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Paintings done live while assisting a watercolor workshop. #watercolor #artistworkshop #transparent #glass #portraits

An array of watercolor paintings: On the top is a reflective window on a city street. Below are 5 mini portraits of artist workshop attendees.

Photo holding up a piece of art made live of the space. In a room full of paintings being painted, painters are painted into a painting.

Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 13/07/2026

A watercolor urban sketch (9x6, 45 mins) and a casein plein air (12x9, 100 mins) done at Bridgeway Station, Simpsonville, SC, during and before our chapter of @urbansketchers.bsky.social had their meetup. #pleinairpainting #casein #watercolor #urbansketching #liveart #onlocation

A painting of a decorative street lamp done in watercolor buildings, trees, and an American flag hanging downward can be seen in the background.

Photo of art in front of its subject. There is a casein painting on panel of a building made to look like classic Italian architecture. The color scheme uses orange/blue complementary colors, and the painting has been pushed in that direction. There is a large clock on the front. Strong sunlight was cast upon the eastern side of the building at the start of the painting, but the photo shows how much lighting can change during a session as we a cloudy sky.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 20/06/2026

"Count Hyracula" 14"x11" Casein Hyrax X Castlevania art submitted to a 24-hour art contest in Greenville, SC. It's a chance to do something other than landscapes, so I get a little more creative with it. #FOUP #hyrax #dracula #vampire #spooky #illustration

Artwork showing a rock hyrax dressed in Dracula garb. Two vampiric fangs protrude from its mouth. The castle from Castlevania is in the background before a large blood moon.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 17/05/2026

A couple more mini boat paintings from Southport Plein Air #pleinair #urbansketching #onlocation #liveart

Photo of a painting in front of its subject on location. It is a small boat on a trailer, but the whole thing is installed on a porch. This is part of the Southport NC Maritime Museum. The painting is done in a minimal watercolor style. The background is a splash of green and the boat is breaking out against the white page.

Photo of a painting in front of its subject on location. It is a model schooner ship inside the Maritime Museum of Southport NC. The painting is on a rusty toned paper. A teal color fills the background to suggest water that is not there in the model's case. The sails are painted in opaque white gouache, and all the little ropes are drawn with a thin brush.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 13/05/2026

"Won't Fit" 11" x 14" Gouache Sold 🔴 Done on location at the Southport, NC Plein Air Festival 2026 #pleinair #festival #yacht #liveart #gouache #urbansketching

Photo of a plein air painting on an easel in front of the subject depicted. It is a sporty motor yacht with the name "Won't Fit" enscribed on the back. The "O" in "Won't" is the octopus's head. From this angle, there is a ton of detail such as furniture, a plant, ladders, driver's and passenger's seats, ropes, and poles. The boat is depicted in perspective with the dock and other boats faded out, but still visible in the setting.

In a full view of the painting we see lots of detail all over the subject. Done in a mostly transparent painting technique, brush strokes are deliberate but a little wavy. Lines are drawn over the rendering with a script brush in blue and orange. Below the octopus painted on the back is the name of the city of Southport, NC.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 11/05/2026

"Waterfront Panorama" 8" x 20" Gouache Painted on location at Waterfront Park in Southport, NC. #pleinair #festival #panorama #liveart #gouache #painting

Photo holding a plein air painting in front of the scene depicted. We see Southport NC's Waterfront Park with benches and a gazebo. On the right many cars are parked in front of a restaurant. In the deep distance is Oak Island with its lighthouse and coast guard station. The painting shows them very small on the horizon.

In a full view of the painting we see lots of detail over broad strokes. Cerulean blue water dominates the left portion of the composition with some benches and a light pole in the foreground.
In the middle we see the lighthouse, a coin-op binocular viewing machine, and someone on a swing. A gazebo with picnic tables and trash cans is the largest structure in the scene.
A couple of sea birds walk on the grass in the immediate foreground. On the right, many cars are parked and far over are three umbrellas for outdoor dining.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 11/05/2026

"Small Hours at the Boathouse" 10" x 8" Gouache Sold 🔴 Done on location at the Southport NC Plein Air Festival #pleinair #gouache #painting

A nocturne painting of a boathouse with a lot of texture and fully rendered lighting. The perspective is warped and fisheye showing a close proximity. The lighting is dark and dramatic with electric light bulbs providing the brightest values. A bit of the bluish morning sky shows in the background to give contrast to the incandescent lights on the building.

Photo of a boathouse before sunrise with a painting started in the foreground. The shack has cedar shakes on the exterior walls and white trim. Above the sliding door on the front is a sign that says "Yacht Basin Boathouse." Two oars are mounted between the sign and the door. Around the left side of the building is another sliding door. Each door has a light overhead and various ropes and maritime objects attached to the handles. There is also a small bench on the left. The painting is in an early stage with the main object blocked in with wet, blended gouache.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 10/05/2026

Another gouache painting from behind the wheel in Southport. Watercolor pencil to start, completely impossible to see the reference by the end. "Sidewalled" 5" x 10" Gouache #pleinair #rainorshine #liveart #gouache #urbansketching

Close shot of the painting cropped in on the brick fence with palm trees in the yard, a little white gate with a wreath, and a live oak close to the street

Photo of the sketch done inside the car with the steering wheel workboard. Use of watercolor pencils is visible focusing on linear elements and areas of shadow along with some intermixing of primary and secondary colors.

Photo of the finished gouache painting in front of a fogged and drenched windshield. The real life scene is hardly visible. However, the painting shows an enhanced luminous quality and completed in an impressionistic style.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 10/05/2026

First painting from Southport NC's 2026 Plein Air Festival. It was raining from the start, but that's just a perfect chance to put my driver's seat painting setup to good use. "A Walk on Bay Street" 11" x 14" Gouache #pleinair #gouache #liveart #urbansketching

Photo showing a painting of a house with the ocean behind. There is a barge and crane in the distance. The house mimics a watchtower with a slight taper, which is exaggerated a bit in the painting. A person is depicted walking a golden retriever down East Bay Street.

Zoom in on the painting in a wooden frame

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 04/05/2026

Artists on Location Concluded. The walls were covered with truly fantastic art, and I'm honored to have been a part of it. Also, a sketch to document the Saturday morning while most of the artwork was still up. #pleinairfestival #urbansketching #liveartist

Photo of several plein air paintings done in Knoxville Tennessee. From the top left to the bottom right:
The former Hyatt Regency hotel from the 1970s before dawn
The chapel and archway at Lakeshore Park
The old, rusty White Lily flour mill
The main house at James White's Fort
A crepe at The French Market on Clinch Ave
The rusty truck at UT Gardens
Calhoun's over the river at sunrise
The decommissioned landscaper truck at the botanical gardens
A small vignette of a planter in the botanical gardens

Photo holding up a sketch in front of many paintings hanging on the walls of the Knoxville Museum of art. The sketch is colorful and features artists and patrons standing and viewing the art.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 04/05/2026

A couple more oil paintings from Artists on Location Knoxville. The view of the river from Marine Park was a gift to my generous host who gave me a place to stay for the week. #pleinair #pleinairpril #oilpainting #liveartist

Photo of a plein air painting and the scene it depicts. A concrete garden planter with dried magnolia leaves sits on the corner of a stone pathway. Bushes in the background provide a dark backdrop for the subject bathed in dappled light. The leaves almost appear as flames. The background is strongly lit in the painting for more contrast and value balance.

Photo of a plein air painting and the scene it depicts. We look across the Tennessee River with Knoxville in the distant background. In the foreground is a petrified log sitting in the shallow water, casting a reflection. A tree with no leaves hangs overhead and gives us a way to peek through and see the green vegetation and blue skies behind.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 02/05/2026

Painting "air plein" with local urban sketcher groups at the WNC Air Museum. 8" x 10" Gouache #airplane #USkWeek2026 #urbansketching #pleinair #painting #onlocation

Photo of the subject, a red airplane with a painting of it in the foreground. The plane is hanging from a ceiling-mounted cable at about 45 degrees. The point of view is from below and looking at the front right side of the plane. The propeller is in a vertical position. The rust metal structure of the hanger shows in the background along with the gray walls. A window shines in light from outside. A sheet of paper with specifications hang off the aircraft's landing gear.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 30/04/2026

Painted at the Knoxville Botanical Gardens "The Retired Landscaper" 9" x 12" Gouache Sold 🔴 #pleinair #artistsonlocation #gouache #pleinairpril #truck #landscaper @warriorpainters.bsky.social

Photo of a painting in the foreground and the subject of said painting in the background. We see a 1970s landscaping truck on the left taking up a large portion of the scene. In the distance is a utility building. Behind that are lush trees and a clear blue sky. The painting is done in a style somewhere between urban sketching and storybook. Light washes of gouache keep it all in a high value range.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 30/04/2026

Painted at the James White Fort in Knoxville "The Oldest Home" 45cm x 45cm (17.75"²) Oil on Wood #pleinair #artistsonlocation #oilpainting #pleinairpril #architecture #historical @warriorpainters.bsky.social

Photo of a painting in the foreground and the building in the painting behind. It's a log cabin with a stone chimney in a courtyard with a lush maple tree and an alarm bell on a pole.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 29/04/2026

Former Hyatt Regency in Knoxville, nocturne before dawn, finished in morning light "A Really Big Typewriter" 11" x 14" Oil on Wood #pleinair #artistsonlocation #oilpainting #pleinairpril #urbansketching #architecture #nocturne @warriorpainters.bsky.social

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 27/04/2026

"Lakeshore Arch and Chapel" 14" x 11" Casein, wax-sealed Sold 🔴 #pleinair #casein #onlocation #urbansketching

Photo of a painting in front of its subject: point of view is under a covered area with a large pointed arch looking at a chapel in the distance. The building in the background is perfectly aligned with the open air shelter and arch feature. Green bushes and sunlit grass ensconce the warm gray stone chapel whose hues are exaggerated in the painting to contrast the cool blue sky and majestic clouds.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 27/04/2026

"The Torchbearer" Casein on an 8x8 canvas primed with watercolor ground and done at UT Knoxville for Artists on Location #pleinairpril @warriorpainters.bsky.social #statue #pleinair #casein

Background photo: the University of Knoxville's Neyland Stadium and Torchbearer statue in view. In the bottom right of the image is the painting. Using bright colors of orange, blue green, and blue violet, the statue stands with high contrast against a more subtle background. The torch in the statue's right hand has fire blocked out of the background to highlight the flame.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/04/2026

A collection of the ArtFields Plein Air paintings including the animals, which I normally do not do at these events. #pleinairpril #onlocation #pleinair #wildlifeart

A set of seven paintings. The top rowt: 10 by 8-inch gouache painting of a molcajete dish, 11 by 14-inch oil painting of the Moore Botanical Gardens fountain and gazebo in a metallic gray frame, 10 by 8-inch oil painting on wood of cypress knees on the river shore in a bronze frame, a 24 by 12-inch oil painting of an old silo covered in rust behind a run-down house at sunrise in a wide gray frame. The bottom row: Three 8 by 10-inch stretched canvases painted in oil of Canadian geese.

Photo of an alligator floating in the water with the start of a painting on the right. Above is the text, "Live Model: Lynch the Alligator at Lynches River County Park Environmental Discovery Center." The bottom half is the finished painting composited into the image. In the artwork, Lynch is facing left on his wooden platform out of the water in the lamplight. His tail hangs off the right side.

Photo at Lake City Park South Carolina showing geese in the background. On the right is a stack of three 8 by 10-inch paintings on stretched canvas of the geese. They are painted in a loose and gestural style with the same color palette of white, black, and warm/cool greens on a gray background.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/04/2026

10" x 8" Gouache "Molcajete at Jarritos" Done during ArtFields #pleinair competition when I stopped for lunch. Painted right at the bar and ate when finished. #gouachepainting #foodart #culinary #mexicanfood #pleinairpril

Photo at a bar of a Mexican restaurant: a molcajete with an assortment of chorizo, whole onions, poblano pepper, meat cutlets and queso fresco populate the circumference of a molcajete. Behind is a plate of rice and beans. Next to this is the painting based on the food done live on the spot.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/04/2026

"Knees by the Water" 10" x 8" Oil on Wood Done at the site of my cabin rental near Lake City during the plein air competition. Cypress knees are such interesting features. #pleinairpril #pleinair #oilpainting #onlocation #artfields

Photo showing the river bank with some fallen trees and gnarly roots. Knees of the cypress trees are jutting out of the ground like little columns, and a trickle of water feeds into the larger stream. The light is reflecting just behind the clump of roots. The painting representing all of that stands on display in the same scene.

Closeup of the impressionist oil painting done at and of the location.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/04/2026

Thanks, Poppy! I've admired your work for some time.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 19/04/2026

First plein air ribbon of the year is blue. It's my first first place, actually. Done in Lake City, SC for Artfields Plein Air. "First Light on the Old Silo" 24"x12" | Oil on Wood Panel #pleinair #pleinairpril #competition #festival #oilpainting

Photo of a painting in a dark gray frame adorned with a blue ribbon: The subject is a rusty silo behind an a run down house with siding peeling off. The morning light is golden casting long, cool shadows across the grass and gravel.

Shot of the painting when finished on the spot. The morning light had shifted completely into midday.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/02/2026

Using only bright colors to rough-in late winter scenes at the Clemson Botanical Gardens #speedpainting #liveart #pleinair #urbansketching

Photo showing a sketch of a cascading stream that flows around an old cabin. There is a foot bridge and a bench in the background. The sketch depicting this scene pushes everything closer together in the composition to better fit the page. The artwork is highly saturated using the primary colors.

Photo showing an interesting evergreen tree that has thin, droopy branches. To the left is a wooden archway. In the extreme foreground is a yellow, blue, and green sketch of the tree mounted on a handheld easel. The art shows the dark shape of a larger tree behind to give depth and contrast to the unique silhouette of the subject.

Photo of a colonial house, white with black roof and black shutters. A brick chimney stands on the right and behind the house on the left is a small gray shed. In the extreme foreground we see the sketch of the same scene clipped to a board. Saturated colors surround the building to emphasize its white siding. black is used to fill in the roof, shutters, and deepest shadows. A wet brush pulls out the black to make a gray wash to shade the white.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 17/02/2026

Plein air casein painting at an interesting venue where it's built to look like a 1930s community. There are tons of great subjects on the site, and I'll probably paint there a few more times. #pleinair #liveart #americana

Shot of the painting. Depicted is a general store and a barber shop with heavy shadowing from the morning light. A tall gasoline pump with a chrome topper stands in front of the store.

Shot of the painting with the store and barber shop in the background after a couple hours' work.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 07/02/2026

Sketches after I gave a quick demo about rapidly sketching moving subjects with my local chapter of @urbansketchers.bsky.social at a climbing gym. #urbansketching #bouldering #climbinggym #livesketching

Two posterboards and a sketchbook filled with quick figure studies of people climbing rock walls.
Focus on the posterboard pieces: Figures are loosely sketched with orange tempera stick in a matter of a few seconds. Black line detail is added over the next few minutes. Four figures and a smattering of footholds fill the page. Additional 9x12 sketchbook with a CMYK sketch for scale.

Focus on the third page in a sketchbook. An individual leans back in a chair as they scope the wall to plan a climbing route. Sketched in Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow inks with dark red lines and hatching.

Focus on the fourth page in a sketchbook. A muscular man leans begins on a difficult overhang using a supinated hand hold. Sketched in Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow inks with dark red lines and hatching.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 26/01/2026

First plein air (or plein smoke) session of the year - a backyard painting in melting ice to commemorate the weather event. Contrast was the focus here: light and dark, hot and cold, blurred and sharp. 10"x8" casein on watercolor paper #pleinair #iceandfire #winter #icestorm #painting #casein

Painting started, finished, and photographed outdoors. In the bottom left corner, a firepit with a small flame emits a plume of smoke that fills the indistinct background. in the foreground and on the right is a shepherds hook holding a bird seed feeder and suet holder. They are both empty and covered in icicles.

Photo from the start of the painting when the fire was going and the ice had not melted.

Photo from the end of the session where the fire faded and the ice had mostly melted away.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 20/01/2026

Live sketching an aerial lyra hoop performer as she practiced a routine #urbansketching #watercolor #art

Image composed of many watercolor sketches of a figure in various poses using a aerial lyra hoop. Expressive strokes fill the background and lightly surround the figure while sharp fountain pen lines describe the features.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 13/01/2026

#urbansketching in 3 colors of gouache (ultramarine, burnt sienna, and white) on casein-toned paper. Little scenes from a meetup of other sketchers inside a building. #art #sketches

Multiple scenes on one page:
Top left is a simple silhouette of a man sitting at a table with lights overhead.

Top right is a block-in of a potted plant. The white gouache background describes the shape while the ultramarine gives it contrast from the background tone.

Middle is a man in a baseball cap sketching. It is done in very simple brush strokes, but highly readable in its simplicity.

Bottom is a more detailed portrait of a curly-haired young man sketching in his own pad.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 13/01/2026

Figure studies in watercolor and ink, 55 mins each #figuredrawing #sketch #watercolor

First study: A curly-haired young girl with glasses sits on a bench with her hands behind her back. She's wearing a yellow sweater with prominent vertical stitching. Her long skirt is a pastel tartan. Black boots cover long teal socks. She's depicted with loose watercolor strokes all around that become more precise towards the head where there is a soft gradation of hair and skin. Fountain pen lines give detail and likeness to the face.

Second study: The young girl is with a tall male companion on a bench with arm rests. She leans into him. He's wearing a beanie cap and a green sweater. His cheek touches her hair, but they look in different directions.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 30/12/2025

Oh thank you! I tend to force myself in that direction by only carrying so many colors.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 29/12/2025

Stopped for a bit of #urbansketching a couple weeks ago while I was in the area. This is a cool building I might end up painting some day. Alcohol inks and fountain pen on painting pad sheet

Photo shows holding the small piece of canvas-like painting pad sheet where a limited selection of colors were used to render the building and light. The large Greek Orthodox church is in the background.

Scan of the sketch on a particle board background

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 10/12/2025

Painted in near-freezing weather with casein for the first time at a Christmas tree farm. I overlooked that my paint set did not include white, so I had to work transparently like watercolor mostly. #pleinair #casein #farm #winter

Painting on watercolor paper using casein paint: an old barn is painted over orange ink strokes giving it a glow effect. A large, barren tree towers just behind the barn. In the foreground are several small Christmas trees growing in their rows.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 22/11/2025

Some of the sketches I did at Cars and Coffee this morning. Got lots of passing admirers and even sold the first one I did (not pictured) #urbansketching #pleinair #automotiveart #watercolor #founatainpens

First photo shows the final sketches of three cars: a Mini Cooper, Dodge Viper, and a Porsche 944

Photo of the Mini sketch with the Mini from another angle as it drove away

Photo of the Porsche sketch with the subject in view behind

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 04/11/2025

#pleinair painting in gouache of beautiful autumn leaves. Testing a new DIY clamp board that eliminates the need for tape, which worked perfectly. #fall #art #enpleinair

First shot painting a bright yellow orange tree hit by the late morning sun with a small building and rocking chair in the foreground.

Second shot, close up and fully lit with a bit more work on the painting. It also shows the custom clamp board - 9 bolts with wing nuts run through an 11-by-14-inch piece of polyurethane-coated plywood and an acrylic frame. The open window in the acrylic sheet and bolts perfectly fit a 9-by-12-inch sheet of watercolor paper and gives an 8-by-10-inch live area for painting.

Third shot, A new painting started inside the same clamp board. This one depicts an octagonal building at the top of a small hill with trees in the background. The overall tone of the pieces is orange with nuanced reds, yellows, and greens.

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 30/10/2025

Plein air oil painting at Beach Access 35 in Edisto, SC #pleinair #oilpainting #art

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Matt Andrews @mattandrews.art · 29/10/2025

Plein air gouache painting alongside White Egrets on the dock of Edisto Watersports & Tackle #pleinair #gouache #art #birds

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