Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of Chocolate Mint Mousse for National Chocolate Mousse Day
Featured Artists

GUEST ARTIST: “Creative Journeys” by Carolina Russo

Written by Charlie O'Shields

Hello everyone! I am Carolina Russo from Southern California. I am very excited and happy to be a Guest Doodlewasher! This blog is fantastic! I admire Charlie’s creativity and his doodlewashes are beautiful and inspiring. I am so proud to be able to say that I am one of the featured on Doodlewash. Thank you Charlie for having me here.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of Shrimp

I was born and raised in Italy, the beautiful country where I have been surrounded by Italian art, creativity, history, Mediterranean traditions and European influences. My father is an artist and I grew up observing and being amazed by his oil paintings. I knew since I was a child that I wanted to be an artist. I enjoyed drawing, coloring and creating things since a very early age.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of pink red rose

In Italy, I studied Art & Design and Jewelry. I am passionate for watercolors, fashion design, illustration, digital art, and photography.  I write Poems , when they come to me like whispers in my mind. Just this month, two of my writings were published on two literary presses. I have been following my heart and path, believing that anything is possible if you truly believe in it and in yourself.

During the past 20 years, I evolved in my passions, experiencing my artistic visions and taught myself other skills and art forms such as digital art and photography. Watercolor painting came to me naturally into my life. I never took a watercolor class. I also enjoy acrylics and mixed media, but my favorite medium when I paint is watercolors. I love the fluidity, transparency and elegance of this beautiful medium. Experimentation with different media and exploring new techniques is something that I always loved to do. I like to explore the horizons of my creativity.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo fashion illustration of female figure

My passion for sketching using watercolors and ink comes with the love for fashion, jewelry design and illustration. During the years of my art school, fashion design wasn’t part of the school program but jewelry design was. I loved sketching very much and I started to sketch fashion by myself every day after school,creating my own style. I was very well informed, having good knowledge of what was happening in the fashion world, trends, styles, innovations, designers etc.

At the end of high school, I became an independent freelance fashion designer, selling my sketches. I have been award-winning, participating in fashion design contests issued on the Italian edition of “Glamour” Magazine. I also had work experiences not related to art but to computer graphics and design. I then began to use my creativity in digital. I got captured by amazing software like Photoshop 15 years ago, loving photo manipulation and turning them into digital art, something that I love to do very much. You can see some of my digital portraits on my website.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of bottle of Amaretto from Italy with glass
Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of Orange Crowned Warbler on a branch

I moved from Italy to United States in 2002 and one year later I became a mom of a wonderful daughter. I have been working successfully for several years as a fashion expert for some great American brands. But all of a sudden my heart called me back to my roots. My “Art” was screaming at me. During some of the years here, I was going through some life events that prevented me from being a creative artist the way I wanted to be, because I had to focus in on other things. I missed drawing, painting and sketching, I felt like a part of me was locked in a box.

I was sad and frustrated because I wanted to use all the talents I had been gifted since I was born. I always wanted to leave a trace of my creativity in this world. Then one day, I went to an art store and I bought what I needed. I took my new watercolor palette and brushes and I started to paint again, after 10 years without touching a brush, and it all came back naturally. I never stopped since then. My art is now my life and my work is what I want to do, I love to create and I am happy to express my creativity in many different ways, sharing it with the world. My blog is my studio, my showroom and means a lot to me. It is the place where I share and sell all my art and limited edition jewelry collections.

I live in Southern California, this is a land of great inspiration combined with my vision and memories of Italy, a fascinating mix of spectacular coastline, ancient towns, islands and inland woods. I love sketching and painting the natural world around me, but I also use my figurative memory of places. I see art everywhere and in everything that surrounds me. Thematically, my artworks range from nature, seascapes, landscapes, still life, faces, abstract and anything that inspires me.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of National Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day

In Italy, I grew up in Naples, a city on the sea (I could see it from my home). I have always been fascinated by the sea and the changing colors of the seasons and weather change. The sea is an element that is intimately linked with my life and identity. I love to walk on the shore looking for treasures that I collect to create my unique jewelry pieces. Some of my paintings and illustrations are inspired from beautiful seascapes. I love the dramatic light of oceans in storms, beautiful beaches and sunsets, ocean waves and rocky outcrops, misty landscapes, as well as flora and fauna.

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo of small house on the water

I like to paint and sketch pretty much everything, but I love the movement and transparency of the water. I mostly base my palette on the beautiful range of the ocean colors, the beach environment or inland woods landscapes. I learned a lot from a great UK artist Ron Ranson reading his books I loved to try his loose watercolor painting technique and I enjoy using the “Hake” brush when I do bigger paintings. His books inspired me in the beginning to keep painting and if you are a creative soul, remember it’s never too late to start. Ron Ranson is an example himself as he started painting in his fifties, becoming a worldwide known artist!

Doodlewash and watercolor sketch by Carolina Russo self-portrait

I love sketchbooks! I always buy one even if I don’t need it at the moment. I don’t know why, but there is just something special and inspiring about sketchbooks. I have many of them in different sizes with different types of paper. I always carry one with me so that I can sketch wherever I am. What you find in my bag is a mixed media sketchbook, a new Hobonichi Techo A6 Planner to sketch on too, Micron Pigma Pens, a Pencil, a fountain Pilot Prera Pen fine nib, a Sennelier Watercolor Travelbox and Pentel Aquash (I love these filled water brushes as they are great on the go you don’t have to carry a water container, actually lately I am using them most of the time for my doodlewashes!)

I hope that reading my story inspired and motivated someone to start or to go back to painting without fears and create some great doodlewashes!

Best wishes for your creative journeys!

Carolina Russo
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Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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56 thoughts on “GUEST ARTIST: “Creative Journeys” by Carolina Russo”

  6. Carolina, your story is inspirational and reminds me to follow my own dreams. I love the delicate nature of your art and that you encourage the watercolor paints to interplay with the paper as well as represent the subject.

    Reply

  7. Carolina, I have been following your blog for a bit now and enjoy your painting very much, especially the transparency of waters and glass. Amazing work! Your jewelry is beautiful and unique too! I don’t know how you went 10 years without creating – it is so much part of one’s soul and I would be so sad if I went so long without being creative in some way or another. Thankfully you are back at it full force, and the fashion sketches fit right in with your hometown of Naples. We visited Italy last year – the most awe-inspiring place I have ever seen! The landscapes of Tuscany, history of Rome, art of Florence, and canals of Venice; it is impossible to pick a favorite. Unfortunately we didn’t get to visit Naples, but I can understand why living close to the coast in Italy would be so fantastic! I also appreciate that you host the meet and greets and make it a little easier for us bloggers to discover each other. Okay, I could say so much more but have rambled on enough! Thanks, Carolina, and thanks, Charlie, for having these terrific doodlewash spotlights 😃

    Reply

    1. Oh wow thank you so much for your beautiful and kind words Carol! I am very happy that we got connected and enjoy each other creativity! I love to know that you visited Italy and that you had good time there! It is a very inspiring place lots to do and see! <3 I am glad to know that you like my jewelry inspired by nature and thanks for mentioning about my weekly blog event Meet and Greet everyone is invited every Friday! I also host The Featured of the month! 😉 <3 And to answer to one more of your questions yes 10 years without full force creativity is too much for a creative soul but I have been creating in other ways that were not paintings and sketching, but mostly digitally during that time when ever I had chance! <3

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  8. Awww today is a wonderful day Charlie! <3 Thank you so much! This is a great honor to be here as your guest featured doodlewasher and being part of your amazing community of artists and lovely friends! I enjoy very much to share my work here and join your adventures, be inspired and able to inspire others! Lots of love and cheers! 😉 <3 Carolina

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  12. Hi Carolina! It’s exciting to see you as a feature on Doodlewash!! I had to smile when you mentioned the Hobononich and the Prera! It was great to read your story. I appreciate your enthusiasm about creativity, and I love that shrimp! I found one of Ron Ranson’s books that I would like to get, it’s on skies. Thanks for mentioning him. I’m grateful that we have had the opportunity to connect over our creative passions.

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    1. Thank you Jessica I knew you would smile about the Hobonichi and Prera lol! I am happy that you enjoyed my story <3 thanks for taking your time reading it! About Ron Ranson's book skies is a great book I have it and I love the way he sees skies 😉 Wish you an happy long weekend! <3 😉

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  13. congratulations! you know I love all your work!! you are a great inspiration and wonderful creative artist Carolina! as, always…. I look forward – to seeing what you have coming Next!! cheers, Debi

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    1. Thank you so much Robert I just found those beautiful comments! Thank you I am honored to be one of your favorite Bloggers and remember that you did a great job too with the interview when you Featured me! Thank you! 😉

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  23. Hello Carolina, thanks for so much comments on my doodlewash guest posting!
    I really like this website full of artists and their art!
    I loved your shrimp, the blue dots around it are gems that surround him!
    And you painted my weakness, I love the amaretto with the cookies!
    Not good for me, but so delicious!!
    Best Wishes Edo

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