Watercolors by Celia Blanco

"Plants on the Rocks" watercolor on paper 10" x 7 " More often than not, you can find me in the proximity of rivers and other bodies of water, if you haven't noti ced already. Thanks to my kayak loving husband, this is where I spend many afternoons. Coming from the city, I crave solitude and being able to get lost in a watercolor with just the sounds of birds chirping and a running brook...well, Italians call this a river. This is the Aniene River, as it flows through the medievel town of Subiaco. It is about an hour's drive from Rome and a delightful place to paint.  I'm trying to focus more on a single subject when plein air painting and less on detail, hopefully I'll improve with practice. Being surrounded by green is somewhat overwhelming, and the fly fisherman, naturally, came after I had gotten my drawing down: if I would have known, I would have changed my composition to include him for sure! My sketch with its model fly fisherm

"Watering Can" 11".5 x8 in. watercolor on acid free paper   I've been spring cleaning this week and would like to donate the community a painting. I have been reaping the benefits offered by technology and by the outstanding people I have discovered through it, I should have already given back long ago  ... For those who are interested, you should indicate it in the comment section. The deadline is May 31st. I will then proceed to have a drawing, the winner will then indicate the mailing address (I offer the mailing fees). I would prefer for it to go to a loving home where it will be appreciated. I put a lot of love into my paintings and would not want that feeling to get lost! Thank you for visiting my blog!

"Princess Dandelion" watercolor on paper 10".5 x 14".5 in./ 27 x 36 cm. The Dandelion Vase © Jennifer L. Holte This vase may be quite tiny, but its importance is monumental and grand! For the love that went into each picked 'flower,' was carefully chosen by your child's small hand. How important these pesky 'flowers' become' and how great they will make your day, when your child comes running across your lawn' 'I picked these just for you,' they'll say! No other flower can show your child's love, than that of the dandelion in bloom! For sometimes in the thicket of weeds, God's love is revealed to you! So each time you use this vase, remember how great the reason! For nothing can compare to the love of a child, when the dandelions are in season! Source: The Dandelion Vase, Children Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/the-dandelion-vase#ixzz2St

"Pushed by the Wind" watecolor on paper 8" x 12"/ 20 x 30 cm I was back painting plein air at my favorite beach spot this weekend. I tried to narrow down the focus on the enormous clouds and the water. The kitesurfers were out trying to catch the waves, driven by the wind. It's a very daring sport. I threw the surfer in at the last moment while he stood still for a moment.There are a lot of varying colors in this landscape. It always makes me think back to my painting teacher's lessons. When painting landscapes,  avoid the sky is blue, grass is green approach. Painting what we think we know but not what is actually in front of us. I saw every part of the landscape was the color it was not "supposed" to be. The ocean, for instance, had an array of colors. In the distance there were turquoise and blues. As it came nearer it changed to purples and the browns-reflecting the sand below. The sky seemed yellow and violet, the sand green. I tried to fi

I have taken up a 30 day marketing challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta . She is a marketer turned artist, offering daily ideas on marketing artwork. She has some great suggestions, one is to  create a collage that features your paintings. I used PikMonkey for mine or you can also use iPiccy. These are some of my favorite paintings, I think they do show an array of subject matter. I don't like to stick to just still life’s or portraits but am interested in light and color, showing the joy intrinsic of simple moments and objects. I'm not after ground breaking ideas, I just love the process of painting and illustrating the world around me. I am representational but do not strive for photo realism. I admire people who achieve it but would never have the patience for it.  Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!

Beach day plein air sketch I was able to do a plein air painting at our local beach recently. These works are in order to help me improve and increment my landscape painting skills. I wanted to catch the mood of the morning which was somewhat overcast and despite the ominious weather there were a  few people out on the water enjoying the sea. What I find the most challenging about landscape painting is trying to pick out what is important and dealing with the landscape constantly changing. With a medium like watercolor it can be daunting because you need to plan things in advance. I like the way this approach pushes me to be quicker and to prioritize in order to have the important bits down as I observe what is in front of me before it changes. when I was getting ready to leave, the beach was filling up in spite of the bad weather I dropped my pallette in the sand :(

"Purple Tulips" 10".5 x 14"/ 27 x 36 cm I began this painting back in March and was hoping to have it finished by Easter ... well I'm a little late. I worked on it and in trying to imitate the purples in the photo it was just coming out terrible! I am even too embarassed to show you what level of horrible I achieved. I didn't want to give up so I wiped it out and started over. I'm happy with it enough now, I've discovered how difficult it is to work with the color purple. There's a lesson in every painting! Gratitude goes to Deb Brookshier Photography for allowing me to use her image: fresh tulips would have never lasted this long. Have a great weekend everyone and thank you for visiting my blog!