Watercolors by Celia Blanco

I received a beautiful bouquet in the mail last week. It came in the form of a book from my artist  friend Michelle Endersby. I love how she has chosen to paint roses in a larger than life circular canvas, giving a modern twist to a classic subject. Each painting is accompanied by an inspiring quote about roses. It is a book I enjoy again and again. Thank you, Michelle, for making me feel better! Awakening Around Roses is the name of Michelle's book and recent exhibition. Please pay her a visit  and read the inspirational story as to why she has chosen to focus on painting roses. She is remarkable as a person and as an artist! I also want to take the opportunity to express heartfelt gratitude for encouraging me during this time. I am happy to be feeling better, hopefully soon I will have some of my artwork to share... maybe even a rose painting inspired by Michelle!

 Pansies with Lemon  watercolor on cold pressed Daler Rowney paper  10" x 10" / 25 x 25 cm.  Available I wished to paint the happy faces of the pansies I planted earlier in the fall. They are hardy plants, lasting through the winter on my balcony. Soon I will have to pull them out and replace them with petunias or begonias, but not for another month. I love the different shades of purple and had fun mixing my own. I hope everyone is having a nice week!

Work in progress Find new color inspirations in a days changing palette , was a phrase which caught my eye in my in box this week. It was an advertisement for an interior design catalog  I subscribe to.   I feel like it summed things up well for me. I love to take snapshots of these moments within my day. Digital photography has made it only easier for me to accumulate a massive collection of reference material. Unfortunately my camera decided to stop working this week, I have it with me at all times. Until I find a replacement, I would like to share with you some of the recent shots I have taken that made me stop and want to fix a moment in time. I may never use these references as paintings but each one reminds me to enjoy the simple moments in my everyday routine. My work in progress is much more finished now than the beginning sketch pictured in the photo. I'm almost done painting the pansies I cut from a potted plant. Thank goodness I took a reference ph...

Geranium Light   watercolor on Cartiera Magnani paper 35 x 49 cm./ 13.5 x 19 inches Available I started this painting back in September and decided to lay it aside soon afterwards. Honestly, I felt daunted by painting in a larger format, which I used to do often before but had finally put aside ( 20 years ago, yikes!). I pulled it out and decided to finally face the music. I love the beautiful light pattern created by the rising sun shining from behind the flower. I was worried whether placing the flower in the middle would work or not, a few thumbnail sketches to work out my ideas first solved the problem. It was challenging to work on the larger size , working on unfamiliar paper added much stress. I bought loose sheets back in September, by Cartiera Magnani, that I used for this project. In the end, it was fun. I just needed to get into a different mind-set. thumbnail sketches always help I hope everyone is enjoying the coming of Spring!

Greek Patio watercolor on Canson paper 6.5 x 9.5 inches / 16.5 x 23.5 cm (If interested, you can purchase this painting through my website ) Let's fast forward to a hot summer day when you seek the welcoming solace of shady areas. Grab a chair and enjoy the view, especially if it looks over the Mediterranean sea.  I seem to be attracted to outdoor patio furniture, I recently included it in a painting not long ago...I really love the idea of a cozy, snug space. I am also attracted by the geometric lines created by the chairs in contrast with the atmospheric landscape in the distance. It goes without saying, I wouldn't mind being in this painting this very moment (when is winter going to be over, anyway???)! I would like to share my daughter's art homework. This is the first time she does a drawing of this nature. I'm biased, I know, but I modestly think she did a fantastic job! Maybe an artist in the making?  Have a happy weekend, thank ...

 watercolor sketch 24 x 26 cm.  Inspiration for this painting came from a picture of a garden vase with a rosemary bush in front. Not much preliminary drawing … this made the bush in front rather difficult for me to paint .  I finally used my new watercolor easel. I wanted to get a feel of working with an easel instead of a table. At first I felt it was out of control, water flowing down, colors bleeding into one another. I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I think I am going to enjoy experimenting with this new approach. I am happy this is finally the last day of February! It has been a tough month to get through in spite of its shortness. Does anyone else agree?

Table for One watercolor on FABRIANO Artistico paper 12,5 x 18cm/ 5" x 7" A quiet meal alone, you and a bottle of local wine. The smell of rosemary bushes and the warm sunshine in your face. Well not today, it is a rainy Monday but the fun of painting allows you to escape! I tried to simplify the scene to leave the focus on the chair and geraniums. I eliminated much of what is going on in the photograph to a few important elements, hopefully I succeeded. I wish everyone a great day, thank you for the visit!