Pine Siskin

9x4.75 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today.  Using a scrap of backing paper that already had multiple marks, I sketched the bird, a pine siskin then painted wet on dry.  Last trip to New Mexico I was able to take lots of bird photos and pine siskins were at a neighbor's bird feeder.  I do like the effect of the abstract background with mingled greys, pinks, and soft mixed greens.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Bright Yellow Hollyhocks

15x11 watercolor on Canson XL 140 lb paper done this afternoon.  Using a very tall pale yellow hollyhock by my front door area I quickly sketched the blooms in pencil then with small amounts of water put in the flower centers allowing paint to run and mingle. This is about 45 minutes as I was trying to outrun a thunderstorm and hail. Working from light to dark, I could keep going on it ad infinitum.  Negative painting with mixed darks was last.  For greens I mixed 1) Payne's Grey + quinacridone gold 2) aureolin yellow + ultramarine blue 3) green gold + indigo.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

White Prickly Poppies

15x22 watercolor collage on 140 lb Saunders Waterford paper painted previously. Reference photos were combinations of white wild poppies I had taken but never used; a big clump of these paper thin flowers grow along roadsides and vacant lots everywhere.  I put small amounts of white tissue onto the paper using matte medium then drew the flowers when dry. Poppy centers contain latex and can be deadly and quite thorny to unsuspecting people or animals.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2010.

Pink Peony

14x10 watercolor on 14o lb cold press paper of a pink peony that quickly SOLD. 
It is painted wet in wet on Strathmore paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Magnolias in Cloisonne Vase

14x10 watercolor floral still life featuring white magnolias in a Cloisonne vase.  The vase was real but flowers were artificial.  I placed them in it then sketched from there.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Hanging Baskets

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done from photos of greenhouse hanging floral baskets.  I need some more of these so this painting came to mind.
Image COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Strawberry Bowl

11x14 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Kilimanjaro paper completed today, a fruit berry still life with an old placemat in the background.  It reminds me of the ocean and strawberries remind me of summer, which will be here next month!
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Klimtified Birdbath

10.25x9 watercolor pencils on sketchbook paper done awhile back but not completed yet.  Using an ordinary birdbath as a diagonal theme, I perched a black bird on it and surrounded with larger than life flowering weeds to repeat the birdbath design.  In the abstract areas I used turquoise blue and green for cool accents, while purple and pink are seen as shadows in the flowerheads.  This is in the style of Gustav Klimt.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2016.

Ripest Cherries

10.25x9 watercolor and ink on sketchbook paper done today.  Using a Micron 01 pen I sketched the cherry fruit outlines and stems.  I could not find my tube of Daniel Smith thalo blue green or turquoise so mixed thalo blue with green to get this hue for a complementary color scheme.  Reds are:  Grumbacher red, transparent pyrrol orange, permanent rose, alizarin crimson, quinacridone violet, carbazole violet, then indigo.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Shoppers

15x22 gouache on hot press paper 140 lb, an exercise in painting female figures with all their heads on the same plane.  This was using only one model so I've made them all different as far as dress and hairstyles.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Old Greek Doors

10.25 x9 watercolor and ink line (Micron 01 pen) on paper done today for a timed WetCanvas event.  In the weekend drawing event, participants have 2 hours to choose 1 image out of 16 the host provides and then paint it.  Oty lives in Greece so she always has interesting subjects, and says this old building with its wrought iron and glass wood doors would be too costly to renovate so they lock and chain these old historic relics for better economic times.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Dog in a Cap

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink on Bienfang mixed media sketchbook done yesterday as part of a WetCanvas animal/wildlife challenge.  This was done in about 45 minutes.  Its name is Sandy and belonged to another artist.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Dizzy Poppies

15x11 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary red poppy garden scene done yesterday on a rainy dark day.  I was experimenting on a new brand of paper bought at Michael's and used Daniel Smith colors of quinacridone coral, permanent rose, quinacridone violet, indigo, quinacridone gold/burnt orange, Prussian blue & ultramarine, transparent pyrrol orange, green gold; Da Vinci arylide yellow, alizarin crimson; Grumbacher red; American Journey Halloween orange.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Daisy Pail

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper of shasta daisies and red gerbera daisies in a green pail painted yesterday, an imaginary spring floral.  As it was a gloomy day the colors were perfect to imagine it was sunny and that all these daisies were blooming outside.  Daniel Smith pigments used were quinacridone coral, permanent rose, quinacridone magenta, indigo, green gold, Prussian blue.
Image COPYRIGHT 2106 Kay Smith.

Dewi's Pomegranates

9x12 watercolor on Canson XL 140 lb cold press paper done over the weekend.  These red pomegranates appear more dark toned in the original but show an orange tint on camera.  Still life set up was featured on WetCanvas weekend drawing event where Dewi is host and was painted within 2 hour time limit.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Tow Truck

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink on Bienfang sketchbook for mixed media completed this weekend.  As part of a timed WetCanvas exercise participants had only 2 hours to choose, draw, then paint their reference.  I used Micron 01 pen to draw.  This old tow truck is probably from the 1940-1950s era.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Beach Beauty

12x9 mixed media on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this week for another Sketchbook Skool assignment in the Polishing series of lessons with Nelleke Verhoeff instructor.  In this figure I've used cutout triangle for bikini bottom, striped bikini bra, eyes of a magazine model and hair cut from dark grey tile advertisement.  Watercolor used for ocean or sea behind and sandy beach.  Lots of different combinations can be created from use of ink line, watercolor, and collage elements.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Wagamama kitty

7.5x11 watercolor cat pet portrait of a black female named Wagamama who belongs to another artist.  She likes to curl up in the bathroom sink and dares anyone to ask her to move.  This is painted on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper with Daniel Smith pigments.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Angelic Church

22x15 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper, the interior of an English church so grand with its stained glass design and velvet furnishings under a vaulted ceiling.  Note the angels within the front.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cat Problems

8.5x5.5 mixed media collage on Bienfang for mixed media sketchbook done this week for a Sketchbook Skool assignment in the Polishing lesson.  Instructions were to use part of a figure, item of clothing, or animal along with sketching in ink and adding watercolor or other media.  Here I used watercolor pencils, Uniball pen, and cutout green tee shirt on the woman and parts of cat bodies.  A fun exercise that can take your imagination and creativity to new heights.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Peace Roses in Bud Vase

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper begun yesterday and finished today.  I grew these at my studio until something killed the rosebush so all I have now are the photos.  Background is light neutral grey pattern design mixed by brushing all leftover colors together then applying with large round brush on wet paper.  It is supposed to resemble lacy curtains and a shabby chic look.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Black Cat Juliet

11x15 watercolor of a black cat with imaginary background that is based on one of my shirt designs.  The stool is also made up and the orange red is perfect for the cool greens and blues surrounding it.  Juliet belongs to another artist.  This is painted on 140 lb cold press paper.  This pet portrait shows the subtle tones made by mixing black using alizarin crimson and thalo green.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Tucson Adobe

15x15 watercolor of an old adobe church house finished yesterday, shot on one of many trips to Tucson, Arizona.  From the grey brown hills behind the it, to the cactus, red yucca, and other vegetation this southwest desert scene is sure to enchant you.  Its wooden cross with a bell beside it to keep it company rounds out the composition while dark clouds move across the sky.  I particularly enjoy its decorated doorway and vigas.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Family Bikes

16x30 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper done last week as a commission.  This work is SOLD.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

China Cabinet

20x12.5 watercolor and gouache, one of my reworked pieces over a failed horizontal still life that had a red vase, white flowers, etc. I decided to make it more Asian by including fans in the background along with that style architecture.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2011.

The Gwins

8.5x5.5 mixed media on Bienfang sketchbook finished today.  This is Linda Gwin and her husband Myron sketched with black Tombow pen.  Greys were simply water added to the black ink.  I used Montana acrylic markers on her black sweater and for the hot orange background; watercolor used to paint her colorful blouse.  They attended the Art on the Llano Estacado show I was in last week. I love his wild tropical Hawaiian shirt.  Since I needed a couple to draw for Sketchbook Skool the Gwins were selected.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Mums in Japanese Vase

15x22 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper done a few years ago, a still life of yellow chrysanthemums in an antique Asian or Japanese vase.  The draping fabric in background is imaginary though.  The way I drew it the woman could be holding a mum in her hand.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Bird Shadow

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink on paper sketched from a figurine and made to look real like a sparrow.  Primary colors used for underpainting.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Coconut Jam

4.75x7 watercolor and ink (Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.3) on paper done a few weeks ago for a WetCanvas! online challenge.  Reference courtesy Richard Jules of Canada who hosted, and this trio of coconut vendors were in Barbados.  Look closely and you can see their half on half off pants.  The paper used was part of a sheet I put under others to catch drips, hence the random color marks.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Child's Garden Chair

19x15 watercolor on Arches 140 lb cold press paper, an antique store find in the middle of my imaginary floral garden.  Dark pink hydrangeas, vinca, petunias, impatiens and others bloom in profusion across the paper.  Three clay pots take up residence in immediate foreground.  This one was finished today after starting last week.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Midnight Hydrangeas

5x8 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper completed in 2009 that is now SOLD.  For two days I've been painting hydrangeas inspired by new ones blooming by my front door and was reminded of these in an old metal bucket, one of my favorites.
Image COPYRIGHT 2009 Kay Smith.  Collection Mollie Jones.