Watercolors by Celia Blanco

Radicchio Leaf 17 × 11cm watercolor on FABRIANO ARTISTICO cold press paper While making dinner for my family,  I saved one leaf from a head of radicchio to begin the painting from life that evening.  While it was still fresh I took a picture,  I finished it from the photo reference later.  I fell in love with the beautiful designs in the leaf and the contrast of intense purple against white. Something I have been trying to focus on is adding repeated layers to create stronger colors.   detail Thank you for your visit!  

Turkey watercolor on paper 25 cm x 18 on Fabriano Artistico cold press I painted this from a photo kindly provided by Geri Berkenstock, artist and friend. It is a turkey that belongs to his grandson, he was recently awarded a blue ribbon at a local fair. In the reference photo his feathers are something amazing, really beautiful colors! I don't think I managed to recreate their beauty but it was great to practice.   Thank you for the visit!

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!

  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!