Freshness and innocence conbines with limitless imagination create a special Utopia in Edward Lupper's enchanting animal paintings wherein all the beasts and birds of the realm live side by side in joyful harmony. A deep concern for nature and love of animals is the motivating force behind Mr. Lupper's choice of subject matter.
With an apprenticeship under artist Wesley Leas he had his first one-man exhibit in the art colony of New Hope, Pennsylvania at the age of 17. Studies include Parsons School of Design, NY, the Art Institute of San Francisco, College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, CA and San Francisco State College. Never one to be constrained to a formal art education, Edward always broke free from his studies to maintain a studio and follow his passions for painting in an intuitive direction.
In 1963 Ed was awarded a prestigious fellowship at the Huntington Hartford Foundation in California. He mounted a large one-man exhibit at the Elayne Marquis Gallery in Miami, FL. This period is when his anthropomorphic animals came to life. Ed has combined a multitude of influences such as folk art, surrealism, fantasy, realism and even Indian miniature paintings to form a distinctive style.It is a "Lupper" painting at first glance.
It was said that "his paintings give enduring pleasure for those who own and enjoy Ed's paintings. It is the simplification of form and directness of vision that makes the artist's work so appealing...fresh...and innocent...irresistible." (Bill Spink, the Naples Art Gallery, now DeBruyne Fine Art).
Edward Lupper has been listed in Who's Who in American Art for several decades and recently celebrated 49 years as a self-supporting artist in 2009. His fanciful menageries have found homes in many cities around the globe. A native of New Jersey, he made his home in San Francisco for 43 years but now lives in the Palm Springs, California area since 2000.
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