尚克斯出生在纽约州罗切斯特市。他住在特拉华州威尔明顿的童年大部分时光。他曾就读于堪萨斯城艺术学院和纽约市的国家设计学院和艺术学生联盟。在纽约艺术学生联盟，他赢得了他的学费作为显示器由授课罗伯特·克曼，伊万奥林斯基和埃德温·迪金森。他私下学习约翰·科赫和亨利Hensche。从格林希尔茨基金会和斯泰西基金会的资助让他在佛罗伦萨学习彼得Annigoni的Accademia德佳丽ARTI。然后，他在教导孟菲斯，芝加哥和宾夕法尼亚州，在那里他保持了三十年的工作室。

他HRH的肖像威尔斯王妃黛安娜于1996年完成。这幅画在联系Hirschl＆阿德勒画廊在纽约市，4月24日至1996年6月28日，首先显示现在在公主的祖籍在挂起奥尔索普。他的其他委员会包括法王，约翰·保罗二世，总统罗纳德·里根总统比尔·克林顿和帕瓦罗蒂。

他的作品在博物馆和美术馆展出世界各地，包括国家艺术画廊在华盛顿特区，皇宫在斯德哥尔摩，肯辛顿宫在伦敦和福尔泰扎Firmafede萨尔扎纳，意大利。在2011年夏天和秋天，他在曾在俄罗斯举办个人画展俄罗斯博物馆，圣彼得堡和俄罗斯美术学院，莫斯科。他是两种生活的美国画家之一，已被邀请在这两种场地展出。

尚克斯“在博物馆和画廊工作的其他展览包括了设计的美国国家科学院 ; 联系Hirschl＆阿德勒画廊; 科科尔和FAR画廊在纽约; 代顿艺术学院; 在巴特勒美国艺术学院 ; 芝加哥艺术学院; 费城艺术联盟; 在新泽西州立博物馆 ; 艺术国家画廊; 在费城艺术博物馆 ; 俄克拉何马大学; 宾夕法尼亚大学; 天普大学，杰弗逊大学，约翰霍普金斯大学 ; 威廉和玛丽学院; 阿伦敦艺术博物馆，艺术博物馆帕尔默 ; 乔治华盛顿大学; 艺术大学; 奥格尔索普大学博物馆; 拉萨尔大学 皇宫，斯德哥尔摩; 肯辛顿宫，伦敦; 和历史悠久的Filoli村，加利福尼亚州。的主要一个人的展览是在举行的美术宾夕法尼亚学院还有联系Hirschl＆阿德勒展“，猛拉涂料英国人。” 2004年8月，萨尔扎纳市，意大利主办了题为“德尔大师'/'从主'，在一个叫福尔泰扎Firmafede十五世纪的堡垒一个人的展览。该Woodmere艺术博物馆，费城，宾夕法尼亚州，也主持了2004年10月，一个展览“德尔大师”，五十多个作品纳尔逊尚克斯的。此外，他的作品被收藏尊贵全球举行。

知道他在捕捉他的臣民的复杂性技巧，尚克斯“ 画像都以他作为最重要的当代具象画家之一的美誉作出了贡献。[3]在他著名的佣金HRH威尔斯王妃黛安娜，尊者教皇约翰·保罗二世在梵蒂冈博物馆，撒切尔夫人，美国总统罗纳德·里根和比尔·克林顿的国家肖像画廊。重要的佣金还包括帕瓦罗蒂在纽约大都会歌剧院，罗斯特罗波维奇在肯尼迪中心，Denyce格雷夫斯的国家肖像画廊和私人收藏奥尔索普查尔斯，斯宾塞勋爵。其他画像包括陛下瑞典国王卡尔十六世·古斯塔夫和王后陛下西尔维娅瑞典女王荷兰的朱莉安娜，J.卡特·布朗，凯瑟琳·格雷厄姆，法官圭多·卡拉布雷西，外科总医师博士C.埃弗里特·库普，罗伯特·伍德·约翰逊，小 [ 消歧需要 ]詹姆斯·伯克，马库斯·瓦伦堡，彼得·瓦伦堡博士，达拉·摩尔女士，莱昂内尔·平先生，杰里斯派尔，董事长，现代艺术博物馆，阿瑟·苏兹贝格澳，锶，主席董事会，大都会艺术博物馆，名誉主席纽约时报，玛丽·麦克法登，前纽约市市长迈克尔·布隆伯格和其他许多人。他的作品在博物馆和美术馆展出世界各地，包括艺术国家画廊在华盛顿特区，皇宫在瑞典首都斯德哥尔摩，肯辛顿宫在伦敦和福尔泰扎Firmafede萨尔扎纳，意大利。

2015年，尚克斯说，他已经隐藏一个秘密参考由所穿的蓝色礼服莱温斯基成为总统比尔·克林顿的挂在一个阴影的方式，国家肖像画廊的官方肖像。

尚克斯是一个现实主义者，试图通过敏锐的观察力和技术技能捕捉到他的臣民的本质。无论主题是静物，风景或具象的，工作是为了唤起人们的情感，挑战观众进行仔细检查。在艺术家的话来说，“现实主义绘画必须不亚于上存在和个体性质的冥想，它必须建立相似的力量点燃观察者的想象和回忆唤醒....它必须涵盖所有该写实派画家在他眼前看到的，因此在他的心脏感觉“。

尚克斯“的教学理念强调获取知识并培养学生”看“的理解是需要多年的浓度和实践，成为一个高度熟练的画家的重要性。在整个职业生涯，小腿几乎画去年风景，静物，这个数字和人像的每一天。他设定的目标与每一个绘画成长和提高，并鼓励学生这样做。

尚克斯教授在芝加哥艺术学院，艺术学生联盟，设计的国家科学院的教授乔治·华盛顿大学和艺术的宾夕法尼亚学院，等等。他在他建立了一个学徒计划巴克斯县的家和工作室，在那里艺术家收到的房间，董事会和指令，不需任何费用。在20世纪90年代后期，他在应对不断增长的需求严重艺术指导开展了成功的一系列研讨会。的需要，让学生深深沉浸在他的教学原则是由和超额认购这些研讨会，这导致了决定开设一个全职的高需求表示工作室在2002年计划，命名为工作室Incamminati，可以从意大利译为“谁正在取得进展。” 这个名字的目的还在于要调用的精神和其同名的做法-由文艺复兴时期的艺术家成立工作室安尼巴莱卡拉齐。
尼尔森和他的妻子，利昂娜小腿，成立工作室Incamminati提供一个地方，致力于现实主义艺术家们可以学习绘画和掌握必要为成功的职业生涯艺术等技能。纳尔逊尚克斯是致力于改变通过Studio Incamminati艺术和世界的看法引起了人们愿意花时间来此的原因。

Shanks was born in the city of Rochester in New York. He lived most of his childhood in Wilmington, delaware. He was educated at the Kansas City Art Institute and the city of New York National Academy of design and the art students league. At the Art Students League of New York, he earned his tuition as a display by lecturing Robert Bechmmann, Ivan olinsky and Edwin Dickinson. He privately studied John Koch and Hensche. From the Green hiltz foundation and the Stacey foundation for him to learn the Peter Annigoni in Florence Accademia ARTI de scarlett. He then taught in Memphis, Chicago and Pennsylvania, where he maintained a studio for thirty years.
His portrait of Wells, Princess Diane, was completed in 1996 by HRH. This picture is in contact Hirschl & Adler Gallery in New York City, April 24th to June 28, 1996, the first show now in the princess's ancestral home in hang Allsop. His other committees include king John Poulos, President Ronald Regan, President Bill Clinton and Pavarotti.
His works are exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the National Gallery of art in Washington, D.C., the Imperial Palace in Stockholm, Kensington Palace in London and Italy Saerzhana teza Firmafede Holmes. In the summer and fall of 2011, he held a solo exhibition in Russia, the Russian Museum, St Petersburg and the Academy of Fine Arts, moscow. He is one of the two American painters of life and has been invited to exhibit at these two sites.
Shanks "in other exhibitions in museums and galleries including the work of the National Academy of design; Hirschl & Adler gallery and FAR Gallery in New York; Kokol; Dayton Art Institute; Butler in the American Academy of art; the Art Institute of Chicago; Philadelphia Art Alliance; at the New Jersey State Museum; National Art Gallery; Art Museum in Philadelphia University of Oklahoma; University of Pennsylvania; Temple University; Johns Hopkins University; College of University, Jefferson, William and Marie; Allentown Art Museum, the Art Museum of Palmer; George Washington University; University of the Arts; Oglethorpe University Museum; Stockholm; La Salle University palace, Kensington Palace, London; and the long history of the village of Filoli, California. The main one of the exhibition was held in the school of Fine Arts in Pennsylvania and Hirschl & Adler show ", the British tug paint." In August 2004, Italy hosted the Saerzhanashi, entitled "master Del 'from the Lord', in a fifteenth Century Firmafede fortress called Foer teza one exhibition. The Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also hosted the October 2004 exhibition, a "master Del", the more than and 50 works of Nelson shanks. In addition, his work was held in honor of the world.

He knew in his subjects to capture the complexity of skills, shanks "portrait to him as the most important contemporary figurative painter reputation as one of the contribution. [3] in his great commission HRH Princess Wells Diane, the venerable Pope John Poulos in the Vatican Museum, Mrs. Thatcher, U.S. President Ronald Regan Bill Clinton and the National Portrait gallery. The Commission also includes Pavarotti opera mostly in New York, Rostropovich Kennedy, Graves Denyce of the National Portrait Gallery and the private collection of Alsop Charles, Lord Spencer. Other portraits including his Majesty the king of Sweden Carle sixteen Gustaf and the queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Juliana of Holland, J. Carter Brown, Catherine Graham, judge Guido Calabresi, surgeon general Dr. C. Everett Coupe, Luo Bert Wood Johnson, small [disambiguation needed] James Burke, Markus Valenburg, Peter Wallenberg PhD, Ms. Dara Moore, Mr. Lionel Bing, Jerry Pyle, chairman of the board of directors, the Museum of modern art, Arthur Sulzberger Macao, Sr, chairman of the board of directors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, honorary chairman of New York Times, Mary McFadden, a former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg and many others. His works are exhibited in museums and galleries around the world, including the National Gallery of art in Washington D.C., the Imperial Palace in the Swedish capital Stockholm, Kensington Palace in London and Italy Saerzhana teza Firmafede Holmes.
In 2015, shanks said, he has been hiding a secret reference by wearing the blue dress Lewinsky as president Bill Clinton hung in a shadow, the National Portrait Gallery of the official portrait.
Shanks is a realist, trying to capture the essence of his subjects by keen observation and technical skills. Whether the theme is still life, landscape or figurative, work is to arouse people's feelings, challenge the audience carefully check. In the artist's words, "realistic painting must be no less than the existence and nature of individual meditation, it must establish similar light observer's imagination and memory. It must cover all wake up... The realist painter in his eyes, in his heart feeling".
Shanks "teaching philosophy emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge and training the students" understanding "is the need of concentration and Practice for many years, become the importance of a highly skilled painter. In the occupation career, the almost last year landscape, still life, every day the number of portraits. He sets goals with each painting to grow and improve, and encourage students to do so.
He is professor at the Chicago Academy of art, the Art Students League, the design of the National Academy of Sciences, Professor George Washington University and Pennsylvania Academy of art, etc.. He built an apprenticeship program in Barkis County home and studio, where the artist received the room, the board and the instruction, without any fees. In the late 1990s, he conducted a series of successful seminars in response to the growing demand for serious art instruction. To let the students immersed in his teaching principle and is composed of over subscription of these seminars, which led to the decision to open a full-time high demand that studio in 2002, named studio Incamminati, who is in progress "from Italy." This name also aims to call the spirit and practice of its namesake - by the Renaissance artists studio established Annibale carracci.
Nelson and his wife, Leona shank, provide a place to set up a studio in Incamminati, dedicated to the realism artists can learn painting and master the necessary for the success of the occupation career and art skills. Nelson shanks is committed to change through the Studio Incamminati art and the world view of the cause of people willing to spend time here.