Watercolors by Celia Blanco

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!

Left side of my painted with the old paint/ Right side painted with fresh professional grade watercolors This week I have been doing a little housekeeping. I replaced the paints in my Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketchers' Box which I use for my sketchbook with fresh replacements. I was feeling frustrated by the colors in my sketches, I couldn't achieve the brightness and values I wanted. I finally decided to clean the palette and start over with a clean slate. The sketch on the left was painted with the old palette, the one on the right with the new. I feel like it gained some luster. Fresh clean colors Presently I need to get back to painting. I have a few projects in development which I hope to share soon! Thanks for the visit!

Red Roses, Pink Roses Too 29,5cm x 21cm/ 11".5' x 8" watercolor on paper AVAILABLE   I was given some lovely roses from a friends' garden some time back. I set out to paint it from life, started a few washes. The flowers quickly wilted, I was forced to set the project aside momentarily. I fortunately had taken some reference photos which came to the rescue: obviously I know myself well.   sketch of a rose A few weeks ago I enjoyed a visit to one of my relatives' beautiful garden. I sat under a plum tree, made many new ant friends and sketched this amazing rose. It sparked my desire to finally finish my painting. I hope everyone is having a nice weekend!  Thanks for the visit!

  The Room  watercolor in my sketchbook The sketch above is of our hotel room in Amsterdam, this past week we took a family vacation there. Our favorite place is The Van Gogh Museum.   A strong recommendation to anyone who visits is to purchase advance e-tickets. They allow you to skip the very long line. The museum has three floors. It is the largest existing collection of his paintings and drawings and includes many  letters written to his brother Theo. It is an incredible insight and understanding into the artist's life. I've never quite experienced a museum like this. To see his paintings up close is amazing. No book will ever get close to reproducing what he has achieved on canvas. No photography is allowed in the museum, I've added this video to hopefully give an idea of the place. I really like how they have made it so interactive to the point that little kids run around interested: it is not your usual boring museum visit. Vincent would be surely...

 Apricots for Sale watercolor on paper 5" x 7" / 12,5 cm x 17,5 cm Rome is a city that wakes up early. My local market is open for business by as early as 6:30am. At that hour, the early morning sunlight warms up colors. When it hit these fresh summer apricots, the colors intensified as if it were a glow. Well, that is what I wish to convey: it is always a challenge to convey impressions on paper. What is your favorite summer fruit? I don't think I can pick just one.  Have a wonderful week! 

Catching a Wave Sketch I watercolor on paper Catching a Wave Sketch II watercolor on paper Catching a Wave Sketch III colored pencil in my sketchbook Sitting by the seaside I can't help but be inspired by the beauty provided by waves and light. I have been trying to capture my impressions as the waves break in front of me. These are done on site only and are intended as observational practice, not as finished works of art. The ocean has my full respect, it is a very challenging subject. Constant change is a hard concept to grasp on paper. I have also been busy filling up some of  my older sketchbooks. The warm weather makes it easy and I carry my supplies whenever possible, even on quick errands. I rely on my homemade sketchbooks the most. I prefer to choose the paper according to my needs, not always for watercolor. My daughter requested one as well! She loves to draw using graphite and colored pencil. She had very specific paper and size r...

I finished the last drawings and paintings from the "Every Day in May Challenge". I haven't been able to upload them here. I apologize for clumping so many together.  I did not complete just a few of them. It has been a wonderful experience which I hope to repeat next year. DAY 23. An interesting detail of a building. DAY 24. Keys Day 25. An apron, or something you wear during messy activities. Day 27. Something furry or fuzzy. Day 28. A yard ornament.  Day 29. A faucet. Day 30. A bird-feeder or bird house. Day 31. Eggs. Day 14. Something I use everyday. Day 15. Something I could throw away. If you braved it to the end, I can't thank you enough for your continued support! Have a wonderful weekend!