Monica Bean is a contemporary realist painter who lives and works in her studio in Princeton, NJ.
Her artistic journey began in high school, and upon graduation she attended Mason Gross School of the Arts to study Visual Arts. She went on to earn her Certificate in Interior Design and worked as a designer for a major furniture company. In 2008, she was accepted into the Advanced Fine Arts Program at Studio Incamminati, an internationally recognized atelier. Founded by Nelson & Leona Shanks, the school has a rigorous curriculum rooted in the traditional Italian academia and French atelier. She studied drawing and painting over the course of four years and graduated with a Certificate of Excellence. Her education continued working alongside master draughtsman, figurative painter, and author Jon deMartin at his private studio in Port Chester, NY. In 2015, she expanded her studies abroad to Italy, took up part time residence and pursued her passion for nature and the desire to paint en plein air. Over the course of several years she studied with Maddine Insalaco and Joe Vinson, artists and experts in the field of early open-air painting. Throughout the Tuscan and Roman countryside, she developed her skills in this tradition.
Because Monica’s studies and expertise span multiple mediums, her palette takes many forms. In addition to interior design, drawing, and painting, she is also an ardent practitioner of horticulture and the culinary arts. It is from within these disciplines that she finds inspiration. She lives out a direct and energetic philosophy, “Life as an artist is one filled with unique visual, emotional and tactile experiences.” Creativity is embedded in her daily life - she sees this as a gift.
Her work is housed in private collections across the United States.