Andrea Realpe Fine Art

“ Blue-Throated Macaw” 9″x12″ Watercolor Painting by Andrea Realpe   The Blue-throated Macaws are Critically Endangered according to BirdLife. Popolation size is about 400 in the wild. Threats to these beautiful birds include illegal pet trade and loss of habitat. They are considered the rarest species of macaw in the world. They are located in Bolivia and Trinidad. Macaws are often called barba azul in Spanish, meaning “blue beard,” because of the vibrant blue covering their throats. Thankfully there are conservation organizations such as Association Armoniato to preserve the habitat in Bolivia which not only protects the blue-throated macaw, but also neighboring species like jaguars, pumas and maned wolves. This painting is a tribute to the blue-throated macaw. I will be submitting the original painting of the blue-throated macaw to the Sketch For Survival fundraiser art competition set up by  @explorersagainstextinction Explorers Against Extinction is a wildlife conservatio...

'PEEKABOO ', 12 x 16, OIL ON CANVAS  It's Mother's day today. I have a spirited boy that is 28 months. It has been an incredible journey with many ups and downs. The artwork above was inspired from a photograph taken in front of our place in Arlington, MA almost a year ago. My boy is playfully hiding behind a birch tree holding a stone. He is also holding himself up because he is wearing a cast that runs from his upper thigh all the way to his toes.  He fractured his tibia bone at a wooden playground. The moment in the photo made me realize how resilient children are. They could adapt very quickly with obstacles. Although he was fine, I was managing feelings of guilt from the accident and worry about his development. Despite having a full cast on his left leg, he still played like any other joyful boy. Fast forward to today, he runs, jumps, kicks, and rolls. I am proud to be his mama.  Below are the progress pictures of the painting above. I started formin...

When Autumn Falls, Acrylic on Stretched Canvas Happy first day of autumn! Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

I received a special commission from a dear friend that I could not turn down. My friend asked that I paint a portrait for her partner in memory of his grandfather. My art career began with portrait pencil drawings of families, children, and individual people but it has been a long time since I accepted a portraiture commission so I was hesitant at first. Plus trying to capture someone’s face with paint is always a challenge. However, taking on this project has made me grow as a painter and has made me fall in love with painting the human face all over again.  Working on this painting made me develop a technique  that I have never used before. In the past, I would always start with the eyes and work my way outwards when it came to a portrait painting. This technique took a vast amount of time. For this painting I found a quicker way to paint the human face. I blocked in the larger shapes and then proceeded to paint the smaller details at the end. I saw the face a...

Autumn Wind, Acrylic Amazing news! I was asked to exhibit my artwork at SPACES Newbury Street in Boston on October 6 from 5-8 PM! Come see my new painting, Autumn Wind and other original paintings. They will be up for sale. I will be there all evening! Stop by and say hi! :)

                           I received a request to paint a colorful expressionistic painting of Rocky vs Apollo by Leroy Neiman. The painting is shown at the end of the film, Rocky III when Rocky and Apollo have a friendly boxing match and the fighters freeze into the colorful Leroy Neiman painting.  The style of painting is something that I have not tried before so I was ready for the challenge! As soon as I was commissioned to make this painting, I pictured the technique that I would use to paint this image. Since this painting has a lot of motion I thought a pallet knife would certainly capture it. I started by mixing the most prominent colors in the painting. The painting is full of various shades of red. I mixed cadmium red with phthalo green to get a darker shade of red. I mixed cadmium red with cadmium yellow and so on.. Colors upon colors were certainly needed. The color mixing took about ...

Commissioned paintings are challenging. Not necessarily challenging in a negative way but rather in a positive way. The opportunity to create custom artwork for clients allows you to step out of your comfort zone. You end up painting new subjects, new styles, new color combinations, and the list goes on. The best part about it is that you get to work with wonderful people and involve them in your creative process. It's a wonderful journey to be able to have someone give you their vision and you get to make that vision a reality. I have created many works of art for clients over the years, but I have to say this commissioned project is one of my favorites. My client asked me to create five 4 x 4 inch watercolor paintings of Frida Kahlo, Oprah Winfrey, Abraham Lincoln, Michael Jordan, and J.K. Rowling with quotes. My client’s vision was for me to create the portraits of each in a loose style. I am use to creating fine detail so this was an exciting challenge. Another cha...