Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Sweet Renewal watercolor on Arches paper 8" x 8" / 20 x 20 cm  This painting is the second in a four part gift I am preparing. You can see the first one by clicking here . I painted this set up from life completely except for the macaroons, which  I made up.  I am trying to keep the theme in the four paintings light and airy in color.

Crochet and Violets  watercolor on paper  12" x 9"/ 30 x 23cm. I'm so happy to have finally finished this painting. The inspiration came to me from violets that bloomed way back in February.   I started this from life, unfortunately the flowers wilted so I had to work from memory and my sketches. I wanted to make it equally about the crochet doily pattern as the violets themselves. I like the way the sun hits at noon and creates an interesting shadow. I set my alarm at noon and repeatedly worked at that hour even if sometimes it was only ten minutes at a time. Thank you for stopping by, I always enjoying getting your feedback on what I do!  

    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!

Vine Ripe  watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper 9" x 12"/ 23 x 30,5 cm These tomatoes are from my father-in-law’s garden. We had an unusually cold summer which killed many of the plants but the few that survived are now giving him a nice crop. I am always happy to be a recipient of a basket of his fruits, assorted herbs are also welcome, if present. Who doesn't appreciate the “just picked from the vine” flavor?  Naturally I love to capture all that goodness on paper, I cannot resist the juicy red colors. While on the subject of JUICY colors...my blogging friend, Laura Leeder , was one of my choices for last week's "blog hop around the world". I hope you take the time to pay her a visit and see her elegant still-life’s and florals. One look at her incredible ability with color and you will understand why I am such a big fan of her work! I hope you are all well and thank you for the visit!

  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!

"Citrus Garden"  watercolor on paper 38 x 28 cm. I found the inspiration for this painting in Greece, walking by an orange juice bar. Baskets, beautifully filled, a lemon tree planted in a little garden and grapes growing on a vine. It is both an invitation to stop and smell the sweetness of the citrus and walk in and quench your thirst with freshly squeezed juices. The person who thought of this was trying to attract our senses: it worked … the bar was packed with tourists. The background being rather busy, I tried to eliminate as many details as possible to highlight the baskets. I also simplified my palette in the hope of tying the painting together at the cost of digressing from the photo reference. I wish everyone a wonderful weekend, thank you for stopping by!