Bio Paintings
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Over the past 27 years Alan Shuptrine has emerged as a leading practitioner in several artistic disciplines. Among them are watercolor, drybrush watercolor, egg tempera, oil, the centuries-old art of water gilding with genuine gold leaf, wood carving, sgrafitto, antique restorations, mixed media sculptures, decorative objects d’art and decorative finishes. Sought early on for his mastery in designing and creating one-of-a-kind gold leaf art frames, today he is equally known for his mastery in realistic drybrush watercolors. He is currently exhibiting The Serpentine Chain Collection, a series of paintings inspired by the Appalachian Trail. Through his company, Shuptrine’s Gold Leaf Designs, he and his wife Bonny have worked with museums, galleries, private art collectors, and artists nationwide.
Alan’s desire to pursue a career in the arts grew out of his natural inclination and influence of his father, the late Hubert Shuptrine (1936-2006), a nationally recognized watercolor realist. Born in 1963 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Alan’s pursuit of the arts included schooling at The Baylor School, The University of the South, and The University of Tennessee. Having been raised in more than 20 cities, mostly in the South, Alan’s genre is naturally southern. And like his father, Alan prefers Realism with highly detailed and dramatic landscapes and figurative paintings. His influences include the works of his father, Hubert Shuptrine, Charles Prendergast, Stephen Scott Young, Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, and John Singer Sargent. Alan’s work can be seen in many public and private collections and he has won several national and regional awards. Alan is an active member of the Society of Gilders, The American Institute of Conservation, The Salmagundi Club, The Tennessee Watercolor Society, The Southern Watercolor Society, The American Watercolor Society, The National Watercolor Society, and is the founder of The Master Craftsmens’ Society.
Capturing the drama in a work of art is what takes my breath away and fuels my passion to create. My paintings evolve from a religious experience that I stage on my easel. I frequently ask myself, even between brushstrokes, if my painting will evolve into one which could evoke such emotion – for without emotion, is there art?
Museum Acknowledgments
In the Tradition Of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters, Vero Beach Museum of Art, 2011-12 Vero Beach FL
Permanent Collections: The Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, The Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN, and the Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA.
Awards & Recognition
My Artist Portfolio Landscape 2012 International Juried Competition, Honorable Mention, 2012
American Artist Magazine All Media Competition, Watercolor Honorable Mention, 2012
35th Annual Southern Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition Finalist,Winner of the Colart Americas (Winsor and Newton) Award, 2012
Tennessee Watercolor Society Biennial Juried Exhibition Finalist, Winner of the Beauty of Water Media Award, and achieved Signature Membership, 2012
Salmagundi Art Club Annual Juried Exhibition, Certificate of Merit, 2011, NYC
Tennessee Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition, Outstanding Technical Award, 2010
Cover Finalist for American Artist Watercolor Magazine, Summer 2008 Issue
Artist Colony Annual International Online Exhibition, 2nd Place Overall, 2008
Exhibitions & Collections
The Tennessee Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition, 2016
The Bascom Guest Instructor Exhibition, 2014
Hudson River Valley Art Association Juried Exhibition, 2013
A Sense of Place, Jewish Cultural Center, 2012, Chattanooga, TN
National Watercolor Society Members Only Juried Exhibition Finalist, 2012
National Watercolor Society, Finalist in Members Juried Exhibition, 2011, San Pedro, California
The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, Members Exhibition, September, 2010, Highlands, NC
Tennessee Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, 2010, Chattanooga, TN
Associated Arts of Ocean Shore’s 41st Annual Fine Art Exhibit, 2010, Ocean Shores, WA
Salmagundi Art Club Floral Exhibition, 2010, NY
Huntsville Museum of Art Annual Gala, Huntsville Museum of Art, 2009, Huntsville, AL
The Southern Watercolor Society Juried Annual Exhibition Finalist, 2009
Spectrum, Hunter Museum of American Art, 2009, Chattanooga, TN
Salmagundi Art Club Annual Juried Painting/Sculpture Exhibition, Non-Members, 2008, NYC
Tennessee Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, 2008, Knoxville, TN
Tennessee Art League Central Art Exhibition National, 2008, Nashville, TN
Southern Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, 2008, Quincy, FL
Greenville County Museum of Art Antiques & Exhibitions, 2006, Greenville, SC
Houston Museum Exhibition, 2005, Chattanooga, TN
Watercolor Workshops & Demonstations
Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL
Greenville County Museum of Art, SC
Hunter Museum of American Art, TN
Birmingham Museum of Art, AL
The Bascom: Center for Visual Arts, Highlands, NC
New Orleans Museum of Art, LA
Huntsville Museum of Art, AL
Booth Western Art Museum, GA
Morris Museum, GA
Knoxville Museum of Art, TN