About Alexander Rupp
I’m Alexander Rupp, a St. Louis–based artist, game designer, and maker. I work across airbrush, painting, sculpture and ceramics, CNC/woodworking, 3D modeling, and programming/Unity. On paper that looks scattered—realistically, it’s all the same instinct: take something I’m thinking about and make it visible, tangible, or playable. A lot of my pieces sit in motion—an assassin mid-leap, an animal frozen in a moment, water and ships moving—and that comes from loving games and worlds that feel alive.
Artist Statement
A big part of my work comes from dichotomies: calm vs. chaos, organic vs. machined, surface vs. what’s underneath. That isn’t random—I’ve lived my whole life managing bipolar disorder and ADHD, so I know what it’s like to hold two very different states at once. Sometimes I’m hyper-focused and building systems in Unity; sometimes I need to work with color and airbrush just to get the energy out. The art is a place where both can live without one being “wrong.”
Because of that, I like building pieces that look controlled but feel charged. I’ll use really clean edges (CNC, panel painting, masked airbrush) and then set them against something softer or more emotional (creatures, ocean life, mental-health themes). I want viewers to notice the tension—between precision and feeling, between the polished final and the messy process—and realize that both can exist in the same person and the same work.
Process & Approach
I start with the idea or feeling first—sometimes it’s a personal story, sometimes it’s a contrast I want to show (loud/quiet, hidden/seen). Then I pick the medium that serves that best. If it needs atmosphere and motion, I airbrush. If it needs structure, I CNC or model it. If it needs behavior, I code it. Everything gets documented and named cleanly so I can reuse it in another discipline later. While creating, I do make a lot of decisions on the fly, While I do plan and do research, my process remains more fluid once a project begins.
Why & How My Mental Health Shows Up
Living with bipolar disorder and ADHD means I’m always negotiating energy, focus, and identity. Instead of hiding that, I let it guide the work: shifts in texture, sudden color changes, repeating forms that feel like cycles. The “Tension of Opposites” isn’t just a title idea for me—it’s how my brain actually works. It is actually an abstract self portrait. The art gives me a way to show that without having to explain it every time.
What I Work In
Games & Interactive – Unity scenes, AI/behavior work, Animation, underwater and creature game systems.
Sculpture & Ceramics – forms that carry psychological or identity-based themes.
CNC & Woodworking – carved panels and layered structures that bring order into the piece.
Airbrush & Painting – character-driven and nature-driven work, influenced by games.
3D Modeling & Assets – digital builds for print, aquarium pieces, or game environments.
Software / Tools – little programs that make the rest of this workflow possible and various coding/software projects
Let’s Work Together
If you want a custom piece, a game/interactive prototype, or a sculptural/airbrushed work around a specific concept, I’m open to commissions and collaboration.