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 in the bank, and even though money was short, Leone boasted a well kept secret collection of art materials with which she regularly provided gifts of drawings and small sculptures in a variety of mediums.

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 herself.
 

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 bust, of the principal for the school.

Very sure of her dreams and fresh out of school- Leone was one of 3, of 102 students who passed an examination of aptitude for the only 3 available architectural post in the governments services.

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.

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 to assist in the establishment of a CAD Architectural Drawing Office in Parliament Towers, Cape Town. She jumped at the chance.  Here she graduated with a National Diploma in Architecture.

Although Leone favored architectural presentations and the design process of office, sport and community centers, she also enjoyed teaching the student draughtsmen and -ladies.

Due to her ever flowing creativity, knowledge and flexibility in her artistic skills, Leone was often loaned out to numerous sections in other departments within the government.  

Over and above her artistic skills Leone was also assigned to projects in town planning, photography for  in-house magazines as well as trade fair shows, as a portrait artist for the press, paste up artist and cartoonist for Parliament and Media Services.

Photo:  Government portrait for the Upington Airport in South Africa -  Sir. General Pierre van Rijneveld.

Return to Pretoria
Leone’s career was rudely disrupted and erupted through 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 decided to travel through Europe, but after 15 months of traveling, she return to Pretoria to stay with her youngest sister.

Leone married and started a family, a year later.  She resigned 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 fresh portfolio of 37 private oil paintings,

CAUSE Academy
In 1994, although still feeling very lost, Leone accepted the post of  junior lecturer for the Fine Art bridging course at CAUSE Academy ( the Christian Academy of University and Secondary Education ) while attempting her Fine Art Degree through 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 this career change and only after the birth of her son Keith, that Leone returned to her art,   ...realized her business potential and decided to finally register her own art studio, in Pretoria, namely Autumn Shades.

Sadly her revived passion for art was not shared by her husband.

Together with her youngest sister,  Leone enrolled at the INTEC College and completed an Interior Design Diploma. Together with her youngest sister, Leone  planned to start a small Interior Design business, but this was met with disdain by her husband.

Finally her sister moved on to better pastures, but Leone was determined to persevere a career in art.

Pottersjoy & Argilla
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 still remained determined on his own ideas for Leone.

Photo: Out of Africa I ,  One of the pots that Leone designed and threw for Pottersjoy, her favorite wild animal and the Arum Lilies are a symbolic representation - in memory of her two lost fathers.
 

 As luck would have it, ...

Argilla - the largest pottery company in South Africa, offered Leone a post as artist & designer, where Leone worked her way up to Assistant to production manager and Quality controller in ARGILLA - Krause Enterprises,

Photo:  Clay, Sculpture of Willa Krause`s daughter.

...but this success was short lived as her husband,  applied for numerous positions throughout South Africa  and successfully landed the post as  Regional Manager in Port Elizabeth.

With her second child merely a few months old, Leone sadly resigned her post at Argilla and relocated with her family to the Eastern Cape. 

In a desperate attempt to find inner peace, Leone applied for several job positions, but was continually turned away as over qualified. The income structure for coastal towns is well below that of two major cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Leone decided to turn her attention to Market research in the art market of Port Elizabeth. While doing so she discovered a niche in the market that she could fill. She regularly visiting several art galleries and - this is where Leone had a chance meeting with a young Dutch lady by the name of Gea, who had just immigrated from the Netherlands to South Africa. Neither of them, for one minute realizing the full extent of how they would influence and change each others lives, a year later.

Autumn Shades moves to Port Elizabeth
In 1998, Leone reopened her Autumn Shades Art Studio and accepted commissions in portraiture as well as wildlife.

It was Paul Ward  - an established Port Elizabeth business man in the International leather trade, who gave Leone’s her a large oil painting commission of  6 wildlife landscapes.
 

Photos: the Springbok trading commission: Oil on canvas 250 x 250 cm. Also include a painting for the boardroom of about 60 x 230cm as well as her oil painting sketches were approved.

Fine Art School of Port Elizabeth
Leone’s teaching studio flourished and then she bravely joined in partnership with Mr. Barry Blyth and Graham Ward to establish the Fine Art School of Port Elizabeth and the Blyth’s Art Gallery in the beautiful Scottish - Free Masons Lodge in Port Elizabeth central.

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

Leone coordinated Lectures and invited other 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 the 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 the 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.

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 - when 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 and Leone transferred her investment and post over to a renowned Art Master, Bretten-ann Heath and then 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 outside the radius of 30 kilometers from Blyth Art Gallery.

This meant finding work outside Port Elizabeth. Being unable to afford legal help, Leone found herself with no choice but to bravely hand both children over to their father, while she traveled and struggled to find her feet again.
Despite her dedicated attempt at the Brett Kebble Art Awards, the Grahams Town festival and private teaching, Leone depleted her funds and was forced to return home, to her mother.

With help from her mother and financial guidance from her Patron Mr. Paul Ward.  Leone worked hard and as a result - one year later she stood proud with the announcement of having paid all her debt. As soon as her restraint of trade was complete Leone wasted no time in launching her own studio-school namely, Tonkinson Fine Art. cc.  Her famed painting “Inner Pride “ marks this major step forward in her life.

Photos: The exterior and interior of the studio.

The birth of ...TonkinsonFineArtstudios

The news spread like a wild fire and Leone’s previous art students returned to her. Between 2004 -2006 Leone became recognized as an independent Art Master,  offering inspiration to all levels of artists and also promoted many Eastern Cape artists.

To name a few:
Marie Breetzke, Lisa Emmett, Antoinette Meyer, Hermanus Havenga, Paul Smit, Reg Marshall, Carina van der Walt, Kinnie Minnaar, the Dutch lady - Gea Groenhof, Wendy Strijdom, Di Evans,  Liz Pearson, Reana Nel, France Harrington, Liana Dickert, and many many more.

Leone offered workshops and demonstrations in a variety of oil painting techniques. She developed the personal styles of Artists as well as artists’ signatures and paved her way in her own developed oil painting technique , one of which is called “the fossil marbling technique”.

Her fail-proof mixing ...color wheel theory, paint-outs and glazing techniques have inspired many artists and were the most popular courses amongst her students.
 

Although Leone’s studio-schools were successful, she she needed to obtain affiliation with a recognized educational facilities in South Africa. So she worked day and night on a plan for a two year sabbatical in France.

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 offered Leone a sponsored Sabbatical in the Netherlands. Needless to say, after deep deliberation, Leone accepted.

This was a giant step forward, but it also meant that she would have to leave her children behind in South Africa.  However, Leone recognized that her studies in Europe would better secure a Art-Studio into an Art School or an Art Academy and so, she bravely set out to secure a  future of her children and their post education.

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 was approved. As a farewell gift to her students.
 

Tonkinson Fine Art Expo 2006
On the 26th April 2006, Leone together with her 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 and even wildlife  - in modern, contemporary and abstract styles.

An excellent example of Leone’s flexibility and aptitude as an Art Master who specialized in developing individual artists.

This exhibition was so large it had to be hosted at 3 different venues, 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

In May of 2006 Leone closed her studio-school and left South Africa to study her sabbatical in Europe. Her home base would be a small town called  Radio Kootwijk, in the heart of the Netherlands. 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 and introduced themselves to Art, Artists and art galleries throughout the Netherlands and Europe.

First solo exhibition ... Leone was invited by the residence of Radio Kootwijk to exhibit in the local Monument, namely “Gebouw A” on the 9th May 2007 on  Monuments Day. 

Photo: Gebouw A  in Radio Kootwijk.

Boasting  about  1 800 visitors,  13 News paper articles, an interview with Radio Gelderland and  TV Omroep Gelderland all assisted in  launching a platform for TonkinsonARTmasters.

Leone fell in love with Radio Kootwijk and it’s people and decided to make Radio Kootwijk her home. She now had the means to offer both her  children a higher education .

Tonkinson Art Masters ... registered with the Chamber of Commerce,  the private art school: Tonkinson Art Masters - de Centrum voor kunsteducatie,   opened it’s doors to students on the 21st February 2008 at the Radio Kootwijk Kunstcentrum.

The art school offers drawing, painting and sculpture tuition to all levels of artists. Also workshops in all the above disciplines and Summer paint-outs in the Forest.

We also have a division for corporate and company workshops, namely Craft and Hobby courses, namely, Cartoon and Caricature drawing, Christmas themes and paint-outs in the forest on surrounding bicycle and nature trails.

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 loves to travel... Leone has in the interim, been to a few neighboring countries, such as, Paris, Germany, Belgium on several occasions to establish Art contacts.  Seizing every opportunity to attend Festivals, seeking out the Art quarters, Galleries, Museums and local Artists.

Artists paradise like Rue de Matignon, Rue de Mazarine, Rue de Seine and almost everything in between.

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

2009

If there’s a will - there’s a way.

Thank you for visiting my web site and reading my story. I look forward to meeting you one day.

Until then, take care.

Leone

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