Alan Shuptrine, owner of Shuptrine’s and Gold Leaf Designs has been creating one-of-a-kind carved and gilded art frames and objects of art since 1985. Having a lifelong background in art and raised by a father (the late Hubert Shuptrine), who was a nationally recognized painter, Alan took to working in gold leaf and watercolor naturally. After apprenticing with gold leaf in both Paris and London in the mid 1980s, Alan began framing for his father and a handful of other American artists right out of college; among them was Andrew Wyeth. One of Alan’s first framing projects was creating a special surround for a very large Andrew Wyeth watercolor titled New Moon. Later, over the next 26 years, Shuptrine framed hundreds of Andrew Wyeth originals for private collectors and museums, including the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina. In addition, Alan has had the opportunity to design, carve, and restore frames for the works of Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, William Merritt Chase, John Singer Sargent, Jackson Pollock, Stephen Scott Young, Hubert Shuptrine, and hundreds of other acclaimed painters of the 19th, 20th, and 21st Century. Known for his meticulous attention to detail and master craftsmanship, and for his mantra of marrying just the right frame to the painting, Alan has worked for private art collectors and major museums worldwide. Using the lost art of water gilding and various Old World decorative techniques, each frame Alan creates is one-of-a-kind and has a unique finish, thus enhancing the artwork and increasing its value.

Along with custom framing, Shuptrine’s and Gold Leaf Designs also offers a full spectrum of Fine American Art, restorations of gilded frames, conservation of fine paintings, gilding of interiors, custom made mirrors, period reproduction frames, gilded antiques, and hand made monogrammed gold leaf crosses. When it comes to restorations, our skilled artisans and conservators utilize a minimalist approach by following the Code Of Ethics of the American Institute of Conservation, striving to restore and simultaneously preserve the historical value of an antique whenever, and wherever possible.

Gold Leaf Designs works with many museums, art galleries, antiques aficionados, and private art collectors all over the world. Along with framing and restorations, the gallery displays numerous works of recognized American artists. Representing over 30 artists worldwide, we offer a wide range of mediums, from oils and watercolors, to photographs and bronze sculptures.

A new wing of the gallery, Shuptrine’s, offers original fine paintings, sculpture, and hand-pulled copperplate etchings. Among the artists’ represented have been those of Stephen Scott Young, Hubert Shuptrine, Andrew Wyeth, Bruce Wolfe, Brett Weaver, and a host of American painters from the mid-19th Century to present such as John Singer Sargent, William Merritt Chase, Alfred Bierstadt, Mary Cassatt, Jane Peterson, David Johnson, William Trost Richards, John Francis Murphy, and many others.

When Alan isn’t showing fine paintings to art collectors or carving a frame in his studio, he enjoys painting realistic watercolors like his father, the late Hubert Shuptrine. At the studio, one can see artists and artisans partake in a variety of creativity, from hand carving and gilding frames to working on life drawings. View our Calendar for Sketch Night and other events.