Alan Shuptrine

[1]Alan Shuptrine (born March 31, 1963) A painter known for his Southern and Appalachian Mountains genre, Alan Shuptrine has extended his reputation from a renowned framemaker and water gilder to a nationally acclaimed watercolorist. Born the son of recognized painter, Hubert Shuptrine (1936-2006), Alan has continued the legacy of realism that both Andrew Wyeth and his father Hubert established.

Renowned Watercolor Artist, Alan Shuptrine
Alan Shuptrine Painting Angel Tree



Biography

Childhood and Education
Artist, Hubert Shuptrine, at the opening of his exhibition, Grass Roots, at the Knoxville Museum of Art, 1993

Born in 1963, Alan was raised in more than 20 Appalachian Mountain towns along the Eastern seaboard. During 1970- 1974, while the family was living in Highlands, North Carolina, his father began writing his first book, Jericho: The South Beheld,(Oxmoor House, 1974). The book, written alongside famed author, James Dickey, was published in 1974, sold over 1 million copies worldwide, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for the art book category, and received the coveted Carey-Thomas Award for Creative Publishing. It was during this time in the mountains that ignited Alan's love of the land, and culture found throughout the Appalachians. Using Highlands as home base, Hubert would travel all over the South for his inspirations, and he would often take Alan along. Hubert became Alan's mentor and teacher. When Alan was a toddler, he would watch his father paint at his easel for hours at a time. Alan states, "He would take the brush, dip it in water, tap the feral on the edge, and while that ringing held constant in the air, he would mix paint and apply it to textured watercolor paper. I would even listen to the friction as the brush scraped along. It was mesmerizing!" In 1975, the family returned to Chattanooga where Alan attended school on Lookout Mountain before beginning The Baylor School (Chattanooga, TN) in 1976. After graduation from high school, Alan continued his education at The University of the South (Sewanee, TN); and The University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN).

Framing / Restoration / Water Gilding

In 1985, after graduation from college, Alan began working his father, who at the time was writing his second book, Home to Jericho (Oxmoor House, 1987). Alan began framing for his father, handcrafting his own custom, water gilded frames. This in turn led to framing for other prominent artists including Andrew Wyeth. As his reputation as a master framer and water gilder spread, in 1987 Alan began his own company, Gold Leaf Designs, Inc. [2](Chattanooga, TN). While continuing to frame for his father, he also began framing for museums, art galleries, artists, historical institutions, designers, and interior decorators.  Custom design frame making, water gilding, and gold leaf restorations are elusive, but sought after, crafts. Gold Leaf Designs, Inc, became renowned for handcrafting one-of-a-kind mirrors and furniture, as well as creating gilded walls, ceilings, and objects of art. Period restoration and conservation of gilded objects became a large part of the business and Alan's frames and period restorations can be found nationwide, in museums, historical institutions, and private collections, including The Greenville County Museum of Art (Greenville, SC) , The Hunter Museum of American Art (Chattanooga, TN), The Birmingham Museum of Art (Birmingham, AL), The Huntsville Museum of Art (Huntsville, AL), The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, (Montgomery, AL), The Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, TN), The New Orleans Museum of Art (Louisiana), and The Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, South Carolina). In 2005, following the devastation from Hurricane Katrina, The New Orleans Museum of Art reached out to Alan for on-site repairs and restorations of the frames and gilded objects within the permanent collection.[3] He has also provided extensive period restoration and conservation for numerous museums and historical institutions, including Melrose Plantation at Natchez National Historical Park, The Philip Schutze Collection at the Atlanta History Center's historical Swan House, the Governor's Mansion of Georgia, the Governor's Mansion of South Carolina, the President James K. Polk Home and Museum , and Cheekwood Estate and Gardens (Nashville, TN).

Watercolor Career

Though framing and restoration became a primary focus, Alan continued to paint and be mentored by his father. In 2005, Hubert Shuptrine was awarded the Tennessee Governor's Arts Award by the Tennessee Arts Commission and then-Governor, Phil Bredesen. It was an honor for Alan to be present with his father during this time, as he served as Hubert's representative for the previous 15 years. Sadly, Hubert passed away in 2006 following some health issues. Alan Shuptrine's painting style is Realism, much like his father's, with highly detailed and dramatic lighting in his landscapes and figurative paintings. Shuptrine's medium is primarily watercolor which he applies and controls in various techniques, from wet-in-wet to drybrush. He also creates using egg tempera, oil, the centuries-old art of water gilding with genuine gold leaf, wood carving, and sgraffito. He prefers to handcraft and carve his own frames for his paintings, a practice of two of his influences: James McNeill Whistler, and Charles Prendergast. His other influences include the works of his father, Hubert Shuptrine, Andrew Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins, Stephen Scott Young, and John Singer Sargent.

 Recognized by publications such as American Artist Magazine and Watercolor Artist Magazine, Shuptrine garnered additional recognition when he was asked to participate in the exhibit, “In the Tradition of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters” at The Vero Beach Museum of Art in 2010.  The exhibition opened with Alan's paintings displayed alongside the works by Andrew Wyeth and his father.

[4]Following the Vero Beach exhibition, Shuptrine participated in a solo 2-year, 4 museum run in 2017-2019 with the exhibition, Alan Shuptrine: Appalachian Watercolors of the Serpentine Chain. The exhibition was displayed at the Morris Museum of Art (Augusta, GA), the Huntsville Museum of Art and The Tennessee State Museum. All three fine American museums selected Shuptrine's watercolors for their permanent collections. His solo exhibition opened at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville and celebrated the Celtic roots of the Appalachian Mountains. Serving as a monument to the descendants of early English, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh who settled the Eastern Seaboard, this art collection will collectively preserve mountain heritage and traditions for future generations.[5]

I Come From A Place, written by artist, Alan Shuptrine, and author, Jennifer Pharr Davis (cover art: Cadence © Alan Shuptrine, watercolor, 24 X 20 inches)

Paintings

A selection of Alan's watercolor paintings can be viewed on his website, www.AlanShuptrine.com

Book

In 2019-2020, Shuptrine kicked off a literary collaboration with National Geographic's Person of the Year, and Appalachian Trail expert, best-selling author Jennifer Pharr Davis. [6]This fine art, coffee-table book is self-published and titled I Come From A Place. This thematic book contains a collection of images from Shuptrine's museum exhibition, as well as newer watercolors. Complimented by Pharr Davis’ prose , the paintings serve to collectively preserve and celebrate the mountain heritage and traditions for future generations.  [7]The book was awarded the Independent Publisher's Book Award for Best Southeastern Non-Fiction Book for 2020.

Shuptrine continues to create bodies of work, including the upcoming exhibition, Climbing Trees for 2020/2021, as well as providing appearances at showcases for his book at multiple venues. He also provides numerous watercolor lessons and workshops, geared towards all levels of artists. He has become a frequent fixture at Southeastern museums for his watercolor workshops and demonstrations, and he also provides private lessons, often in his Lookout Mountain, Georgia studio. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alan has begun offering virtual workshops and lessons in large group settings via ZOOM and Facebook Live, as well as smaller groups settings and individual lessons.

Personal Life

Alan Shuptrine and his wife Bonny currently reside in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. They have 2 grown sons, Jake Shuptrine, who is a mechanical engineer in Atlanta, Georgia; and Ben Shuptrine, who is a graphic designer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They own Shuptrine's Gallery, located in the Broad Street Design District in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The gallery exhibits fine American art and provides custom framing, period restoration, and conservation and preservation of period water gilded pieces.

Exhibitions and Recognitions

Exhibitions

·        Alan Shuptrine: Appalachian Watercolors of The Serpentine Chain,  Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, TN) in May, 2017, Morris Museum of Art (Augusta, GA), January-April, 2018;  Huntsville Museum of Art (AL), May- August, 2018; Museum Center a 5ive Points (Cleveland, TN), September 2018-January, 2019.

·        In the Tradition of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach FL, 2011-2012

·        The Serpentine Chain Collection Preview, Tennessee Association of Museums, Nashville, TN, 2016

·        Tennessee Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition, Nashville, TN, 2016

·        Water Gilding: A Lost Art, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, 2016

·        The Serpentine Chain Collection Preview, The Poinsett Club, Greenville, SC, 2016

·        The Serpentine Chain Collection Preview, The Biltmore Forest Country Club, Asheville, NC, 2015

·        The Bascom Guest Instructor Exhibition, Highlands, NC, 2014

·        Hudson Valley Art Association Juried Exhibition, New York, 2013

·        National Watercolor Society Members Juried Exhibition Finalist, 2012

·        National Watercolor Society, Finalist in Members Juried Exhibition, San Pedro, California, 2011

·        The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, Members Exhibition, Highlands, NC, 2010

·        Tennessee Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, Chattanooga, TN, 2010

·        Salmagundi Art Club Floral Exhibition, NY, 2010

·        Huntsville Museum of Art Annual Gala, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, 2009

·        The Southern Watercolor Society Juried Annual Exhibition Finalist, 2009

·        Spectrum, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, 2009

·        Salmagundi Art Club Annual Juried Painting/Sculpture Exhibition, Non-Members, NYC, 2008

·        Tennessee Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, Knoxville, TN, 2008

·        Tennessee Art League Central Art Exhibition National, Nashville, TN, 2008

·        Southern Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, Quincy, FL, 2008

·        Greenville County Museum of Art Antiques & Exhibitions, Greenville, SC, 2006

Recognitions

I Come From A Place, Independent Publisher's 2020 Book Award for Best Southeastern Non-Fiction

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

Acknowledgements

There is nothing more challenging for the artist than the choice to work in water color.  For Alan Shuptrine, it has literally been a family passion as he has followed his father into this most demanding medium to great acclaim for them both. Years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Winslow Homer's studio and found on the wall written in pencil the following words in Homer's own hand. “Oh what a friend chance can be, when it chooses.” The finest watercolor artists may embrace the “happy accident” now and then, but there is nothing accidental, and everything intentional when Alan captures a moment in life for the viewer to have, keep and cherish. It is artwork to be admired and embraced for all time.   The eye delights, and the mind engages.   

-Jim Dicke

CEO, Crown Equipment Corporation

Shuptrine's drybrush watercolors depend on a delicate but precise touch, like the lyrical melodic line of a flat-picked mountain guitar. Drybrush is a difficult technique pioneered by another well-known storyteller, Andrew Wyeth, whose influence on Alan's work is undeniable. These words and pictures are like a series of sweet mountain melodies, gathered into a songbook to celebrate Appalachia in warm humanistic terms.

-Jay Williams

Former Curator, Vero Beach Museum of Art


For Alan, the love of Appalachian life is deep rooted. It has been woven into in his creative DNA from his days hiking the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains with his father, to time spent visiting the remote hill towns with their fiercely independent people. Alan's subjects and compositions capture a feeling of American country life steeped in a spirit similar to that of Andrew Wyeth.

-Christopher Madkour

Executive Director, Huntsville Museum of Art


Alan Shuptrine created a body of work that celebrates the connections of our Appalachian Mountains. His paintings embody the spirit of the land in the craft of its people. The work of Alan Shuptrine is represented in the collection of the Tennessee State Museum because of his artistic excellence and connection to Tennessee, and America's, history.                      

-Ashley Howell

Executive Director, Tennessee State Museum

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References
  1. "Biography | Body of Work | Awards & Acknowledgements". Alan Shuptrine. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  2. "An Interview with Shuptrines Art Gallery". Haskell's Blog. 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  3. "One frame at a time". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  4. Kane, Kelly (2018-09-25). "Ambassador of the Week: Alan Shuptrine". American Watercolor. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  5. "Shuptrine Fine Art Group practices lost art of gold leaf". timesfreepress.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  6. "Order Alan Shuptrine's Limited Edition Book, I Come From A Place | Alan Shuptrine : ORDER I COME FROM A PLACE". Alan Shuptrine. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  7. "2020 Regional". www.ippyawards.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
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