Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Peaceful Isolation   17 × 11cm watercolor on FABRIANO ARTISTICO cold press paper available I painted this on location while on the Greek island of Ios. I was mesmerized by the jewel color of the ocean and the beautiful color shifts it created. One of my favorite spots had this dinghy left at anchor, I was immediately attracted by the similarities between the colors of the dinghy and the surrounding water.  This is the first sketch in my sketchbook. The sun dried everything on contact, which took some getting use to.  I discovered that it was better if I filled my palette wells with water and worked smaller. This is the second sketch. The little red dot you see in the water is my husband snorkeling.  He wears a red swim cap to make it easy for me to find him. This is as far as I got on location. I didn't bring my finer brushes. I left the fine details for when I got home. Thank you for your visit!

Watermelon sketch The last days of September mark the end of summer in Rome. The longer days of summer, full of always unbearable heat, allow to do things I normally don't have time for.  I took a moment to flip through my sketchbooks, I would like to share some of my impressions.  A chance to explore new places in my town.  Observing the clouds from my window.   Planted something green and watched it grow. Spent quality time with whom I love. Visited new places.

Tropical 17 × 11cm watercolor on FABRIANO ARTISTICO cold press paper I painted this for the August challenge from my Artist Daily friends on-line group. The photo was kindly provided by Kim Ty (check  out her blog   here ) . It is of a flower from the tropics,  unfortunately I ignore the name. I love the way the flower slowly turns from pink to deep purple. I enjoyed playing with the range of colors of the flower and the unusual shape. Thank you for the visit!

Radicchio Leaf 17 × 11cm watercolor on FABRIANO ARTISTICO cold press paper While making dinner for my family,  I saved one leaf from a head of radicchio to begin the painting from life that evening.  While it was still fresh I took a picture,  I finished it from the photo reference later.  I fell in love with the beautiful designs in the leaf and the contrast of intense purple against white. Something I have been trying to focus on is adding repeated layers to create stronger colors.   detail Thank you for your visit!  

Turkey watercolor on paper 25 cm x 18 on Fabriano Artistico cold press I painted this from a photo kindly provided by Geri Berkenstock, artist and friend. It is a turkey that belongs to his grandson, he was recently awarded a blue ribbon at a local fair. In the reference photo his feathers are something amazing, really beautiful colors! I don't think I managed to recreate their beauty but it was great to practice.   Thank you for the visit!

Summer Colors watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper 22 x 30 cm   I couldn't resist purchasing this lavender plate with polka dots to use for my still life paintings. I took  advantage of the bountiful fruit we get now and I have been sketching them as often as I can. My idea is to infuse the colors I have been seeing into my still life painting. The first layers of watercolor experiments in my sketchbook serve as a warm up. Thank you for your visit!

  Cellist watercolor on Arches cold press paper  26cm x  35cm I have slowly been working on this painting for the past month. It is for my online art group's monthly challenge, the photo was provided by Claudia Stougard, painted with permission. The photo was of a group of string players but I chose to focus on the one cellist and cropped off most of his face to help draw the focus to his hands and the instrument. I then chose to push the blue tones with the background and clothing colors so it would help to draw the attention on the warm tones of the instrument. my work as it progressed