Sunkist still life

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done from life in front of my kitchen Windows. Fresh fruits, zinnias, antique vase, Ball jar, leopard cloth all sit on old English oak hutch with beveled mirror.  This still life was painted wet in wet.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Red Poppies

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, drawn and painted from one of my poppy photos. These red ones and some pinks were growing across the street from our church a few years ago amongst many others. I particularly liked the low white fence behind them.  This work is SOLD.
Image Copyright Kay Smith.

Scarecrows

22x15 watercolor on matboard drawn from old straw and cotton figures bought for Halloween and posted again.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Hydrangeas Window

5.5x8 watercolor and ink line on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done today; no reference used. With a Pigma Micron 01 pen I sketched lots of hydrangea florets and leaves in front of a paned window.  Reflections of flowers' colors can be seen in the glass.  A mix of blue and pink blooms spread out across the paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Proud Pigeon

7.5x11 mixed media on 140 lb Fabriano hot press paper started yesterday and completed today.  Media used:  Watercolor, acrylics, Montana acrylic markers 15mm, India ink, Iridescent Antique Gold (Daniel Smith watercolor).  After drawing the bird in pencil, I
stamped mini bubble wrap painted with white acrylic and a bit of watercolor, then painted him, applying shiny metallic gold over neck area.  Montana markers used to go over background and when dry black India ink partly outlines the pigeon.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Shih Poo Dog

5x8 watercolor and ink (Uniball Vision Elite) on paper, sketched today, the ink sketch being posted for #InkTober day 26.  This hybrid dog is courtesy of Wendy on WetCanvas and is featured on this weekend drawing event challenge.  Participants have 2 hours to choose a photo and paint it.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Teo - Black & White Kitty

7x8.5 watercolor and acrylic markers on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done in 1 hour this afternoon. Blue areas are the markers as well as the yellow splotch. I had tested it yesterday doing a pigeon and decided to use the scrap paper for Teo; of course watercolor would not cover it so it looks like a sunshiny area. If he had a thin white stripe down his nose he would be the twin to my little Chili who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2011.  This is part of a weekend WetCanvas challenge; photo courtesy of Wendy.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Pigeon

10.25x9 mixed media on paper done today of a common street bird, the unglamorous pigeon.  To me they are colorful and entertaining and certainly worth painting now and then.  Ink sketch was done as seen in the image below using black Tombow brush pen nib.  The paper was stamped months ago with bubble wrap I had brushed watercolor over and let run and drip.  Yellow areas were done using Montana acrylic marker 15mm wide tip; the markers are new art supplies I just got.  They have a nice thin even mix of paint and dry immediately.  Black horizontal lines were made using the Tombow's brush end for some vivid contrast.  Metallic pink and blue hues were enhanced and emboldened.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

 

Ink sketch common pigeon #InkTober

Haunted House

8x5.5 watercolor and ink on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media finished today.  Initial ink sketch done yesterday with Pigma Micron 01 pen from life using a small Halloween resin house.  I ignored local color and made up my own including an eerie sky.  Also made up the foreground of the tombstone, pumpkins, black cat, and man's head.  All 3 ghosts were made up as were the other creatures of the night haunting the roof.  A fun little piece.  Boo!
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Eastern Screech Owl

8x5.5 mixed media on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media; sketched yesterday then watercolor and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watersoluble wax crayons added.  This was done without looking at a reference today.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Hollyhock Reflections WIP

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper begun Monday as a work in progress and finished today.  For references I used my studio hollyhocks in white and palest yellow that can be seen in the photos below and initial shadow washes.  Some people have asked me to show beginning stages of a floral which always start with dark values.  In the left hand photo that is too dark to see details here, but paned windows are behind the bloom.  Looking through the window you can see a window inside the studio opposite wall north.  To the right on finished painting can be seen pink and white hollyhock reflections.  Window trim was a dull red when it was first painted in 1998.  A few years ago that was changed to hot pink, flanked by spring green shutters.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Hampshire Hog

12x9 watercolor and India ink on Canson 140 lb cold press paper applied over initial sketch.  Photo reference courtesy Chammi/WetCanvas in Animal/Wildlife forum.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

The Marketplace

6x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted today.  Using a previous sheet I put underneath other works that's already splattered and marked, I drew figures, tables, plants and umbrellas in this imaginary marketplace scene.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Poisoned Apples

11x8.5 mixed media on Strathmore art journal done today, total 2 hours for a WetCanvas 2 hour timed event.  I was ready to eat a poisoned apple after this. First I sketched a crop of an umbrella scene and then another one. Total disaster. Turned the page vertically and with Staedtler Lumocolor pen drew a witch over all of it.   Another photo ref was a mannequin lying on her side, so included it behind main figure.  A harvest moon watches over the witches and bewitched from the background, surrounded in a surreal fog. Only thing missing is a frog with fangs...Happy Halloween everyone!
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Drowsy Donkey

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper that is today's work.  Since doing the cactus yesterday and another recent donkey in a hot southwestern setting I am still in the mood. My photo was black and white so did not follow local color for the animal's markings which were dark, medium, light brown, white, touch of black.  Background of hay was eliminated, substituting an imaginary southwestern building with tile roof and a flat raw sienna color dirt for the middle ground.  Now the hot sun can be imagined baking all that sits underneath, making the pinto donkey drowsy.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Purple Prickly Pear Cactus

12x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press completed today after about 3 days' work.  These cactus blooms caught my eye as they bloom in May here in west Texas, and the purple coloration set off the orange yellows. A patch of sthe spiky succulent plants was growing near to the big spring for which our town is named.  I used two opaques together, American Journey's  Mint Julep and Blue Bice, for most of the softer green areas, with a lot of water.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Eagle or Snowy Owl

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Staedtler Calligraphic 3.5mm pen) on Masters paper.  I'm not sure if this fellow is an eagle owl or a snowy owl.  I found a recent bird in the road that was dead and took photos, so this is a recreation of how he must look alive with a tree in the background.  Eyes are more yellow and not orange.  It was located on the Vealmoor highway as you turn off south to Big Spring.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Mallard Moments

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted this past weekend for a WetCanvas! contest online.  The maximum time you can spend drawing then painting is 2 hours.  If unfinished at the 2 hour mark, you must photograph and post whatever stage it is.
For this duck I added geraniums and changed the background from boring to better.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Donkey Dreams

12x9 watercolor that was drawn with Pigma Micron 01 pen first on Canson 140 lb cold press paper.  I worked on it this weekend for our Watermedia forum challenge on WetCanvas! Photo courtesy of host Kara.  The background was eliminated and I put a very hot southwestern siesta type feel.  The donkey is dozing in the afternoon sun.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Country Farm

4.25x7 watercolor and ink line on magazine card from Country, the latest issue.  This was done over the weekend and it is now SOLD.
Copyright 2015 Kay Smith.

Skull and Chile Ristras

22x15 gouache on 140 lb cold press paper, a New Mexico still life of old cowskull and a large red chile ristra.  Both were hanging on a telephone pole in midtown Ruidoso where I snapped the photo in front of a video store.  The scan is a bit dark as seen here.  This work is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Harmonious Hollyhocks

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of white hollyhocks that actually were very pale yellow from a grouping of them at my studio.  This painting SOLD at its first show and is in a private collection in New York City.  Also this image was published in International Artist book "100 Ways to Paint Still Life & Florals" Vol. 2.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2002.

Cosmos on a Card - #InkTober

5.5x4 watercolor and ink of a grouping of pink and dark pink cosmos on The Artist's Magazine insert card.  I used photos of my own cottage garden cosmos taken a few years ago.  The ink used was Pigma Micron 01 for #InkTober.  This work is SOLD. 
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Bluebird of Happiness

5x7 watercolor painted yesterday, a little imaginary bluebird with green and turquoise feathers over part of a backing sheet I use behind other works to protect them.  The way the lines of paint appear it seems he is perched on a small branch or two.  This work is SOLD. Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Black Cat Halloween - #InkTober

12x9 mixed media collage on Cheap Joe's sketchbook (watercolor and ink with Pigma Micron 01 pen) begun yesterday and finished today.  Top part is a black and white photocopy of my photo taken of golf pro Al's kitty Blackie.  They live at Pinon Park condos by our place in Ruidoso NM.  After printing, I cut her out and collaged onto paper using matte medium.  Bottom part and text is ink and watercolor for #InkTober, various candies and pumpkins.  I sketched one of my three mice figurines for lower right and he is talking to Blackie trying to get her to pay attention to the candy corn.  You can see some small bits of gravel between the cat's front paws and I have sketched them on out, spilling into the candy pieces.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Yellow Lab Snooze plus ink sketch #InkTober

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01) on paper done today.  Please excuse the iPhone photo on the ink sketch that I've included for #InkTober challenge.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

Buff Cochin Bantam Rooster plus an ink sketch for #InkTober

 9x12 watercolor done today on 140 lb cold press paper, as part of current monthly Watermedia challenge on WetCanvas.  Photo courtesy of Kara, the host, and this is her rooster.

Ink sketch of two pronghorn antelope seen out in west Texas using Pitt pens on sketchbook paper for #InkTober worldwide challenge in which artists must do a work in ink once a day for all of October.
Images COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Two Kittens - ink sketch and watercolor #InkTober

8.5x11 watercolor on top image and ink on bottom for #InkTober challenge that is today's work.  I could not resist these two sibling kittens both black and white that is my favorite! Crescent sketchbook and Micron 01 pen used.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

October Gargoyle

6x8.5 watercolor on pale yellow ColorSketch paper with a background wash underpainting first of various neutral palette 'mud'...worked from a black and white photo copy only to try and get the values just right.  Paints used:  Ultramarine blue, raw umber, sepia, quinacridone burnt orange and gold.  Today's work is the current monthly challenge on the watercolor studio forum of WetCanvas; photo courtesy of Doug Elliot (administrator).  Who doesn't love a gargoyle in October? These scary icons of architecture always amaze me.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Studio Still Life #InkTober

5.5x8.5 ink sketch on paper for the #InkTober challenge, a daily work in which artists must use some type ink.  This is done with Lamy Safari pen and grey Noodler's ink.  I sketched a lamp base, small cup, wooden cat business card holder, china bust of David that are items in my studio.  To the left you can see spider plants and right background part of fake curtains I made out of foamcore, spray paint, and glued on strands of pearls.  All are antiques except the cat card holder and sit on a round glass table top. 
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2015.

White Lion Cub - #InkTober

8x5.5 Tombow ink brush pen on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done today, partly for InkTober worldwide challenge and for WetCanvas' Weekend Drawing Event.  Photo courtesy Robert Rongier of France, host for this WDE.  With InkTober you must create one image for each of October's 31 days and post on your blog or social media.  Yesterday's ink sketch was posted to Facebook and I will post it here as well.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Chile Adobe Condos

15x11 watercolor and India ink on 140 lb cold press paper of Southwest adobe style buildings, an imaginary painting done in vivid desert colors.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.