The Wheelbarrow: Shari Blaukopf's October Newsletter
Published 2 months ago • 7 min read
October 2025
LOADS OF VIEWS, REVIEWS & EVENTS
As I write these words, a fat squirrel is running back and forth on the windowsill outside my office. Now he’s standing stock still, studying me through the glass. A sure sign of fall.
In my neck of the woods, it’s a gorgeous season of russets, oranges, yellows and reds. Good time to be winding down from a travel-filled summer, during which I never truly unpacked: Teaching in the French Alps, and at the Urban Sketching Symposium in Poznan, Poland; in Cape Ann, Massachusetts; in Hudson Valley, New York. And, most recently, in Bar Harbor, Maine.
All wonderful, of course, but too much to describe in this small space. So in this issue of The Wheelbarrow, I’ll touch only on my last trip—the sights I saw and sketched in Bar Harbor, and our trip down the coast to the Farnsworth Museum, to see the always astonishing paintings of Andrew Wyeth.
So, with all my summer travel done, what’s next for fall? Nothing! Staying home. Walking my dog. Making muffins. You know—nothing.
Well, of course I’m exaggerating. For me, nothing works for about a day or two. So today, as I stare back at the squirrel, I’m already looking forward to creating new online courses. Experimenting with new art tools. And, most important, enjoying the luxury of long days to just paint.
I hope you have a fabulous fall season, with long days to do the things that inspire you.
Shari
FROM MY SKETCHBOOK
Bar Harbor, Maine
After a long, hot summer, some cooler weather offers a bit of relief, as do the fall colours through the hilly Eastern Townships of Quebec, and along the winding roads of northern Maine. It’s always a terrific drive to Bar Harbor.
And when I arrive to teach, I love Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island for the variety of subjects. Rocky coastlines and beaches with bobbing lobster boats at anchor, tiny harbours with touristy or working villages, picturesque gardens and wind-swept fields. And, if it ever gets too cold and damp, I appreciate the warm studio Madeline Island School provides, so we can finish our work indoors.
Old Town Dock
I've painted this subject before, but I wanted an exercise for me and my students in how to actually sketch quickly, drawing included. I set my timer for 45 minutes and this is as far as I got. My students had 1.25 hr for their versions, and many achieved their best result of the week. So, lesson learned: a deadline often produces fresher and more spontaneous results.
CJ's Ice Cream shop
This was supposed to be a quick ink and watercolour demo of a busy corner, but the car and bus traffic made it a little challenging to focus. I plowed ahead anyway, drew the light post and striped awnings first. Then, unexpectedly, the “quick” sketch kept growing. First, horizontally, and then with a bunch of people (because it is, after all, an ice cream shop). Finally, I added trees, signage, and another wall on the right to frame the shop. So much for “quick.”
And BTW: I’ll be back at Bar Harbor next fall. If you’d like to join me, see details below.
ANDREW WYETH AT CHADD'S FORD
Home Places: Andrew Wyeth in Chadds Ford
Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine
Through October 19, 2025
This was our second visit to the Farnsworth, whose chief attraction is, of course, the Wyeth watercolours. This show includes works never before exhibited, painted near his birthplace of Chadd’s Ford, Pennsylvania.
Seeing these works is nothing like viewing reproductions. Wyeth’s textures, brushstrokes, scratch marks, layers of detail and pure abstraction are marvels to behold, and hard to convey in photos. I was studying the paintings so closely at times, my nose almost touched the glass and I expected a guard to come rushing over.
Below, some favourite images. I took these photos in a dimly lit gallery, so the colours are inaccurate, but I’ll let you marvel at the details.
Bringing Wood, 1937, watercolour on paper
Burning Trash, 1963, watercolour on paper
Widow's Walk Study, 1990, watercolour on paper
Untitled (Painter's Folly and Kuerner Farm), 1967, watercolour on paper
With painters like Wyeth (Sargent, too), I try to puzzle out their brilliance. In Wyeth's case, you see precisely — almost scientifically— drawn and painted areas juxtaposed with large swathes of pure colour and abstract shapes. And I have so many questions about technique, but he was famously secretive about his process and it's difficult to find out much about it.
I took this photo of Wyeth’s tools two years ago, during another Farnsworth visit. Wyeth was reticent about discussing techniques and tools. So I’ll let you puzzle this out. What colours do you think he used in his paintings, apart from the tubes above? And another thing: in the book I review below, Thomas Hoving's introduction says Wyeth used just three small sable brushes — never a flat. But there's a big flat pictured above. The mystery deepens.
FROM MY PAINT DRAWER
Raw Umber and Sepia
I was so inspired by Wyeth’s limited palette (so limited it’s nearly monochrome), I bought a couple of tubes of Winsor & Newton earth tones to experiment. I don't think he actually used Sepia but I wanted to experiment with a warm, dark colour, so I added a tube to my purchase. I love the way each of these looks on their own, and the mix they make is quite exciting too: a warm dark with yellow undertones.
Using the tube of Sepia, I did a value study of drying corn that I spotted near my house, possibly toward doing a bigger painting. Since earth tones have now nearly replaced summer’s bright colours, it’s a good time to be experimenting with these.
FROM MY BOOKSHELF
ANDREW WYETH: AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Introduction by Thomas Hoving
Beautifully produced and printed, with large format reproductions, this unusual book was published during the 1995 retrospective exhibition at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.
I say this book is unusual because there’s so little available from Wyeth in his own words, and yet the captions to each image are from Wyeth himself, transcribed from conversations with Thomas Hoving. Through his commentary, you get insights into why he chose certain subjects, how he treated them, and how he felt. Some of these insights are revealing, others less so. Wyeth was a very private man, described by Hoving, who writes an excellent introduction, as “swimming upstream all his career.” He simply did not like to talk, and was often a bit cantankerous.
For me, the book is valuable for its lavish reproductions, and for the many studies it includes, which are just as interesting as the finished work, revealing Wyeth as he works out colour, composition and techniques.
Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography is no longer in print but easy to find through used-book stores and online sites.
A NEW FREE DEMO
While teaching in Rockport, MA, this summer, I spotted this little red shed on a quiet side street. Several of my students drew it on location and, I have to admit, I was a little envious. I even took a picture of it. So, when I was invited to be part of this year’s Sketching Retreat, I had the perfect solution (and photo!), and chose the red shed as my video demo.
If you don’t know about it already, Sketching Retreat is a FREE 6-day online event with 50+ workshops (mine included) focused on architectural sketching and drawing—using both analog (paper) and digital (tablet) techniques.
The event runs October 28 – November 2, 2025, but registration is already open so you can sign up now. And be sure not to miss my new freebie download as well: Making Sense of Shadows. Plus, if you upgrade to the VIP membership, you'll also get one of my most popular courses, "Victorian Vignettes," for free!
I’ve already sampled what others are teaching at this year’s Sketching Retreat, and you can be sure there’s a lot to learn from some brilliant artists. I’ll be watching and learning over the next few weeks too. Hope to “see” you there!
It’s a great honour that my painting, Bonavista Cape, is one of just 40 works chosen by the American Watercolor Society for its travelling show. If you missed last spring’s full exhibition at the Salmagundi Club in New York, here’s a chance to view a scaled down version.
September 8 – October 27, 2025: Mid-Plains Community College, McCook, NE
November 20, 2025 – January 3, 2026: Mooresville Art Guild, Mooresville, NC
January 23 – March 28, 2026: Piedmont Arts, Martinsville, VA
April 21 – May 15, 2026: Art Center Manatee, Bradenton, FL
A NEW IN-PERSON WORKSHOP
People have been asking for local workshops, closer to where I live, for years. Well, I am now excited to announce that the November 6 workshop I unveiled last week has filled up and I've added a second one on November 20, 2025. If you live in the Montreal or Eastern Ontario region, consider taking this one-day workshop in beautiful Hudson, Quebec.
In Plants & Flowers in your Sketchbook, I’ll share with you the design techniques I use to create my own sketchbook pages — techniques such as composition, hand-lettering, drop shadows and framing devices.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2025 9:30-3:30 pm
The workshop is limited to 12, so to reserve your spot and learn more, drop me a note at: info@shariblaukopf.com
Cost of this workshop: $175 CDN per person (plus applicable taxes).
Skill level: Some experience with drawing and watercolour required.
Hope to see you there! And if you miss it, I hope to host more closer-to-home workshops soon!
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Connecticut River Valley
I am delighted to be giving a workshop with Artists Rising Retreats, in the stunning Connecticut River Valley. I sketch all the time when travelling, and expect to return home with a sketchbook bursting with landscapes, architecture, lettering and vignettes. Want to learn how a sketchbook can enhance your every travel experience too? Join me for an immersive week in the beautiful and historic town of Glastonbury, Connecticut.
I’ve just finished teaching at Hudson River Valley Art Workshops, and I’m excited to announce that I’ll be back next year, rediscovering the historic architecture and landscapes of upstate New York. Weather permitting, we’ll combine studio and plein air work, focusing on telling a story through the choices we make in composing a scene, using elements that together evoke a time and place.
I love Bar Harbor and its surroundings so much, I’m returning for a fourth time next fall. Beautiful in all seasons, Bar Harbor is most spectacular in its fiery autumn robes. In this workshop, we’ll hop around Mount Desert Island to find the most sketchable spots — scenic villages and secluded harbours, with their fishing boats at anchor, plus maritime gardens and rugged coastal scenes animated with jagged rocks and crashing waves. There’s no shortage of scenes to capture in your sketchbooks!
