Stephanie Shuptrine leans toward her easel and meticulously applies tiny brush strokes to the paper. When the painting is finished, often weeks later, many delicate layers of warm and cool tones will give it a luminosity that is unique to her paintings. The daughter of renowned master watercolor painter, Hubert Shuptrine, Stephanie benefitted from her father's guidance, thus developing a love and skill for drawing and art. At a very young age, she knew that she was destined to be an artist. Unlike her father, though, Stephanie initially wanted to persue a career as a cartoonist and illustrator. An extrovert and "people person" by nature, she enjoyed drawing caricatures for visiting tourists in Chattanooga, Tennessee while attending high school. Throughout college and afterwards, she worked primarily as a freelance illustrator.

It wasn't until her father's cancer diagnosis in 2003 that Stephanie began to study more intensely under his tutelage, learning his special technique of dry brush watercolor and egg tempera, with a concentration in portraiture. A few months before his passing, Hubert requested that Stephanie sit at his easel and take over his studio. There were several of his paintings left to be finished, as well as photographs of future subjects labeled "Next." Stephanie stayed in Chattanooga for several years and spent most of her studio time finishing commissioned portraits of children. Afterwards, she began building a body of work derived from her father's subjects, as well as her own.

Grateful to her father, Stephanie Shuptrine has set for herself an uncompromised standard of excellence and aims to be worthy of the confidence that her father placed in her. Currently, her studio time is spent working on her own subjects that she is inspired to paint, as well as a collection of paintings titled, “With my Father’s Brushes”. These are comprised of her father’s photographs, sketches and watercolor studies that Hubert left for her to finish after his passing. Stephanie currently lives in the Western Carolina mountains where she enjoys viewing the abundant wildlife right outside her window. She is especially fascinated with the beautiful bears that surround her cabin and will continue to share her love of these majestic animals in paintings.

With her Soulmate/Partner, Len Gengel, Stephanie travels to the country of Haiti 3-4 times a year to BLB, the Orphanage that Len built in honor of his daughter Britney, who perished in the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Stephanie loves the children at BLB (BelikeBrit) and is intrigued by the tenacity and faith of the Haitian People, believing that one day they will evolve out of poverty in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Touched by the Love, Caring and Sharing of their Faith with others, Stephanie is inspired to capture those special moments with her art on this Magical Island.

Artist's Statement

"I owe so much to my father. He inspired me to follow in his footsteps because of the deep love that he exhibited for others, particularly those that he portrayed. Dad had an intuitive ability to look beyond the surface of his subjects, thus revealing their inner spirit. He conveyed a sense of knowing and understanding with us all. I am fascinated with the realization that in life, we are all souls on a journey- living a unique story within a story. As an artist, this intrigues me.

Painting people and animals with a spiritual approach, while utilizing a technique similar to Dad's, is exciting and challenging. I am blessed with the ultimate opportunity to honor his memory, while striving to experience that same connection with my subjects on the easel, hoping to likewise capture their true essence in a finished painting."