Return to Alan Shuptrine Paintings
Alan Shuptrine (1963- )
Alan Shuptrine is an internationally acclaimed American watercolor artist and master craftsman celebrated for his highly realistic watercolors, oils, and gold leaf panels. In addition to his painting, he is a leading expert in the centuries-old traditions of handcrafting and water gilding fine art frames and mirrors, as well as in wood carving and sgraffito etching. His bold yet sensitive and deeply evocative works—along with his handcrafted frames and restoration pieces—are held in the permanent collections of 14 American fine art museums and in hundreds of corporate and private collections across the country. The son of renowned painter Hubert Shuptrine (1936–2006), Alan continues the legacy of American realism in watercolor championed by both his father and Andrew Wyeth.
Shuptrine’s work has been featured in numerous prominent publications, including Fine Art Connoisseur, American Artist Magazine, Watercolor Artist Magazine, and many others. He gained national recognition when invited to participate in In the Tradition of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters at the Vero Beach Museum of Art—a prestigious exhibition where his paintings were displayed alongside those of his two childhood inspirations, his father Hubert Shuptrine and Andrew Wyeth.
Following the Vero Beach exhibition, Shuptrine embarked on a two-year, four-museum solo traveling exhibition (2017–2019) that presented more than 80 of his works exploring the Celtic roots of Appalachia and the enduring traditions of its people. During this time, he collaborated with best-selling author and National Geographic’s Adventurer of the Year, Jennifer Pharr Davis, to create I Come From A Place, a self-published coffee table book that received the Independent Publisher’s Award for Best Regional Non-Fiction.
In 2022, Alan Shuptrine showcased his gilded works and taught a master course in water gilding at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. The following year, he was selected by the U.S. Department of State’s Art in Embassies program, with his painting Dancing Man chosen for display in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Qatar.
Shuptrine also served as Artist in Residence at Palmetto Bluff Resort in Bluffton, South Carolina, where his paintings were exhibited and continue to be represented through Flow Gallery. His artistic journeys have taken him to Ireland and Scotland, inspiring a new body of work that serves as a continuation of I Come From a Place.
In August 2025, Shuptrine was invited to be Artist in Residence at Scotland’s historic Skibo Castle in Dornoch. During his time there, his paintings were displayed in the castle gallery, and he conducted on-site painting classes and private lessons.
Today, Shuptrine continues to develop themed collections of his work while preparing for upcoming museum exhibitions, public speaking engagements, national art and literary showcases, and specialized workshops in watercolor and gold leaf techniques.
- 2026 Featured Artist, Huntsville Museum of Art, Museum Guild
- Artist in Residence, The Edwin Hotel-Autograph Collection, Chattanooga, TN
- Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland, Artist in Residency and Exhibition, August 2025
- National Watercolor Society Members Only Juried Exhibition Finalist and Award Winner, NYC, 2025
- Art Renewal Center 17th Annual International Salon Competition Finalist, 2024
- National Watercolor Society Members Only Juried Exhibition Finalist, New York, 2024
- Artists Magazine: The Best in Watercolor Finalist, Summer 2024
- Central South Art Exhibition, Centennial Arts Center, Centennial Park, Nashville, TN 2024
- Spectrum, Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN, 2024
- American Embassy in Quatar, exhibiting 2023-2026
- Artist in Residence, Palmetto Bluff Resort, Bluffton, SC, Fall 2023
- Coastal Treasures, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Fall, 2023
- Southern Watercolor Society Juried Members Exhibition, 2023
- Featured Artist, Greenville Center for Creative Arts, Greenville, SC, Feb 2023
- Featured Artist, Grand Bohemian Gallery – The Kessler Collection, Asheville, NC, Fall 2022
- American Watercolor Society, Associate Members Exhibition, 2022
- Gallery Artist, Paderewski Fine Art & The Sportsman’s Gallery Ltd.
- Shuptrine- A Gilded Age, September, Florence, Italy 2022
- Arts at Erlanger, Erlanger Baroness Hospital, Chattanooga, TN, 2021 and 2022
- ArtFields, Selected Artist and Featured Speaker, Lake City, SC, 2021 and May 2022
- First Place and Best in Show for Watercolor, Mountain View Americana Art Show, South Carolina, 2021
- Featured Artist, Grand Bohemian Gallery – The Kessler Collection, Birmingham, AL, April 2020 and 2021
- Biltmore Farms Featured Speaker, Asheville, NC, May 2019
- Reframed: American Women from the Sellars Collection featuring framing by Alan Shuptrine, The Huntsville Museum of Art, Summer 2019
- Generations, Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, Hendersonville, TN, 2019
- Alan Shuptrine: Appalachian Watercolors of The Serpentine Chain, 2017-2019 Tennessee State Museum (Nashville, TN); The Morris Museum of Art (Augusta, GA); The Huntsville Museum of Art (AL); The Museum Center at 5ive Points (TN)
- In the Tradition of Wyeth: Contemporary Watercolor Masters, Vero Beach Museum of Art, Vero Beach FL, 2011-2012
- Water Gilding: A Lost Art, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, 2016
- Gold Leaf Master Craftsman (Katrina Restorations) New Orleans, LA
- 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 Only Juried Exhibition Finalist, New York, 2012
- National Watercolor Society, Finalist in Members Juried Exhibition, San Pedro, California, 2011
- The Bascom: Shuptrine Exhibition, Highlands, North Carolina, 2010
- Salmagundi Art Club Floral Exhibition, New York, 2010
- Huntsville Museum of Art Annual Gala, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, 2009
- The Southern Watercolor Society Juried Annual Exhibition Finalist, 2009
- Salmagundi Art Club Annual Juried Painting/Sculpture Exhibition, Non-Members, NYC, 2008
Awards & Recognitions:
- Watercolor Magazine Finalist, Best in Watercolor Competition, 2024
- Distinguished Alumnus Award, The Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN, 2021
- First Place, Best in Show, and Founding Member Award, Mountain View Americana Art Show, SC, 2021
- Gold Medal Award, Best Regional Non-Fiction, Independent Publishers Book Awards, I Come From A Place, coffee table art book by Alan Shuptrine and author, Jennifer Pharr Davis, 2020
- Best Noted Revolving Exhibition, The Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN, 2017-19, Alan Shuptrine, The Serpentine Chain
- 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, 2014, 2015, NYC
- Cover Finalist for American Artist Watercolor Magazine, Summer 2008 Issue
Art Collectors and Corporate Collections
- Permanent Collection, Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland
- Permanent Collection, The Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, GA
- Permanent Collection, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL
- Permanent Collection, Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, TN
- Permanent Collection of The Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Permanent Collections of Textile Rubber, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia
- Permanent Collection of Fletcher Bright Realty, Tennessee and Georgia
- Permanent Collection of The Greenville County Museum, handmade framing (1996-)
- Permanent Collections of over 80 individual watercolors and fine handmade frames privately collected in the United States and Japan for The Serpentine Chain Collection
- Permanent Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Al Peabody, Greenville, South Carolina
- Permanent Collection of Mr. James Dicke, Crown Equipment Corporation, Ohio
- Permanent Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Robertson, New York, NY
- Permanent Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Underwood, New Jersey
- Private Collections, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida
- Private Collections, New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland
- Private Collections, Japan
- Gilded Frames designed and crafted for the entire Permanent Collection of Andrew Wyeth watercolors, Greenville County Museum of Art, Greenville, South Carolina,
- Restoration and Conservation of the Permanent Collection, New Orleans Museum of Art, Five Years After Katrina, 2010
- Huntsville Museum of Art, The Morris Museum, The Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, SC, and The Lauren Rogers Museum, Laurel, Mississippi
- Restoration and Conservation of Gilded Historical Period Antiques, The Swann House, Atlanta, Georgia
- Gold Leaf Restorations of Period Antiques, The Georgia Governor’s Mansion, Atlanta, Georgia
- Restoration and Conservation of Gold Leaf, and fine paintings, of the Natchez National Historical Park, Natchez, Mississippi
Watercolor & Gold Leaf Workshops and Demonstrations:
- Skibo Castle, Dornoch, Scotland The Grand Bohemian, Mountain Brook, AL
- Birmingham Museum of Art, AL New Orleans Museum of Art, LA
- The Bascom, Highlands, NC Vero Beach Museum of Art, FL
- Booth Western Art Museum, GA Greenville County Museum of Art, SC
- Hunter Museum of American Art, TN Huntsville Museum of Art, AL
- Morris Museum of Art, GA The Gibbes, Charleston, SC
- Montgomery Museum of Art, AL Tennessee State Museum, TN
- The Columbia Museum of Art, SC