Shari Blaukopf
I was fortunate to spend some summers in Maine studying with Edgar A. Whitney, and I don't think I could talk about painting in watercolour without giving a nod to this great master. The elements and principles of design that he taught — in his entertaining and often emphatic way — come back to me every time I compose a painting or a sketch. That's the mark of a truly remarkable teacher, and a model that I try to emulate when I give my own workshops.
When the brush is really wet, when the washes are flowing, when pigment is mixing on paper in ways that surprise me — that's a happy day. Because every time I put a brush to paper, I learn something new. That’s what keeps me painting. Whether it's in my Montreal neighbourhood or in my travels, it's always a good day when I have an opportunity to paint.
Shari Blaukopf, a Montreal-based painter, teacher, author and art blogger, is best known for her urban scenes in watercolour. She has a BFA from Concordia University with a specialization in graphic design, but her true love has always been watercolour painting. Her paintings are in corporate, government and private collections in Canada, the United States and abroad, and her work has been showcased in many books on urban sketching. She travels widely to paint and to share her distinctive approach in sold-out workshops devoted to sketching and painting en plein air.
Shari is a correspondent for UrbanSketchers.org, co-founder of Urban Sketchers Montreal, and signature member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour. Her sketches have been featured in dozens of books on urban sketching. You can find her online courses at Learn.ShariBlaukopf.com and Craftsy.com. Her book, The Urban Sketching Handbook: Working with Color, was published in 2019 by Quarry Books. She has given many watercolour workshops both on her own and through the Urban Sketchers Workshop Program in North America, Europe and Asia.
Books
2020 The Complete Urban Sketching Companion: Essential Concepts and Techniques (co-authors Stephanie Bower and Gabi Campanario)
2019 Urban Sketching Handbook: Working with Color, Quarry Books
Selected Publications
2021 Watercolor Artist, Windows of Opportunity
2019 Watercolor Artist Magazine, Paint Outside, Even in Winter
2019 International Artist, Come Inside the Studio of Shari Blaukopf
2019 Artist’s Magazine, Sketching Montreal
2018 The Art of Watercolor, Interview
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 Gallery Carlos, Montreal, Quebec
2018 Studio 77, Pointe Claire, Quebec
1991 Housebound, Gallery 89, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 157th Annual International Exhibition, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY
2023 156th Annual International Exhibition, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY
2022 Transparent Watercolour Society of America 46th Annual Exhibition
2022 Fabriano In Aquarello 2022, Fabriano, Italy
2020 Visions Adjoin, joint exhibition of NWS (USA) and CSPWC (Canada)
2018 Open Water, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Toronto, ON
2017 150th Anniversary Exhibition, American Watercolor Society, New York, NY
2017 Art Rental Collection, Galerie d’Art Stewart Hall, Pointe Claire, QC
2016 Open Water, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Toronto, ON
2016 Canada Biennale 2016, International Watercolour Society Canada, Vancouver, BC
2015 Open Water, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Halifax, NS
2015 Art Rental Collection, Galerie d’Art Stewart Hall, Pointe Claire, QC
2012 Open Water, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Toronto, ON
Awards
2024 Endeavors Think Play Award, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Toronto, ON
2018 Carl Schaeffer Award, Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour, Toronto, ON
1990 Award of Merit, Top Ten in Show, Societé Canadienne de l’Aquarelle, Montreal, QC
1989 Magasin d’art Prize, Salon de la Fleur, Societé Canadienne de l’Aquarelle, Montreal, QC