Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Autumn on the Farm watercolor on paper 30 x 23 cm Available This was painted as part of the October "All media challenge" for the Artist Daily Friends group I belong to on Facebook. I was attracted by this photo (kindly provided by Karen Duncan) because it brought me back to my childhood, to the long car rides to view the autumn foliage. It seems sights like this are quickly disappearing to make room for strip malls and housing developments. Thank you as always for taking the time to visit my blog!

    The Colors of Autumn watercolor on Canson paper 9.4"x12.6" I was inspired by the colors of autumn and wanted to translate them into a still life set up. This will become the flavors of autumn, as soon as my pumpkin is transformed into a pie!  I painted entirely from life and tried to beat the quickly changing light, always a fun challenge!  my work in progress and still life set up On another note, I opened up a shop on Etsy this week. I realize many times these ventures end up not going anywhere, so I will keep it all in perspective and not get my hopes up. Thanks you always for your continued support through comments, encouragement and even just taking a quick look! I always appreciate the time you're taking!

Sweet Autumn watercolor on paper 23 X 30cm. It has been a very hot autumn for us but today, finally the crisper air has arrived. Fig leaves, very common locally, turn a beautiful bright yellow. I have noticed they even grow spontaneously in many impervious places. Last year I snapped the photo below for future reference. I love how the tree displays its various stages of life. It is a beautiful time of year to observe nature at its subtlest and most poignant point. I hope you are enjoying a beautiful day! 

  Down the Road 7".5 x 11"/ 18.5 x 28cm. watercolor on paper I painted two separate plein air paintings over the last two weekends. The first was a sketch of a country road. As I was sitting nearby, an old Fiat 500 came out of nowhere and drove into my painting view. I always have my camera at an arm's reach, I managed to get a couple shots of the car driving into the distance. I love the retro feel of the image. I used my plein air sketch as a color guide, combined it with my photo reference and took various things from both. plein air sketch 5"x 7" watercolor on paper   I wanted to keep the energy I feel I have in my sketch by working in one sitting, mostly wet into wet. I have been looking at Joseph Zbukvic's work lately and loved what he says "painting precise locations is irrelevant; simply keep the character." plein air sketch 5" x 7" watercolor on paper My second plein air sketch was painted a...

  Autumn Still life watercolor painted on Strathmore paper 11" X 15"/ 27.9 X 38.1cm. Now that we put our clocks back an hour I am more in autumn mode. That means shorter days, but there is something cozy about fall as well. I welcome slowing down a bit after the busy days of  summer.  I bought the squash and pumpkin for Halloween decor. I love to bake and will use the pulp for pies and other baked goods typical of this period.  This pumpkin is a different variety than the one's we use in the U.S. for Halloween. They sell them by the slice or whole at the market and it has a delicious flavor for anyone who enjoys eating pumpkin.  I spend a lot of time in the kitchen and find fruits and vegetables are always providing me with inspiration. Not only do I take many reference photos at my local market, I like the "kitchen counter feel" to things I bring home. I set up this composition on my kitchen counter with the hope of transforming it into a paintin...

Sycamore Leaf  watercolor painted on Daler Rowney paper 10" x 7"/  25 x 17cm.  Fall is coming slowly but I loved this dead leaf I found lying by the river bank surrounded by moss.   I started this painting plein air and finished working on it at home.I build up the layers over my wet into wet sketch. I used salt in the background  and negative painting in order to try and recreate the effect of the moss.  Work in progress drying in the sun.  I like to work from life as much as possible, the colors are always more vibrant. My photo reference, I love the bright moss color against the earth tones. Thank you for stopping by!