Wheelbarrow Whispers

11x15 watercolor done today on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary garden scene except for my old wooden wheelbarrow.  Flowering geranium pots are inside it while towering hollyhocks, poppies, hibiscus, petunias, and marigolds surround it all.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Old Homestead with Owl

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted today for the weekend drawing event on WetCanvas in which participants have 2 hours to choose then complete their art.  I used a portion of an old rundown abandoned structure then tried to make a vignette by losing at least three edges.  The owl was added to the roof as if he was surveying what tree or old window opening to use for a nest. For the darks I used neutral tint and ultramarine blue.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Purple Mountain Majesty

12x6 watercolor on 140 lb Strathmore cold press paper, brush only, done this afternoon of an imaginary mountain scene.  Orange and pink skies dominate the landscape while evergreens and pink wildflowers guard the purple snowcapped range in the distance.  Splatters were done when dry over foreground for varied dots indicating blooming meadow plants.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Granny Smith Apple

4.5x6.5 acrylic markers on brown sketchbook paper done today from life.  I did not eat the Granny Smith green apple this morning so sketched it instead with Micron 01 pen then added Montana markers of various acrylic colors of green, yellow, blue, dark blue, white and red.  Lettering is using the Curlz font that I'm practicing doing with illustrated journaling.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Early Blooms in a Coffee Cup

6.5x4.5 watercolor, gouache, and ink line on brown paper journal done today.  I used Pigma Micron 01 pen to draw my small blue and white china cup that has spring bulbs in it.  A pink doily sits underneath this still life of early paperwhite blooms on a green patterned table.  I am learning to use the Curlz font when printing letters for illustrated journaling, a mixed upper and lower case assortment.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Trees and Clouds

11x15 watercolor on Yupo synthetic paper completed today from one of the landscape photos I posted on WetCanvas.  In the Landscape forum participants have all month to choose their favorite reference and to do a painting in any size or media, then post the results.  In this mountain scene, I especially liked the whispering pines behind the taller foreground bare trees.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Sow and Piglets

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Italia Acquerello paper, using small figurines as models.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Accordion Book

4.5x12 watercolor on Bristol paper; accordion book as taught by Sketchbook Skool.COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith. COVER is below.

Atelier Floral Shop

11x8.5 watercolor and ink just completed.  I usually do a painting on my birthday, so this one is it, a small town scene of a studio floral shop.  It will be featured on WetCanvas from last weekend's drawing event hosted by Kat.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Pork Chops pigs

15x22 watercolor of three pigs in their pen playing in the mud just waiting for dinner time.  This was painted a few years ago on 140 lb cold press paper, wet in wet.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Kitchen Still Life

7x5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of apples, pitcher of yellow forsythia and a cookbook of Betty Crocker still life.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Cactus Flame

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper finished today.  Actually I have been laboring over this for 3 days, working on it as I had time.  This vibrant red orange cactus bloom captivated me when I saw it in our park by the big spring for which our town is named.  Parts of pods were dried and withered but the bloom was there in all its flaming glory.  Again I used Mint Julep (American Journey by Cheap Joe's) plus various shades of gold, ochre, sienna, and indigo for the greenish grey pods or leaves.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

San Xavier mission

22x15 watercolor done some years ago of San Xavier del Bac, a mission located south of Tucson.  We visited this historic Catholic compound on one of our trips to Arizona.  The rose garden was not in my photo but added it for some color interest.  My favorite part is the scrolled wrought iron gate and the sunlight hitting its bell tower.  This work is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Black Panther

22x15 watercolor of large black cat climbing down a rocky ledge.  This is an older piece that has never been shown.  I did paint another version with a different animal that I'll post soon.  It is done on 140 lb cold press paper.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2016.

Cows on old barnwood

9x14.5 acrylics on old wood done today as part of a WetCanvas challenge.  I spent awhile looking for a support to use other than paper.  Three cows are on the back of two pumpkins someone painted I picked up at a flea market for a couple bucks. It has two wooden strips nailed to hold together the sides, so I painted them as if they were part of the cow fence or pen. Black felt tip pen used to draw. Already the back had a smear of silver spray paint so I just left it, and it does help frame the back of main cow.  Look closely and you can see the third cow behind in the pen.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Rainy Skies

15x11 watercolor painted today, a low horizon imaginary landscape with contented cows in foreground and red barn and outbuildings in distant background.  Overhead are low grey menacing clouds threatening rain under blue skies.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Little League

7x9.5 inches watercolor of a little boys and girls softball league team from a ref by danitangel.  It is featured on WetCanvas Watermedia forum currently in progress.  The chubby fellow on far left grabbed me.  I wondered if he always had to sit on the bench or if he got to play.  I always felt empathy for those kids who ended up sitting alone and not playing.  It is Micron 01 ink sketch on Ecosystem sketchbook done today.  I may have left one of two kids out...counted 8 at least.  A new sepia hue was used with Prussian and ultramarine blue for the dug out walls.  Spring will be here soon and so will the ballgames.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Sleepy St. Bernard

5x8 ink and watercolor on paper done yesterday with no pencil drawing, only black Tombow pen to put in darks, and then washes of browns and tans.  I used only a black and white photo for this work and would have liked the Tombow to have spread a bit more.  It would have if slicker paper had been used.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Carousel Steed

9x10.25 mixed media on paper done today from a carousel photo I cropped just to show one horse's head.  Black India ink and watercolor was applied to wet paper, working only from b&w print and not a color reference.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Common Redpoll bird

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this past weekend.  In the finch family, the common redpoll can be seen in more colder northern climes.  This fellow is staring at his world of pale blue skies and faded leaves.  Ref courtesy my artist pal Joanne Nemeth of Canada in the WetCanvas/Watermedia challenge forum.  I moved the bird to the lower right and placed branches, leaves, and twigs in front of him.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Beets Me!

5.5x8 watercolor and ink on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media.  Over the weekend I drew these beets with black Uniball pen then added paint.  I detest beets but thought if I tried to make this root vegetable attractive then might just eat the jar of freshly canned ones my sister-in-law gave us...may taste better than commercially available beets.  They're very nutritious, too.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Pinto Pasture

4x6 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on a magazine insert card from New Mexico magazine.  This was done yesterday, a brown and white pinto horse in a pasture, from one of my many horse photos.  I had not painted on one of the cards since November.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Penguin Pair

7x5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary penguin pair out frolicking in the snow storm on a very cold night.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2016.

Divas Antique Head Vases

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb hot press paper drawn and painted from antique china women head vases.  Popular in the 40s and 50s these elegant divas are decked out in pearls, fine dresses and hats and can hold a small bouquet.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Heat Wave Sunflowers

15x22 watermedia on 140 lb cold press paper done in 2011, a work in progress of various sunflower faces.  I showed the WIP stages on this blog HERE.  It began with loose yellow acrylics and coffee filters and gauze were used.  Curious? Click on the link and see how it was developed.  Paintings can be purchased on www.dailypainters.com in my gallery or contact me directly.
Image COPYRIGHT 2011 Kay Smith.

Approaching Storm

22x30 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper finished today.  An imaginary family farm complete with red barn and outbuildings sit on one side of a vast grazing ground while cows ignore the rain and approaching storm clouds.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cosmopolitan Cosmos

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, one of my early florals of a spray of mixed cosmos blooms.  I used a silk arrangement in a glass vase sold by a mail order company named Petals, who went out of business, but not before I was able to buy lots of their designs. I use the lifelike flowers to sketch from or paint.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Iron Gate with Tulips

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Saunders paper, an imaginary floral still life.  After doing so many landscapes and snow scenes it was time to venture back into a familiar subject.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2016.

Frozen Shoreline

8.5x11 watercolor and ink on Crescent sketchbook done today. I used Pigma Micron 01 pen and Daniel Smith paints, sketching it first then applying color.  Reference photo posted in this weekend's drawing event on WetCanvas by Richard Jules of Canada and is at Bluffers Park, Scarborough.  Look closely to see layers of icicles along the rocks.  Participants in the challenge have 2 hours to choose and then do their painting.  This one took me one hour.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Ice Follies

15x22 watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press paper done today.  It is featured on WetCanvas in the Landscape forum for our January challenge, a frozen unknown river with its snowy banks, patchy fog, and floating ice chunks.  Much of the brush is imaginary as well. One of my resolutions this year is to paint more landscapes.  This one will be also on Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days blog again so look for it tomorrow there.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Milk Cow Blues

11x15 watercolor that is today's work of a Jersey cow saying hello to a new year and rubbing her head on old fence post.  A resolution this year is to paint more landscapes and this farm image just happened to feature a milk cow.  Others are grazing on a sunny day in the distance.  Learning how to milk one of these lovely ladies was a real chore growing up.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.