About the Artist

Alan’s Website

A painter known for his watercolor technical ability, sensitive and thought-provoking paintings, Shuptrine has extended his reputation from a renowned master craftsman and water gilder to a nationally acclaimed watercolorist.  His paintings are collected nationally, in both corporate and private collections.  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.

A resident of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, Shuptrine’s pursuit of the arts includes schooling at The Baylor School (Chattanooga, TN); The University of the South (Sewanee, TN); and The University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN). His style is Realism with highly detailed and dramatic lighting in his landscapes and figurative paintings surrounded in usual fashion of his masterful framing, sometimes in carved and intricate gold leaf designs. Shuptrine’s medium is primarily watercolor which he applies and controls in various techniques, from wet-in-wet to drybrush. He prefers to handcraft, carve, and gold leaf his own frames for his paintings. Recognized by publications such as Fine American Connoisseur, Okra, 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.

Following the Vero Beach exhibition, Shuptrine participated in a solo 2-year, 4 museum run in 2017-2019 that included the Morris Museum of Art, 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.

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. Davis and Shuptrine continue to provide national speaking engagements. This fine art, coffee-table book is self-published and titled I Come From A Place. The book features the collection of paintings by Shuptrine and accompanying verbiage by Pharr Davis.  

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, including Biltmore Farm, The Poinsett Club, Palmetto Bluff, Sea Island, and other fine venues for 2020.

Recent Acknowledgments:

The Salmagundi Club, Honorable Mention, Annual Exhibition, 2008
Cover Finalist for American Artist Watercolor Magazine, Summer 2008 Issue
The Southern Watercolor Society Juried Annual Exhibition Finalist, 2009
Huntsville Museum of Art, permanent collection, Huntsville, Alabama, 2010
The Tennessee Watercolor Society Annual Juried Exhibition, 2010
The Bascom Fine Arts Center Juried Exhibition, Still Lifes, 2010-2011
In the Tradition of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters (2011-2012, Vero Beach, FL)
National Watercolor Society Members Only Juried Exhibition Finalist, 2011
National Watercolor Society Members Only Juried Exhibition Finalist for Twisted, 2012
Tennessee Watercolor Society Biennial Juried Exhibition Finalist for Dreamcatcher, Winner of the Beauty of Water Media Award, and achieved Signature Membership, 2012
35th Annual Southern Watercolor Society Juried Exhibition Finalist for Twisted, Dusk, Winner of the Colart Americas (Winsor and Newton) Award, 2012
American Artist Magazine Cover Competition Finalist for Grace, 2012
My Artist Portfolio Landscape 2012 International Juried Competition, Honorable Mention, 2012