.

Leone qualified for the entrepreneurship and registered  her private Art School - TonkinsonARTmasters, at the chamber of commerce.

2009

europARTexpo

Leone designed, established and hosted the first non-profit - europARTexpo 2009 - in the National Monument, Gebouw A, in Radio Kootwijk, in the Netherlands.

This collective International Art expo is designed to accommodate artists from all over the world in coming together under one roof.  In 2009 17 Artists exhibited together, presenting an eclectic expo of drawings, paintings, sculptures and culture from all around the world, under one roof.

2010

In 2010, Leone qualified for voting rights as well as her international drivers license.

Leone established TAM Art Gallery, which opened it’s doors on the 10th September 2010.

2011

Today Leone can be found living in the quaint little town of Radio Kootwijk awaiting the final outcome of a 5 year court battle for the return of custody of her children - One of the main driving forces behind her unselfish and outstanding achievements in the Netherlands.

europARTexpo 2012  - Leone will officially open the registration web site on the 30th February 2011, for Artist registrations. The event will take place from the 4th to the 12th August 2012 at the Americahal in Apeldoorn, in the Netherland.

This next collective International Art fair is designed to accommodate 200 artists. Together, artists will represent their country and join other exhibiters in presenting an eclectic expo of art and culture from all around the world, under one roof.

2012

Thank you for visiting my web site and for reading my story. I look forward seeing you at the 2011 Florence Biennial and or the 2012 europARTexpo.

Until then, take care.

Leone