20 Watercolor artist | DECEMBER 2019
THE COLOR OF SNOW
We sometimes discuss winter as if it were a uniform chunk
of time. Th e cliché phrase “dead of winter” takes this mis-
conception further, implying a total, moribund stillness
during these months. Th is isn’t the case, of course, and
a location will likely look quite diff erent at the beginning of
a season than it does at the end. “Early and late winter are
very diff erent,” Blaukopf says. “Th e colors of the shadows
on the snow change. When it’s warmer, everything is
softer, including the shadows. When it’s really cold, the
shadows are very blue and very sharp. I never noticed this
until I started painting in the winter. When you’re painting
and really looking, you see a lot more.”
Montreal’s winters are snowy but also sunny. “You can
pretty much count on snow in Montreal from November
until the end of March or the beginning of April, so that
gives me fi ve or six months to paint snow,” Blaukopf says.
“My favorite time to paint is whenever the sun is shining,
creating those strong shadow shapes. But even the gray
days are gorgeous. I’ve learned to mix so many beautiful
neutral colors from the sky in the winter.”Th e artist often uses a limited
palette, and she might produce those
beautiful neutral colors with just one
transparent color for each primary:
ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson
and Hansa yellow. “I’m always think-
ing about color harmony, and by
limiting the palette, I get more har-
mony in the painting,” Blaukopf says.
“I mix those three colors together
and get a beautiful gray,” she says.
“If I want the gray warmer, I add more
yellow to the mix. If I want it cooler,
I add more blue.”
Blaukopf may only use a handful of
colors to paint an entire composition.
“I can paint practically any scene any-
where with three or four colors,” she
says. “On a sharp day, I’ll use alizarin
and yellow. But on a foggy day, I’ll useABOVE LEFT
The title, Naples
in Winter (10x6;
watercolor and
pencil on paper), is
inspired by the paint,
Naples yellow, which
is “the perfect con-
trast to the deep blue
trees and wet street
refl ections at sunset,”
the artist says.ABOVE RIGHT
“Compositions that
feature shapes that
overlap and interlock
are the most
interesting,” Blaukopf
says. Shovelling
(12x9; watercolor
and pencil on paper)
is a good example.