Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Summer Colors watercolor on Fabriano Artistico paper 22 x 30 cm   I couldn't resist purchasing this lavender plate with polka dots to use for my still life paintings. I took  advantage of the bountiful fruit we get now and I have been sketching them as often as I can. My idea is to infuse the colors I have been seeing into my still life painting. The first layers of watercolor experiments in my sketchbook serve as a warm up. Thank you for your visit!

 Clementine Still Life 18cm x 25,5 cm watercolor on paper Available I hope everyone is beginning 2016 well. It is a time of year for renewal and self improvement. I am always hopeful to discover ways of improving and growing as I develop my artwork: more sketching and painting are always on top of my list! My first painting of the year is a clementine still-life. I painted this set up from life. They are presently found in abundance, easy to peel and full of flavor. I have been buying them by the crate load. I find the long leaves elegant and with the right amount of contrast to the bright orange peel.

  Still-life study watercolor on Fabriano paper 28cm. x 12 cm. My daisy lasted a good two weeks, I couldn't resist painting it one more time. I painted this in one sitting, observing the colors' set up from life. I feel I over worked it and lost some of the freshness the previous painting had. A good lesson in patience. Anyone who understands the medium will understand how important it is to wait and let the washes dry, evaluating what the paint does on its own. It is nevertheless fun to experiment, there are always good lessons to be learned. Thank you for stopping by!   My work in progress...

  Fall Harvest watercolor on paper 30.5 × 23 cm  Available The rich vibrant colors of the season inspired me to paint this still life set up. I am unifying the objects by using similar colors, trying to work them together as a whole.

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!

  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...

"Just Peachy" watercolor on paper 9".5 x 9".5 inches / 24 x 24cm. I find the DPW painting challenge a good place to turn to when you feel you are lacking a direction in what to paint. This week, the focus is on composition. There are a lot of excellent points on things to keep in mind which I tried to incorporate. You can check that out by clicking here . It's a delicious time of year as fas as fruit is concerned. I'm always attracted by the colors of fruit and it is difficult to try and present it in a unique way. I worked larger than life in order to play with the washes more. And the best part is eating my still life once it is all over! I've included the full size images of the paintings from Master artists from last weeks hand "quiz". Have a great weekend! I "The Creation of Adam" Michelangelo

"White Roses" watercolor on paper  10" x 7"/ 25 x 18 I have been struggling with flowers. I started a painting last week which wasn't working out and ended throwing it away. There was too much going on and no inspiration. It's also a  nice feeling sometimes to be able to separate oneself from what we are creating and have the courage to start over. Next, I chose this image for its monotone color palette, attempting to simplify things for myself.  I've been noticing that I get more hues when I use less colors in my palette. Funny! I think it's the magic of watercolor. Gratitude goes to the fantastic free image library at Wet Canvas where I found this photo reference to work with. Today we celebrate Father's Day here in Italy. It's celebrated on the Feast of St. Joseph. I wish everyone, especially all the fathers and Joseph's out there a special day!

"Sweet or Sour?" watercolor on paper 9.5 x 6.5 in./ 23.5 x 16cm Not everyone likes onions, maybe because they make us cry? Lemons are sour, if you have some of their juice drip on a cut you won't forget to avoid it next time! There are a few metaphors about onions and lemons. I n the movie Shrek, for instance, it is mentioned that a person can be like an onion because you may find yourself pulling back the layers . Or the famous quote about making lemonade when life gives you lemons. My painting is no longer just a still life anymore or just the thought that the color of certain items look pretty together. It is hard to always find such deep meaning in what we are doing nevertheless sometimes it emerges effortlessly as we work.   As I painted I discovered onions do have many layers, they sprout at a moment's notice and as much as lemons, are indispensable in any kitchen. In a word, sour but sweet!

I have started a new still life painting this weekend  and would like to share my progress. I found some ruby red onions at my local farmer's market and have fallen in love with the color. I thought of colors that would complement the purplish red peel and attempted to build the still life around them. Sunlight is my illumination of choice because I think it complements food well. I am lucky to have a copy shop near my home. I get them to print a full size photo so as to work simultaneously from both life and photo. This is necessary because I don't always manage to complete the project in one sitting. This way I keep a reference on hand of my original lighting situation, while still looking at the real still life. Thank you for taking the time to view my work! work in progress

" A Different Perspective" watercolor on paper 7.5 x 11 in./ 18.5 X 28 cm. my first painting in the challenge, 30 days ago This is my thirtieth painting-taddah!!! I titled my painting "A Different Perspective" because I feel I have a new perspective on life after having completed this challenge. Thirty days ago, I threw myself into this with the hope of sharpening my skills and improving, in some way. I can paint every day but the  challenge for me was to complete a painting everyday. I feel I've gained speed all around and am more confident . I've gainded a better understanding of color choices and know exactly what color will produce the effect I want. I feel I'm gaining in the ability to control the water. Once you get your creative juices going, you just want to keep going! I know this is just a drop in the bucket and I have still a long way to go in gaining skill but I feel I've learned an invaluable lesson. I started out with a c...

"A Cool Pear" watercolor on paper 6 x 4.5 in./ 15 x 11 cm. A pair of pears painted with two different color palettes. At night, using only a limited cool palette consisting of: lemon yellow, alizarin crimson, cyan blue, pthalo green, coeruleum blue and vandyke brown. My daytime pears instead I used only a warm palette consisting of: cadmium yellow, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, burnt umber, permanent green and yellow ochre. I worked the colors using mostly wet into wet technique. It is very difficult for me to limit myself to only six colors. I have a "the more the merrier" approach to color and hope this excercise will, at least, teach me to be more selective and to think more about color properties. Day 28 and 29 can be checked off! "A Warm Pear" watercolor on paper 6 x 4.5 in./ 15 x 11 cm.

"Can It" watercolor on paper 5.5x 7.5 in. / 13.5 x 18.5 cm.    I was drawn by Carrie Waller's beautiful paintings of glass and especially her Ball Mason paintings to attempt to mimic her work. I am in awe of the beautiful darks she achieves in her paintings and the strong contrast with light in her compositions. It's a great practice to try and learn from artist we admire. I also am a huge fan of Ball Mason jars, I take great care of mine and have had them for years.

"Citrus"  15 x 6 in./ 38 x15 cm. watercolor on paper I changed paper size in order to accentuate the composition for this still life. I have much citrus fruit around, it abounds this time of year. My mother-in-law gave me many freshly picked lemons from her neighbor's tree, which I plan to paint in the near future. This is day 25, I really plan to take a little break when this challenge is over.