Watercolors by Celia Blanco

  Cellist watercolor on Arches cold press paper  26cm x  35cm I have slowly been working on this painting for the past month. It is for my online art group's monthly challenge, the photo was provided by Claudia Stougard, painted with permission. The photo was of a group of string players but I chose to focus on the one cellist and cropped off most of his face to help draw the focus to his hands and the instrument. I then chose to push the blue tones with the background and clothing colors so it would help to draw the attention on the warm tones of the instrument. my work as it progressed

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.

      Moka Express   17 × 11cm watercolor on paper available   My Italian moka coffee maker has been a nice challenge to work with.  I felt the need to paint something from life, I have been working too much from photographs lately. It has also been a great exercise to improve perspective skills, something else I am also striving for.   I first tried a value study in my sketchbook my work in progress, almost finished.  

Shades of Lavender watercolor on paper 24 x 32 cm I am working from the same lavender photo of my last post. This time I stepped back in order to add more lavender in my composition. I took a different approach to my painting process and tried to draw less before, going right into the painting. I also kept my palette to a minimum of colors. I like to let my imagination wander a bit, not adhering strictly to the photo. Thank you for visiting!

Bumblebee watercolor on Fabriano Artistico cold press 18 x 12.5 cm This is a larger than life bee painted from a photograph I took last summer. They visit my lavender pots regularly. It has become unusual to see this type of bee because it is, sadly, in decline. I mixed the black body using Viridian Green, Alizarin Crimson Red and French Ultramarine Blue. I  prefer to not use black from a tube. I like this method because it enables the creation of more interesting shifts of color.  (my work in progress)

Untamed watercolor on paper 24 x 32 cm I am increasingly enthusiastic of painting animals. It is the first time I tackle painting a fox. Depicting the fur texture was absolutely a challenge. Thank you for the visit!

Farmer's Market watercolor on cold press paper 24 x 32 cm This painting is based on a photo I took at my local farmer’s market. In the heat of the summer, it is vital to get there early. They luckily are up and running as early as 6am. I wanted to recapture the feeling of that early hour, when the sun helps to bring even more beauty to the already color-filled market. work in progress