New Watercolor Collages

Jailbird

Copyright Kay Smith 2009

Cat Tales and Fish Stories

Yesterday and today was fun day in the studio for me to relax after the holiday hubbub and hoopla. I'd already prepared two 11x14 approx sizes of matboard, one had been brushed with black gesso (cat above) and the other white gesso along with torn tissue toilet paper covers. This cat here I placed cut out plastic shapes into another coat of white gesso over the black gesso, let dry, then applied paint where I saw shapes. Christmas miracle! There appeared a cat and fish!

With Jailbird, I collaged a man's eyes photo detail I'd torn out of a newspaper, then the bottom half of his face appears on the left side. Portions of an article about a suave and shrewd swindler are scattered about including info about the police. Just last week had been reading about Mr. Madoff and how he got caught in his Ponzi scheme. With multicolored pencils I wrote words across such as ruthless, mean, schemer, etc. Also I stamped words and postmarks with black gesso. Using colored pencils, watercolor, Caran D'Ache crayons, I put colors down then removed until a design emerged of birds, then jail bars, almost by magic. Green areas were added to symbolize green grass Mr. Madoff won't be seeing as well as hear birds singing.

Pretty Poinsettias

12x9 inches, watercolor on Canson rough 124 lb, done last weekend. I added a mysterious background with negatively painted leaves, then the 3 colors of poinsettias.

Cold Snap

Copyright 2009 Kay Smith

"Cold Snap" 15x11 watercolor on gessoed matboard, American Journey/Daniel Smith paints. Today, Christmas Eve, we are having a cold snap with wind, snow, and icy conditions. I want to wish all my friends, followers, and fellow painters a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Baby Bath

Copyright 2009 Kay Smith "It's a Small World"

15x22 watercolor painted today of this sweet kitten taking his bath, all roly-poly and fluffy as he should be. This one is SOLD.

Pretty Poppies

Copyright 2009 Kay Smith

12x9 inches watercolor on Canson 124 lb rough paper, Daniel Smith/DaVinci/American Journey paints of a field of mixed poppies done yesterday while in the mountains. Painting is such a great occupier of time preventing me from doing more Christmas shopping!

Summer Squash still life

Copyright 2009 Kay Smith

22x15 watercolor still life elements of a red tin pitcher, fresh zucchini and yellow squash, vase of fresh orange tiger lilies on old red/white floral tablecloth draped over a chair.

Chicken Ranch - watercolor collage

15x22 Arches, chickens are wc collage cut from one failed painting on top of really bad old wooden shacks painting to make a new view. It is meant to be a humorous piece from two 'dogs'. Moral of the story: Never throw away a bad painting. You can always recycle it! This painting will be part of a traveling exhibit to the Hill Country galleries in a few months.

Ellies

14.5 x 10.75 watercolor, acrylic over old collage on gel coated matboard done yesterday. Elephants are outlined in black Sharpie pen. A few touches of colored pencil and Caran D'Ache crayon were added. The abstracted areas in background and foreground are where the gel medium did not cover completely which was my intent. The old collage was a man holding a fishing pole bent over; you can see his plaid shirt. These pieces were cut from another old watercolor. My motto: Never throw away your paintings you dislike. Yesterday's dog is tomorrow's collage!

Antique Roses

6.25 x 9.5 watercolor commission finished up today for my friend Barbara who has excellent taste and who is now my #1 collector!

Asian Persimmons

This is a half sheet (15x22 inches) watercolor finished up this weekend from a still life set up of fresh Asian persimmons and my tall, very heavy concrete statue. The fruit sits on handmade brocade silk squares with sequins and pearls. She seems to be contemplating whether to eat the fruit or do away with it while the background is hazy, mysterious, and possibly laden with incense or smoke. I used Winsor Newton 140 lb cold press paper and American Journey and Daniel Smith paints.

Chickadee Migration

15x30 watercolor on Fabriano hot press paper that was coated with heavy gel medium. Three 6" squares were blocked off and covered. After stamping into the gel, I let it dry, then drew shapes and wrote words 'chickadee migration', covered all with blue and gold watercolor, then wiped off all paint. Next I carved out tree branches and limbs. Into the middle square I painted a bird's nest with eggs and let the painting tell me what it needed. A black crow appeared in the left square and far right a speckled leaf that uses repetition along with the eggs.