Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Blue Water 18 x 12.5 watercolor on paper This is the last plein air painting I did while in Greece. I really hope to go back soon! It is nice to look back to the color of the water, it brings good feelings.

Nightfall Blooms watercolor study on paper 26 x 18 cm. The inspiration for this flower is drawn from a beautiful  John Livzey photograph (painted with permission). It is for the monthly challenge for my online art group. The gorgeous photographic image was a delight to work from. I did many washes of blue to get the nocturnal feeling and to keep the middle area light I sprayed out the color with a spray bottle. To regain some of the whites I went over the petals with white watercolor pencil.  Thank you for stopping by! I hope every one has a wonderful week!

Pears In a Bowl watercolor on Hot Press paper 22cm x14cm / 8"5' x 5"5'  I painted this still-life set up from life. I was attracted by the shapes, it is always great to paint such bright yellow colors.   I am working on not covering all of the paper with watercolor, hopefully allowing certain areas to breathe. It is always a challenge to put the brush down. I wish everyone a wonderful week, I hope all of you are enjoying the end of Summer!

  Glossy Leopard watercolor on "Fabriano Artistico" paper 5"x7" / 12 x 18 cm My oldest daughter, Sabrina, turned 17 this weekend. She had asked me to paint something for her room a while back. I thought her birthday would be a great time to make good on my promise. Blue has always been her favorite color even when she was a little girl. She also loves leopard print and make-up is her creative side. I combined all these things into a painting for her and surprised her on her birthday. She recognized the items I used. It's hard to please a 16 year old... a 17 year old maybe is worse!

"Flying Colors" 28.5 x 20cm / 11" x  8"in.  I love the color of this blue jay's feathers and its stance, so graceful ... the various blues were hard to imitate. I am working on leaving more white areas in my painting and loosening up a bit. Thank you to Mim White for allowing me to use her photo! When I saw her photograph, I immediately imagined it as a watercolor painting.

"Princess Dandelion" watercolor on paper 10".5 x 14".5 in./ 27 x 36 cm. The Dandelion Vase © Jennifer L. Holte This vase may be quite tiny, but its importance is monumental and grand! For the love that went into each picked 'flower,' was carefully chosen by your child's small hand. How important these pesky 'flowers' become' and how great they will make your day, when your child comes running across your lawn' 'I picked these just for you,' they'll say! No other flower can show your child's love, than that of the dandelion in bloom! For sometimes in the thicket of weeds, God's love is revealed to you! So each time you use this vase, remember how great the reason! For nothing can compare to the love of a child, when the dandelions are in season! Source: The Dandelion Vase, Children Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-dandelion-vase#ixzz2St

"Here Comes the Sun" watercolor on paper 11" x 15" / 28 x 38 cm. I took the photo in December, the sun just couldn't manage to stick around for long. It must have been around 3pm, the sun was already setting. I was hiking in the Monti Simbruini mountain range, in central Italy even though it looks like it could be anywhere in the world.  These mountains are a beautiful protected area and great place to enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature, healthy air and sun. I wish everyone a great weekend and many thanks for the attention!

"Brushes" 11.5 x 4 in./ 29 x 10 cm. watercolor on paper I am enjoying painting daily but find it difficult to keep up with the snappy titles. I usually give it a lot of thought but can't think of anything else except "brushes". It's also difficult to paint a painting in natural light with a quickly setting sun. At one point I was in the dark but couldn't turn on the light so as not to change the shadows too much. Maybe I should rename this painting " Twilight Brushes"?  A little more expressive. I never managed to catch up with the challenge, this is day 23 and I'm still a day behind. I will do 30 paintings nonetheless but I don't think I will manage to do them in the time allocated. Have a great weekend, everyone!

"Feelin' Blue" 6 x 7 in/ 15 x18 cm. watercolor on paper I'm feelin' blue, blue, blue...this is day 22! See the other artists who are participating in Leslie Saeta's painting challenge by clicking here

"Blue Watering Can"  8x6in./20x15cm watercolor on paper This watering can is a favorite item of mine. I painted it already last spring (shown below, have I improved since then? ) and was happy to do a solo portrait this time. I seem to always get behind on the weekend.  I should be on day 21 today and this is yesterday's work finished only today. I feel a little slow but decided to take my time nonetheless, enjoying the process. This is my twentieth painting, painted from life for the 30 paintings in 30 days Leslie Saeta challenge. "Watering Can" 8x11 watercolor, painted last April 2012