Colleen Sanchez Art Works

ORIGINAL MINIATURE ROSE FLOWER PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2012-02-12T08:00:00.004-10:00

BLOOMING

ORIGINAL MINIATURE ROSE FLOWER PAINTING IN WATERCOLOR
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

6 x 6

AVAILABLE
VISIT MY MINI PAINTINGS PAGE

EMAIL ME WITH QUESTIONS

Today's miniature watercolor painting is of a sweet rose in the process of blooming. I love the way her center glows with an inner light. I used a few different yellows with a touch of red to get the luminous light. I thought the several leaves offered a supportive backdrop for this gentle rose. Lately the miniatures I've been painting in watercolor are rich enough that they can be framed under glass or plexi but without mats to more resemble the look of oil or acrylic. I'm currently hard at work on some miniature oil paintings, so come back and visit soon.

ORIGINAL MINI WATERCOLOR TROPICAL FLOWER PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ - BABY PLUMERIA

2012-02-06T06:00:00.006-10:00

BABY PLUMERIA

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

6 X 6

AVAILABLE
SEE MY MINI PAINTINGS TAB AT TOP OF PAGE

This small painting is done in watercolor, but with the richness of acrylic or oil. I just seem to really love the richness and living in the tropics, that deepness in hue is strong in the environment. I think it may be soon time to get my oils out to play. First though I need to work on some of the half sheet and full sheet watercolor ideas I have roaming my mind. I used to struggle with ideas sometimes but once I started doing photography and painting often I know I'll never run out of ideas. I just hope I'm around long enough to get some of them on paper or canvas.

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PEONY FLOWER PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2012-01-29T06:00:00.002-10:00

RED PEONY

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

6 X 6

WILL FIT IN A STANDARD 6 X 6 FRAME OR CAN BE MATTED INTO A LARGER FRAME

AVAILABLE

VISIT MINI PAINTINGS TAB AT TOP OF PAGE

I was really having a lot of fun with this little mini - the colors ended up so rich, almost looks like an oil painting but it really is watercolor. The peony is such a wonderful flower to paint. I may even try this one in oil one day. Have a wonderful Sunday!

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING - MANDARIN - BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2012-01-22T06:00:00.010-10:00

MANDARIN

ORIGINAL MINIATURE FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

8 X 8

SOLD

What attracted me to this flower was the richness of the colors in the sunlight and I just fell in love with the bunch of leaves just behind the hibiscus blossom. I also liked how the edges of the petals curved over. The interesting thing about the Hibiscus flower is that most of them only bloom for one day. Healthy plants usually have lots of buds so we are gifted with blossoms often.

Mon Famile an original contemporary flower mini watercolor painting by Colleen Sanchez

2012-01-15T08:08:00.003-10:00

MON FAMILE
ORIGINAL FLOWER MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

5 X 7
FITS STANDARD 8 X 10 MAT/FRAME

SOLD

I fell in love with this Hibiscus bush one day at a local park. The back-lit flowers were so striking, the rich color glow just a knockout. I tried to show that glow through less focus on details and more focus on the vibrancy of the light. Sometimes you just need to put down the brushes, stand back and say, yeah, it's done.

Colleen Sanchez - Sharing My Art Studio Space

2012-01-14T08:00:00.049-10:00

My Studio Space
Colleen Sanchez

Over the last few months I've had some questions from people - clients and other artists about where and how I paint. So today, here is a little window into part of my art studio space where I do my original miniature watercolor paintings.

This photo shows a portion of the table area I use for working on my miniature paintings and my small drawings. I use 140 and sometimes 300 lb paper for the mini watercolors so I don't need to do any stretching or taping down. I also really like the paintings done right to the edge of the paper, nicer for matting and framing.

I usually try to work on a few mini paintings in tandem, which allows me to spend less time waiting for a wet into wet passage to dry on one particular painting before continuing on. If I'm on a roll painting, I like to get to it and paint, not spend my time waiting for the paint passages to dry. My own personal preference is a choice not to use a hair dryer, I like the paintings to dry naturally.

For these small paintings I worked the backgrounds first with a wet into wet application considering the colors and style that would compliment each bloom. I like to have a somewhat abstract background so I can focus on the beauty of the flowers but sometimes still have a suggestion of foliage behind the flowers.

Once the background was dry I worked on the leaves and flower buds with direct painting and dropped in colors. When that is dry I can deepen if need be and glaze in some shadows.

For the blooms themselves, sometimes I glaze the colors on, dry them, glaze on more color but sometimes I do them all in one go, starting with one color and dropping other colors into the wet paint. I may sometimes have some lifting to do while the paint is still damp to suggest a few veins.

Once I'm happy with the light, color, shadows and texture of the blooms, I may dry brush in a few final details and viola - a completed miniature watercolor painting.

I think creating these original mini paintings on a somewhat regular basis allows some experimentation and teaches me a lot of techniques that really pay off when I'm working on my larger pieces. And the best bonus to me - they are a lot of fun to do. However, sometimes I really mess one up, or more and have to get rid of it. My artist friends cringe when I do that, always telling me I should never throw any away, but to me, sometimes they are just so yucky they have to go. You know we can be our own worst critics at times, LOL.

Some time in the future I may do a longer article about working on some of my larger paintings along with some step by step photos. In the meantime thanks so much for tuning in. Happy Hunting to you art lovers and keep on painting to my artist friends.

ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR HIBISCUS FLOWER PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2012-01-09T15:48:00.001-10:00

FIRELIGHT
ORIGINAL MINIATURE CONTEMPORARY FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5 X 7
FITS STANDARD 8 X 10 MAT / FRAME

SOLD
A mini watercolor painting from one of my many photo resources. This one is richly back lit and took a few layers of wet into wet glazing to get the rich colors. And of course the paintings always look so much better than a photo of it can portray.

HELICONIA an Original Graphite Drawing by Colleen Sanchez

2012-01-05T10:31:00.001-10:00

HELICONIA
ORIGINAL DRAWING IN GRAPHITE ON PAPER
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

11.5 X 8.5

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Visit my painting gallery link above

Along with painting I love to do some black and white graphite drawings sometimes. Ever since my high school days I have loved black and white art works. This one catches the light that was hitting this Heliconia plant. Fun.

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-12-06T08:00:00.004-10:00

RASPBERRY CREAM

AN ORIGINAL MINIATURE FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING
by Colleen Sanchez

8x8

AVAILABLE

Early one morning I spotted this tiny, tiny rose not more than one inch across in the garden outside our building. I thought I'd have a little fun with macro photography of it, kind of liked the rose. so decided to paint it in watercolor. Seemed to take a very long time with all the petals and variations of color within each one. I thought it needed a very dark background to set it off. Thanks for taking the time to look.

ORIGINAL MINI WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-11-20T10:06:00.001-10:00

WHITE RAIN
ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
8 X 8
AVAILABLE

One day at a local park I came across several bushes of the gorgeous White Hibiscus. Luckily it had just rained and they looked so wonderful as the sun started to shine again.

ORIGINAL MINIATURE ROSE PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-11-07T09:30:00.003-10:00

PEACHES N CREAM
Original Miniature Floral Watercolor Painting
by Colleen Sanchez
5 x 7
AVAILABLE
I was in the mood for some peaches but none were available so I decided to paint this peach rose instead. It has a wonderful glow to it, but hard to depict in a photograph. This one is done in a standard size so it would be very easy to choose a ready made mat and frame for it. Enjoy the week.

EMAIL LINK

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR HIBISCUS FLOWER PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-11-01T11:23:00.006-10:00

PINK BACK-LIT HIBISCUS
ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR MINIATURE PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
8 X 8
SOLD

Loved painting this back-lit hibiscus flower against the rich background. Sometimes you can really be lucky and come across some fantastic references for painting ideas. I'm sure I've said it before but I don't think I'll get tired of painting Hibiscus flowers. It really is challenging to get them right, not nearly as simple as they may look. Hope you like this one. Have a wonderful week.

ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-25T09:27:00.002-10:00

RUFFLED PLUMERIA
ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5 X 5
AVAILABLE

A miniature watercolor painting is up for auction today. These pretty red and white ruffled Plumeria flowers against the green leaves was a lot of fun to do in miniature. It's actually very challenging to paint in miniature form, just a different way of looking at the subject. Enjoy.

ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING AUCTION PURPLE ORCHID BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-23T10:19:00.003-10:00

PURPLE ORCHID
ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5X5

SOLD

A new original mini watercolor painting up for auction today. A rich purple orchid against a soft rainbow background.

ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING AUCTION 100% PROCEEDS TO THE EVERY MOTHER COUNTS CHALLENGE BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-19T10:53:00.001-10:00

GENTLE ROSE FOR MOMS
ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR ROSE PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
8 X 8

SOLD
100% OF PROCEEDS WILL GO TO THE EVERY MOTHER COUNTS CHALLENGE

Today's mini painting 8 x 8, of a gentle fully blooming rose in a Hawaii Garden is intended to contribute to mother's in less than ideal circumstances. I think sometimes we take for granted how fortunate we are here as mother's in terms of health care and nutritional foods. I hope this will help in a small way to contribute to combating maternal mortality. If you would like more information on this charity event please visit the challenges page at Daily Paintworks Click to Visit Now.

ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING AUCTION WHITE WATERLILY BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-16T11:11:00.002-10:00

WHITE WATERLILY
ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5 X 5
AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE

Today's miniature painting is of a colorful white waterlily. The sun created some wonderful shadow shapes and a delicate rainbow of soft colors on this white waterlily. Painting whites is such an enjoyable experience. I wonder if I'll live long enough to paint all the wonderful sights I fall in love with. I look forward to each attempt and have a great experience, big or small paintings, it doesn't seem to matter. I love doing them.

EMAIL LINK

ORIGINAL MINIATURE PAINTING, BACK-LIT ORCHID BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-13T10:25:00.001-10:00

BACK-LIT ORCHID
ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5X5
Available

Today's original miniature painting is of a very richly textured and back-lit orchid. I saw this bloom at a huge orchid nursery on the big island of Hawaii. I had to try it a couple of times before I was satisfied with the results. The front petal needed lots of darks and texture to work out. I like it so I'm inspired to try some more and maybe even a very large piece on day.

AN ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-09T10:15:00.002-10:00

PEACH TRIO
AN ORIGINAL MINIATURE WATERCOLOR PAINTING
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
5 X 5

SOLD

Here is a fresh floral original watercolor painting in miniature. The flowers seem to be glowing. I'll be doing some miniatures this fall and putting them up for auctions. Stay tuned.

EMAIL LINK

ORIGINAL SMALL WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-04T09:37:00.002-10:00

LUMINESCENT
10 X 15
ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
AVAILABLE

ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING AUCTION BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-10-02T11:31:00.003-10:00

PINK HIBISCUS CLOSE UP
ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING

AVAILABLE

I have selected another miniature original painting to auction. It is done in pastel and watercolor. Happy Sunday!

ORIGINAL MINI PAINTING AUCTION BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-09-25T10:55:00.002-10:00

LACEY LADY
BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ
9.5 X 7.5
ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR FOR AUCTION

SOLD

ORIGINAL MINI WATERCOLOR PAINTING UP FOR AUCTION BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-09-17T09:56:00.001-10:00

SOON

10 X 7

AVAILABLE

See small paintings page.

ORIGINAL CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-09-15T08:57:00.005-10:00

STREAM'S EDGE
an Original Watercolor Painting
from the Landscape Collection
by Colleen Sanchez
14 x 21

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
EMAIL LINK

I was walking along a stream in one of our gorgeous parks one morning and came across this stand of bamboo. I was so attracted to the shapes created by the sunlight and shadows and so compelled to paint the scene afterwards. I didn't include the leafy tops because the stands against the stream were what really attracted my notice in the first place. I also wanted to challenge myself to do the background first without any masking, and what an adventure, direct painting and mixing on the paper and get it all on before it dried. I didn't want any hard edges in the water or the bank. Once the background was very dry I used the same painting method on the stands, branches and leaves, with just a little more for shadows after everything dried. So happy with the results, I'll have to work on more landscape paintings.

ORIGINAL CONTEMPORARY FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-09-08T10:33:00.003-10:00

PINK PEONY
AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING
by Colleen Sanchez

14 x 10

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
EMAIL LINK

I was sidetracked from my usual tropical flowers by this Peony. Peonies and Hydrangeas were my favorite flowers when I lived in Canada. I've been missing them a little so I'll be working on a series of Peonies in my floral collections. I enjoyed creating the rainbow like background effect to support the peony in this watercolor, I'm getting some interesting results in my more recent floral backgrounds. I wish you could all see this painting, looks so much more lovely than I can show on a screen.

I'll also be showing paintings for sale on a group painting site soon - Daily Paintworks - you can see paintings for sale by contacting the artist or some artists are using the auction format. The link is on the sidebar, so check it out when you can.

ORIGINAL CONTEMPORARY TROPICAL FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING BY COLLEEN SANCHEZ

2011-08-28T14:41:00.001-10:00

READY YET?
ORIGINAL FLORAL WATERCOLOR PAINTING
from the Hibiscus Collection
by Colleen Sanchez
7 x 10.5

AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
$150.00 USD
EMAIL LINK

I was doing a watercolor demo for a friend this week - she was curious about my methods - so I ended up completing this painting afterwards. We had such a nice time working together we're going to make it a once a week painting session for a little while. As artists we spend a lot of time alone so this will be a nice change of pace.

I just love greens, blues and yellows together. Greens and yellows are especially challenging to work with but life would be a bore if everything came easy. The colors are much better than I can get on the screen, a little warmer and richer.

Stay posted for more paintings soon. I'm working on pieces for a few of my collections and in the near future I'll be posting some alternative media works too.