My Art on Checks!

Order personalized checks, side tear checks, checkbook covers and address labels with a choice of 40 of my paintings featured with Check Advantage.  Images are in sets of 4 series.  I have featured pigs, chickens, dogs & cats, garden pots, watercans, tulips, birds, poppies, pears, and bicycles.

Click on the link below to see more exciting designs.

http://new.checkadvantage.com/kay-smith-checks

Striped Rears (zebras)

3.5x7 watercolor of four grown zebras standing together discussing the day's events.  Today I painted them on Canson 140 lb cold press paper (photo from WetCanvas Weekend Drawing Event).  With the WDE, participants are given 2 hours to choose and paint their subject, then post the results at that time limit even if unfinished.  This work has now been SOLD.

Bassett Hound sketch

11x8.5 ink sketch of a sleepy bassett hound, done yesterday and finished today.  I used grey Pitt ink pen made by Faber Castell and drew on Masters Touch sketchbook.  Every day I've been doing a sketch since 1 January, and some days do two, usually right after getting up at 5 a.m.  You can't go wrong with a cup of coffee, ink, and a blank white page! Maybe this one will morph into a new watercolor...

Cattitude

8.5x12 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Strathmore paper painted today, wet on dry, in about 2 hours.  Previously, I had sketched this stray cat one day last week.  This work was painted from a black and white print.
(Photo courtesy Dewi on WetCanvas)

Everything's Coming up Roses - acrylic version finished

16x20 acrylics on wrapped canvas, over watercolor, finally done this weekend! I worked over 75% of it or more and changed the large pink rose to a white one.  For now I'm stopping and saying it is finished.  The idea was to add pastel shades and ignore most rules of painting especially where the background is concerned.  Lots of negative shapes were utilized while trying a more contemporary vibe.

Window Geraniums

11x6.5 watercolor, drawn with ink pen, Micron 01 Pigma, a couple of weeks ago.  I didn't post it then because we were busy painting Valentine hearts and other romantic things.  But, to me, a red geranium is just as important!

Tree Frog

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, a brilliantly colored red-eyed tree frog trying to blend in with its surrounding environment.  This work is an older painting and it is SOLD.

Everything's Coming up Roses WIP

16x20 watercolor work in progress on wrapped canvas; this is as far as 2 days working on it I've gotten.  The plan is to go over each area with acrylic.  All four sides are painted so framing won't be necessary unless a customer just wants to do so.  I chose this title because right now everything is coming up roses.  Sales are happening as are new licensing agreements so watch this space or my website for more news flashes.  No photo reference was used for this as it is all from memory.  Stay tuned for the finish!

Shabby Chic Roses still life

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb hot press paper, a still life set up with milk glass, lace, and roses in reds and pinks.  This vignette is an older work and is available either the original painting or prints on my website:  www.kaysmith.artspan.com

Red Geranium

22x15 watercolor of a red geranium in full bloom in my friend Barb's sunroom.  This was painted a few years ago.  Another friend, Nita, bought it, so it is SOLD.  So thank you Barbara and Nita!

Wild Prickly Poppies

20 x 21.75 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold pressed paper, drawn with a brush then painted loosely wet on dry.  I did heavy spritzing with water in some areas after laying in thick paint to cause movement and dispersion.  These wild white flowering weeds grow here and there in our area and their yellowish centers are pure latex.  This work is now SOLD.

Dark Red Amaryllis

32x22 acrylic on black paper, an older floral drawn from life that I just love and thought would share its vibrancy with you.  It was drawn carefully with pastel crayon then painted in; some areas are outlined in black acrylic.

Birds Flocked Together

12x18 watercolor on gessoed Crescent white matboard, drawn yesterday with Magic multicolored pencils then painted today.  First the birds were painted as the most realistic shapes, then a loose abstract background with same hues.  Allowing for surprises in this high key work, I searched for suggestions that could be leaves or flowers.  Bird colors are not real. Tree branches and twigs however, are all positive lines.  It was a bright sunny day here and birds were singing, saying that Spring is just around the corner!

Lazy Daze Bicycle

4.25x7 watercolor done a few days ago, an imaginary spring or summer day which we long for now, stuck in the middle of February! The viewer can decide on a story for the painting.  Did someone park their bike for a short hike or a long stroll? Stop to smell the flowers? Chat with a neighbor? Look for photo ops for their next masterpiece? You pick!

Be My Valentine

11x8.5 watercolor drawn today from an ink sketch I did this morning at 5:30; this is on Italia 140 lb cold press paper with Daniel Smith and Grumbacher paints.  I worked from a black and white composite photo so all colors are imaginary.  For some reason the guy ended up resembling Lionel Richie.  At any rate, it's the last in my Valentine heart series.  Thanks to the guest artists who participated in the fun! Have a happy heart day!

Togetherness - Puppy & kitty love

7x10 watercolor done today from one of my daily sketches last month.  An underpainting was done first using primaries.  I did not have a photo reference so this is winging it for the cute yellow labrador who thinks he's found his next true love.  Kitty, however, is not liking being pawed.  Forbidden love is what it is right now.  So have a happy Valentine's Day all you lovers out there! Practice some togetherness!

Recipe for Romance - Wine, Roses, Valentines!

15x11 watercolor done this afternoon with Valentine's Day in mind.  After drawing in all the elements of wine glasses, rose and leaves, I painted wet on dry.  When finished, I took an old red paper heart stencil and painted its holes in heart patterns to provide detail at the bottom foreground.  A little Chablis and Chardonnay go a long way for romance and if he puts the rose in his mouth, I'm his...

Bleeding Hearts - nature's Valentines

5.5x7 watercolor on Langton 140 lb paper/Daniel Smith paints done today.  First I spritzed with water then quickly with 1" flat brush, laid in yellow, green gold, and alizarin crimson with a touch of ultramarine blue.  After drying I painted both positive and negative shapes of the dicentra plant using all the reds, oranges and pinks on my palette.  Splattering was done when that dried.

Guest Artist - Sea Dean "Where the Heart Is" ACEO

2.5x3.5 ACEO by guest artist Sea Dean.  Upon first glance I thought "this is just a macro view of a tulip". But on closer inspection I see that she has painted dark purple tiny hearts around its center.  Visit her blog to for more works such as this or to bid on it:
www.paintamasterpiece.blogspot.com

Garden Art Center

22x15 watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press paper, started last week as my demo in Plains, TX and finished yesterday with details. The ironwork took the longest as I wanted it to show rusty texture in front of the stone angel and smooth ceramic pots.

Retro Rooster

10 x 14.75 mixed media (watercolor, acrylics, newspaper, napkins, catalog pages, ink) I composed over a failed geranium watercolor. The rooster head and neck were from a former failed barnyard painting with him and 2 hens that did not quite work. The hens I cut out also and adhered to an old shack scene called "Chicken Ranch", that should still be on this blog. His purple legs just kill me; feathers in front are from newspaper photos of old wood. It is a conglomeration of elements with a whole lot of country style and was fun to make.  This is a repeat post from 2011 as I don't have today's work photographed or the guest artist valentines ready.

Bacon Bits - Pigs in Love

20x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of two pigs in love, getting ready for Valentine's Day this next Thursday.  For this one, I put stretched cotton gauze down over wet paint, then touched the edges with various blues and purples.  When dry those were picked up and it left the tiny marks. There are pig shapes in the background and a few hearts.  See if you can find them.

Fondness for Hearts

5.5x7.5 watercolor on 140 lb hot press paper done yesterday. I first drew in 4 heart shapes with a white wax crayon, then did a quick underpainting using alizarin crimson and thalo blue. Over those colors I laid crumpled plastic wrap and let it dry all day.  Later, I lifted up the plastic to find a multitude of crinkled areas from which new hearts were developed by negative and positive painting.

Guest Artist - Polly Birchall (UK) Less Salt Happy Heart

Another painter from England joins our Brushworks blog heart series today with this fun and lively watercolor. It is 9" x 8" on Langton Paper, and she used mainly Cad Red, Perm Rose and Winsor Violet, with both table salt and sea salt.  Title of the valentine is printed upper right and Polly says salt is not good for us but in watercolor it is used to make textural effects as she's shown here.  Thank you, Polly! Happy Valentine's!

Primary Colors Heart

9x10 inks on 140 lb wc paper done today, another in my heart series, quickly and spontaenously.  I first drew the heart outline using periwinkle blue watercolor then dropped red, yellow, and blue Dr Ph Martin's inks and spritzed that with fine mist water.  This is just having too much fun!

Glass Hearts

30x22 acrylic on 140 lb cold press wc paper; this abstract features a multitude of bright glass heart designs with many reflections.  Our February heart series continues...

Guest Artist - David Godbolt (UK) Valentine Heart

8x6 watercolor on Arches 200 lb CP paper/Winsor Newton paints and Derwent coloursoft pencils by our next guest artist, David Godbolt.  He works in watermedia and creates some amazing designs!  See his website for more exciting images by this Essex, UK painter:  http://dagart.coffeecup.com/index.html

Sensuous Heart

12x9 black ink on Bristol board 300 series, an imaginary heart formed by two lovers whose bodies shield another heart in the middle. I used a Tombow brush pen with this one and a rigger brush with water for the grey middle values in this vignette.

Blue Denim Heart

14.5 x 10.75 watercolor, inks on matboard that I collaged phone book pages to using half gesso and half water mixture.  After 10 minutes, I tore off 3 one inch masking tape strips that was over the pages.  Three top round circles were already in the phone book ad.  So this is my second heart done yesterday for the Valentine series from now thru 14 February.  If you have done an art heart and want to feature it on my blog here, send to me via email with links and contact information.

Love is in the Air - Sea Dean guest artist

Love definitely is in the air with these two acrylic abstract hearts intertwined as one, by guest artist Sea Dean.  This lovely ACEO is 2.5x3.5, tiny but totally terrific! Thanks, Sea, for joining in my February hearts series.  To learn more about Sea, please check out personal blog at:  http://www.paintamasterpiece.blogspot.com/

Lonely Heart - Happy February Hearts Series

10.25x10.5 mixed watermedia on Crescent matboard.  I used a pink and silver gel pen to draw the heart, then pink watersoluble oil pastel and colored pencil loosely overall.  Then I used crimson, orange, purple, sepia and black India inks; colors allowed to blend and mix.  The woman is black and sepia ink stamped onto the dry left upper area.  When blotting ink with a tissue, I stamped that in several spots for roses, then with colored pencils made stems and leaves lower right.  Today at work we all wore red for cardiac awareness, and each day till Valentine's on the 14th I will post a heart.  If any of you would like to send me a unique heart you have created, please do so at my email HERE and I will post them on this blog.