Watercolors by Celia Blanco

 View of Rome from the Pincian Hill watercolor on paper 23 x 30.5 My friend, Michelle Endersby,  asked if I would enjoy doing a sketch of a rose in Rome for her monthly newsletter. Michelle's work has the most beautiful art inspired by roses and nature (click here to view her work). She shares her knowledge about roses, rose gardens, most importantly her current artworks. She has an amazing collection of roses from her personal garden, homeland of Australia and travels. (you can view them on her  Instagram page)   Rome has many beautiful gardens. My thoughts went back to a rose I remembered seeing in the Pincian Gardens. I always hoped to have the opportunity to go back to paint this image. I was lucky enough when I made it back up there to find roses to sketch, it happened to be just as the sun was setting.  The light became golden, sharpening the colors of the already beautiful subject for me. my sketch done on site --------------------...

The Palace of Justice at Piazza Cavour  sketchbook page, Fabriano Artistico rough Summer is here with more options to sketch outdoors. A recent errand gave me the opportunity to sit on a bench in Piazza Cavour for what ended up being a good while. Thankfully I found myself ready because I had not forgotten my sketching gear. Piazza Cavour is where the Palace of Justice is located. It is also a great place to sit and enjoy the shade provided by the many palm trees. There are water fountains available, an added bonus when I needed to clean my brushes. I thought it would be interesting to sketch a section of the Palace, it is very ornate...so many details!   view of the Piazza If you would like to visit this landmark virtually click here   and see the live webcam.

 I have been practicing in my sketchbook and wanted to share some of my favorite pages. It's a place where I can play, experiment and, hopefully, improve.  I recently had the pleasure of a visit from a friend, who is an incredible sketcher and watercolor artist, Joan Tavolott .It has been a dream of mine to be able to sketch along with her! We had the most fun sketching on the Spanish Steps, not even the rain stopped her! I started my sketch on location , then added the paint at home. It is intimidating working in the confusion of the Spanish Steps. I had a difficult time taking in all the information. with Joan  My sketch on the Spanish Steps Joan Tavolott sketching in the rain, determination at its finest!  This experience has inspired me to get out more. I am lucky to live in a vibrant city: yesterday I brought my sketching supplies along while I ran errands. My favorite moment was sketching at the market. I feel like it was a br...

Shady Business watercolor on Fabriano paper 23 x 30.5cm / 9" x 12" Available  The inspiration for this painting came from a photograph I took last summer as I waited for a bus. A striking character came along with a stack of colorful cowboy style hats for sale. He plopped them on the ground in front of him, naturally yelling out "Due euro" ( two euros) every few seconds. I couldn't help but watch him as he provided a little comical relief from my endless waiting. I discreetly snapped a photo as he looked the other way, he seemed rather impatient to sell his hats and did not stop looking around nervously. I love the long shadows the sun makes at that early hour, I wished to portray the sense of chaos of the busy street corner. ********* I was very happy to hear your sketchbook stories! In case any one is interested, I would like to share the link I found helpful in making my Coptic sketchbook . I find her instructions very clear and I sub...

plein air sketch from Pineta Sacchetti Park I have had one of those weeks where you have a million things to do all at once and you don't know quite where to start. Fortunately an appointment brought me next to this park which happens to  look over St. Peter's Cupola and allowed me to have some painting time while I waited. Pineta Sacchetti Park is an integral part of the Regional Park of Pineto , a protected natural area of about 240 hectares , located between the districts of Aurelio in Rome , Primavalle and Triumphal Way . I packed my Cotman pocket box and some paper and managed to get some sketching in while I waited. What I find impressive is how large the cupola appears live even if it is far in the distance. I felt I might have made a  mistake in my sketch but it really is that massive.  I had to be back in the same location again later in the week  for yet another appointment and did some drawing in my sketchbook while waiting. This time ...