18 Watercolor artist | DECEMBER 2019
hari Blaukopf loves to paint winter land-
scapes, and it’s a good thing given that she
lives in Montreal and gets plenty of oppor-
tunities. “I love what snow does to any
scene, especially a cityscape,” Blaukopf says.
“I think snow generates a lot of atmosphere.
It sounds cliché, but anything with snow on
it looks nicer. Take a fi re hydrant; a fi re hydrant covered in
snow is really beautiful.” Because she’s always looking for
scenes with a lot of contrast between lights and darks, a
snow scene, by its very nature, suddenly makes everything
more compelling. “Th e white shapes break up everything
into more interesting compositions,” she says. “And when
the sun comes out, and there are shadows on the snow,
that becomes even more pronounced.”
Blaukopf studied art seriously as a teenager before largely
giving it up for 20 years as she raised her family and pursued
a career in graphic design. During her student years, paintingRIGHT
“Just as I started to
draw what became
Avenue Ste Anne
[14x10, watercolor
on paper], someone
came out to shovel,”
says Blaukopf.
“Perfect timing since
a village scene is
always better with
a little life in it.”
BELOW
The little patch of trees
in My Woods [16x20,
watercolor and pencil
on paper] is where
Blaukopf takes her
dog to run. “Located
in the middle of the
suburbs, it can still be
surprisingly beautiful
in winter, especially
after a snowfall,”
she says.outdoors in winter wasn’t part of her
regular practice. “I used to dread paint-
ing in the winter,” she says. “I never
painted snow.” Th en, about seven years
ago, when she got back into sketching,
she discovered that she loved it.THE GREAT
OUTDOORS
Blaukopf ’s paintings are almost all
produced on location. She keeps her
materials in her car, often stopping to
sketch in the morning on her way to
work (See “Creating in the Car,” oppo-
site). She generally shies away from
subjects that are easily recognizable
or decidedly picturesque, preferring