Watercolors by Celia Blanco

10.5 X 14.8 watercolor I take my decorations down after the Epiphany so I wanted to paint a Christmas ornament before I put it all away on Monday. I'm trying to keep my compositions simple in order to finish one painting a day. This is the second, twenty-eight to go! See what the other 250 artists who are  participating in daily painting challenge by clicking here!

I have commited myself to a 30 day painting challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta. It begins today and I plan on painting small works from life in watercolor. I have decided to join the challenge in order to push myself to paint on a daily basis and to improve through painting from life. Happy New Year to everyone!

"Urban Christmas" 11.5x15.5 watercolor on paper " The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!" -- Charles N. Barnard I never leave the house without my camera, you never know when a moment of inspiration will manifest itself. This funny store front caught my eye back in November. I guess it's a new trend, we are finding all the colors of the rainbow in the artificial Christmas tree  market. This store offered only purple and lavender but I've seen red, gold and silver. It would be fun to get one in evey color! Well, for now I'll keep to my traditional tree. I am planning to set my paintbrushes aside for a couple of weeks to better enjoy the holidays. One of the gems of the Season is the opportunity to thank my followers for the kind support they always show me. It is the greatest and most appreciated gift.  I wish you a beautiful and most serene Holiday Season!

"Three Scoops" ”Through art we can change the world.”   I mailed my postcard contribution this week to Los Angeles, California to take part in the Twitter Art Exhibit. The sales of the donated postcards($35 each) will benefit Art Division a nonprofit program for undeserved youth(ages 18-25) showing commitment and passion for the visual arts. An opening reception will be held from 7-10PM on Saturday, January 12, 2013 at E.U. Gallery.    Twitter Art Exhibit: Los Angeles is the third installment of an open international exhibition of handmade postcard art donated by hundreds of artists from around the globe.

" Little Beach Shack" (11.5x7.5 watercolor on paper) I love the beach but have never painted a beach scene. It is my first and it’s a great time of year to be thinking back on summer days. Ugh! Winter hasn’t even started. I drew the preliminary drawing on site back on a beautiful October morning then put it aside for a while. I finally got around to finishing it this week. It was funny, my kids asked me where this nice place was. It is only the shack we see as we enter the beach, we must have gone by it a hundred times! I mulled over this landscape the whole summer. I love the play of the sun on the weathered wood and sand. It turns it into various shades of gold making the shadows look so rich against it. The blue boat thrown on the side ready to be taken out, the flora in front. Whoever lives here must really enjoy this. A true beach lover, with bleached hair and tanned leathery skin, ready to set sail at a moment’s notice. Someone like me, having to lug everyt

"Homegrown" 11x15watercolor “Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ~Marcel Proust  To all those celebrating Thanksgiving today, may you be blessed with the quality of gratefulness today and forever. Happy Thanksgiving Day!

"Morning Market" 13x10.5 Watercolor on paper This painting is based on the farmer’s market in my neighbourhood. I love this place especially for its vitality. If you are depressed on any given day, walk through this small stretch set aside only in the morning and you quickly forget your troubles (besides never walking out empty handed!). It is a feast for the senses with all the local produce that abounds. In the early morning, the warm glow of the Roman sun hits the stalls and slowly illuminates the day’s offerings. I strive to capture this feeling in my work. The painting challenged me primarily because of the strong contrast of light and the sharp perspective. I tried to harmonize the work as much as I could through color, trying not to make it appear too busy because of all the various mounds of fruits and vegetables. I also had difficulty with my reference photo because so much of it is in shadow. For larger areas, I normally use masking