Thursday, February 28, 2019

Farm Sky

3.25x5.75 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper done today, a quick exercise at an imaginary landscape.  No pencil drawing, just brush only.  I put farm buildings on the right with an abstract sky and trees above and on the far left.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Hydrangea Heaven

6x4 alcohol inks on photo paper done yesterday, a mixture of colorful blooms ranging from palest pink to blue to purple.  Hopefully mine will bloom this Spring!
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2019

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

Pink Joy Tulip

4.25x2.75 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done today, a totally imaginary tulip bulb that bloomed in my mind.  Two hues of pinks, Permanent Rose and Wild Fuchsia, were used as was New Gamboge, and a mixed green for the stem.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Monday, February 25, 2019

Sparrows and Pigeons

9x12 acrylic inks on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago for an online challenge. We were given a curved line, a long diagonal line, and two short diagonals and told to invent an artwork using the lines, so this is what I came up with that fit the bill.  No photo references used so it is totally imaginary.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Free Fall flower

3.5x2 alcohol inks on paper done this afternoon using Cloudy Blue and Eggplant colors with Lettuce as the green stem.  In this miniature floral abstract the viewer can see colors moving upwards and separating near its top.  Actual size is posted below.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Actual business card size.


Saturday, February 23, 2019

French Buildings

9.5x7.25 mixed media on Canson Mi-Teintes tan toned pastel paper (woodless charcoal pencil to sketch, Liquitex acrylic gouache, gouache, Micron 05 pen) done today.  This is a detail from a group of buildings; image courtesy Kat on WetCanvas.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Friday, February 22, 2019

Pale Pink Poppy

12x9 watercolor, gouache, and white gel pen on Canson 140 lb cold press watercolor paper finished today. This began as torn paper adhered to wc paper as a textural collage; paper used was toilet seat covers.  It was fun to watch the mystery unfold as paint was applied to both layers.  The delicate fragility of the poppy's petals lent its quality well to the use of this method.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Thursday, February 21, 2019

Barn Bike and Apples

5.5x8.5 mixed media on paper that is today's sketch.  I used watercolor, acrylic and ink to do this imaginary scene; Micron 01 pen first followed by wet media.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith.

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Cosmos Can

15x11 watercolor of an imaginary garden scene featuring one of my watering cans collection; cosmos photos were from my studio flowerbed.  This is a happy wish for a nice Spring to arrive next month.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Tuesday, February 19, 2019

Bursting Poppies

18x24 watercolor and Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax crayons on 140 lb cold press Canson paper finished today, one that has been in incubation several days.  The poppies are signaling it is about time for Spring to begin.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Monday, February 18, 2019

Southwest Still Life

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line done last month for a western online challenge.  In this simple still life, a western hat sits atop a pile of hay in the old barn and a rope keeps them company.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith.

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Petunia Performance

6x4 alcohol inks on glossy photo paper done recently, an imaginary abstract petunia using two colors of blue and flamingo pink, along with Lettuce for its stem.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Saturday, February 16, 2019

Purple Toned Bloom

4x6 alcohol inks on glossy photo paper done recently using only two colors plus Lettuce for the stem on this imaginary abstract floral.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Friday, February 15, 2019

On the Edge of My Seat

6x4 alcohol inks on glossy photo paper done a couple days ago after making a larger work using only dark blue and flamingo pink; that one was very wet so I put the photo paper face down and did a pulled print so to speak. To me it looked like a seated figure with right foot up in the air...upper right is a cat tossing about. Since I just had to put my 18 year old studio kitty to sleep last week my world has been awry.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Valentine Cupcake

8.5x5.5 watercolor for your happy Valentine's Day art.  I created this pink fluffy cupcake in 2017 that has all the right sweet notes and hearts.  Have a nice day!
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith

Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Wyoming Barn

7x9.5 watercolor over graphite sketch done yesterday in my Ecosystem sketchbook (photo courtesy Jo Castillo) for the Southwest/Western monthly challenge on WetCanvas.  Local color was imagined and not factual in this abandoned barn scene.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Bellydancer

6.5x3.25 watercolor painted yesterday on 300 lb cold press Saunders.  I had forgotten to post a daily work so my apologies to the people who watch this blog.  The bellydancer image is courtesy WetCanvas and is featured on this month's Miniature forum challenge.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Three Ballerinas

5.5x8 watercolor over pencil sketch in Strathmore Visual Journal done yesterday then painted today. This is for another weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.  We were limited to a 15 minute sketch and this can be seen below.

COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith


Saturday, February 9, 2019

Roses in Tall Indigo Vase

14x11 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper, sketched with #1 rigger/script liner brush only, then painted wet on wet.  Focusing on shapes this bouquet floral still life is based on a miniature version I did in December.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Friday, February 8, 2019

Hydrangea Bubbles

9.5x9 alcohol inks on white deli or freezer paper as we call it, recently created in anticipation of Spring blooms on my own hydrangea bushes.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Thursday, February 7, 2019

Tribute to Jezebel Object of My Affection

Today's post is dedicated to the memory of my studio cat Jezebel as seen in this 2012 watercolor.  Below is a copy of the original post and this work was published in The Artistic Touch series by Chris Unwin.  Rest in peace Jezebel as you have inspired many artists!

22x15 watercolor of studio cat Jezebel taking her morning sunshine bath in a south window there.  I found her as a stray kitten in 2000 so she is now 12 and still as feisty as ever.  My favorite memory is that she stared down and rushed at a runaway boxer dog several years ago and didn't even have to hiss or spit as he turned and ran.  Here's to your 12th birthday, sweet Jezzie! 

COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith


Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Randy Rooster

9.5x9 alcohol inks on deli white paper done day before yesterday using an older sketch that is one of my favorites of all the chickens.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Rose Riot

4x3 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb hot press paper done today, a miniature abstract painting entirely from my imagination.  The rose is rising strongly against its natural elements to make a statement.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Monday, February 4, 2019

Sun Conure Bird

12x9 watercolor over colored pencil sketch done yesterday as part of a WetCanvas challenge.  Photo courtesy Merriweather.  The bird and Buddha statue is interesting as the parrot-looking fellow tries to explore its surface.  I used Magic colored pencils, multilead, by Koh-i-Noor.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Feisty Flamingo

14x11 watercolor on Yupo synthetic paper sketched with #1 rigger brush on Friday then painted yesterday quickly to let the colors run and meld together.  This bird is from one of my many flamingo photos and has been painted before but not on Yupo.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Saturday, February 2, 2019

Garden Cherry Tomatoes

8.25x5.25 watercolor in my grunge/junk journal sketched today using STA Lictin 0.2 pigment liner pen.  The vintage book from 1950 has had this page gessoed partly and text is visible outside that.  This veggie still life is one of the featured weekend drawing event images on WetCanvas, courtesy Mike B.  Participants have 2 hours to select then paint or draw one of the photos the host selects.  These sweet cherry tomatoes remind us that summer is coming again.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Friday, February 1, 2019

Barnyard Queen

15x22 mixed watermedia:  acrylic, black India ink, and collage over failed red rose watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper.  This work was a demo for the Amarillo Art Institute.  As a vertical red rose painting it just did not work so redoing it was the only option.  Collage elements are torn white doily fragments in several pieces.  You can see a remnant of the rose top center and a rosebud still visible on lower right side margin.  I like the eggs floating about including one still in the hen.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Fluffy Cat with Orange Markings

8x6 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper by Masters Touch, a cat pet portrait done earlier in the week. I only had a black and white photo...