Watercolors by Celia Blanco

 Morning Stream II watercolor sketch on paper 18 x 26 cm I recently went plein air painting. I painted this same scene last year, about the same time of year and hour ( you can view it here ). I am hoping to catch the feeling I see of the early morning light coming from behind the trees and onto the water. It is very suggestive, hopefully one day I will manage. I apologize for my absence from this blog. I have missed visiting your blogs and hope to be around to catch up soon!

  Riverside Grasses sketchbook page watercolor, colored pencil, white pen My husband and I had a fun outing recently. I guess it might seem normal to most but we have spent the last few months somewhat boxed in. We were therefore very happy for the opportunity to be outdoors. He brought his kayak and I brought my sketching supplies. The best part was waking up at the crack of dawn and watching the sun rise.   I  sketched the grasses growing by the river. The light changes very quickly. I lost my whites because the paper wouldn't dry, making it impossible to pick up the color. The paint has difficulty drying near the river because of the humidity, even if the sun is present. I went back into the painting back home with colored pencils and white pen to gain back the feeling of the light hitting the grass. who wants to dive in?!  Thanks for the visit!

   Morning  Stream 21cm x 29,5 cm watercolor on paper  My husband found a perfect spot for kayaking. Last week I accompanied him, I enjoyed bringing my paints along. I tried to capture the light streaming in from behind. I also wanted to focus on the rocks.  I worked on it some more at home but tried to get down as much information as I could while there. The light moves quicker than I can paint. Great for pushing me to keep my brushwork loose.   My work in progress, my subject and a little visitor wanted to come home with me. All in all a fun day!  Thanks for stopping by.

Plein air sketch of kayaker Sometimes I'm not sure whether or not to show certain works on my blog. They are not intended as definte works but as studies through which I try to progress and improve. I started this blog with this purpose in mind. plein air value sketch I did two plein air studies by the river this week. The first being a value study because I wanted to try and elimanate all the colors and see if I can work on getting a nice midtone in my paintings. The second sketch, has the same vantage point, with color. I wish I hadn't included the kayaker, I need to simplify when I'm out there. I feel there are a thousand things I should include: the beautiful light, the glistening colors on the water, the dreamy foliage...it all only leads to mental overload. Something to keep in mind. Another note, I have a nice tip that was passed on from reading  Julie Ford Oliver 's blog. I have word verification in my comments installed. I know how time consumi

"Plants on the Rocks" watercolor on paper 10" x 7 " More often than not, you can find me in the proximity of rivers and other bodies of water, if you haven't noti ced already. Thanks to my kayak loving husband, this is where I spend many afternoons. Coming from the city, I crave solitude and being able to get lost in a watercolor with just the sounds of birds chirping and a running brook...well, Italians call this a river. This is the Aniene River, as it flows through the medievel town of Subiaco. It is about an hour's drive from Rome and a delightful place to paint.  I'm trying to focus more on a single subject when plein air painting and less on detail, hopefully I'll improve with practice. Being surrounded by green is somewhat overwhelming, and the fly fisherman, naturally, came after I had gotten my drawing down: if I would have known, I would have changed my composition to include him for sure! My sketch with its model fly fisherm