Love's Gift

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, an older work done by drawing in a silk red roses bouquet behind real creamy golden poinsettias.  I had photographed this combination in my bedroom and decided to add a background that might be indicative of a landscape sky or just a dream-like imagination.  This work is SOLD.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2007.

Orange Poppies in Brusho

7.25x7.25 Brusho watercolor crystals on Bienfang 140 lb cold press paper done today using new Brusho colors by ColourCraft UK.  Based on an older sketch these imaginary poppies came to life.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Lavender Purple Tulip

For now this WIP is finished unless I decide to add more color.  As a high key imaginary floral it is not too bad.  15x22 watercolor on Saunders Waterford 300 lb cold press paper.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Lavender Purple Parrot Tulip WIP

15x22 watercolor work in progress sketched yesterday from a red and white silk bloom, as I don't have any fresh purple parrot tulips handy.  This is on Saunders Waterford 300 lb cold press paper with Qor paints:  ultramarine blue mixed with quinacridone magenta.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Candy Stripers

22x30 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper, Da Vinci and Daniel Smith paints, working wet in wet. Tulips, especially variegated, like these are my favorite flower.  A complementary color palette of reds and mixed greens is challenging to use as well.  Reds:  Alizarin crimson, Grumbacher red, perylene maroon, quinacridones: coral, magenta, violet, and permanent rose.  Other colors:  Arylide yellow, quinacridone gold, UB, Prussian blue.  This is an older work and is SOLD.

COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Homely Dog ACEO

3.5x2.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) done today over book text, a very homely dog that looked to be part Schnauzer and part Heinz 57.  I was lucky to find a sentence in the old book that had the nouns dogs and cats in it, plus veterinary.  Lastly a red collar was added to this mutt to give him some class.

Actual miniature size for this art card edition original is below:

  COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Val Kilmer as "Doc" Holliday junk journal

5.25x8.25 mixed media sketch in my junk journal done today while waiting on an appointment; color added when back in studio.  Beginning with Lictin 0.3 ink pen, outline put in then watersoluble colored pencils, followed by black Montana marker for his hat, hair, and jacket coat.  Val Kilmer was an excellent "Doc" Holliday in the movie Tombstone (1993), and isn't the first time I've painted him.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

April Geranium Basket

12x9 watercolor and Brusho painted from life using one of my hanging baskets this weekend.  No drawing, so brush only using a 1" flat.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Egret Nest

14x11 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper begun yesterday and finished today; ref courtesy WetCanvas host Bunny.  This was another weekend drawing event in which we have 2 hours to select an image and get a painting or drawing done.  Egrets are intermediate medium sized herons.  In between the great egret and smaller white ones its all-white plumage is in contrast with its dark legs and thickish yellow bill.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Quail Profile ACEO

2.5x3.5 watercolor done this week over charcoal sketch of a common quail, an art card edition original.  Its beak looks too bluish here.  Sketched on discarded book page first then adhered to sketchbook paper.  These birds are fun to shoot and eat during quail season.  Actual size is below:

COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2018

Spring Sunflower

3.75 x 2.75 watercolor miniature done quickly last week on a day I didn't have much time to do any art. So this is from imagination.

Actual size below:

COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Tulip Collage Garden

7x7.5 watercolor and collage done a few days ago just for fun. I first painted the tulip and its leaf then used a giraffe pattern for the green/yellow blocks in background.  Then torn polkadot tissue was added for its petal followed by a butterfly and green weedy leaves. No one but me will like this whimsical garden art.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Little Gem of a Geranium ACEO

3.5x2.5 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper, sketched from life today, a bright fuchsia pink specimen that looks more red-pink here.  This work is SOLD.

Actual size of this art card edition original is posted below:

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Bluebells wildflowers

4x7 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done over the weekend for another WetCanvas weekend drawing event.  My time on this was about 45 minutes.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Daffodil Days

9x4.75 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper begun Saturday night then more done yesterday. I could not make up my mind about adding background color so have left it white for now.  The bloom's stem is out of the picture plane for a bit of tension, having the flower front and foremost in this imaginary floral.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Mandarin Orange Slice ACEO

2.5x3.5 ink, gel pen, and watercolor sketched with Lictin 0.3 pigment liner on Thursday then mixed media applied Friday.  This sketch was from life and afterwards I ate my subject.  Done on old book page that mentions kitchens and food I thought it was most appropriate.  Original is lighter orange than this shows of this art card edition original.

Below is the miniature actual size.

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Clark's Nutcracker bird

7x5 watercolor done last week for another WetCanvas monthly challenge; ref courtesy Jenna.  The grey and black markings on this bird were tinged with a bit of pink around the wing.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Poppy in Brusho

6.75x6.75 watermedia using Brusho wc crystals on 140 lb Fabriano paper done last week, further experimenting with the use of the medium for this imaginary floral.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Painted Calf

7x4 watercolor done this past weekend for a WetCanvas event.  Paper I used was a backing sheet portion put under smaller works, hence the drips and dabs marks.  The markings on this little Holstein fellow were too attractive to pass up.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

April Anemones

6x4 watercolor done this afternoon quickly over a partial pencil sketch of imaginary anemones and a few tulips against a red door.  Tablecloth was done with a giraffe spots pattern stencil; pink and red shapes in foreground are chair backs.  Below is this still life at its actual size.  I've used Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper and Daniel Smith paints.

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Wine Window

8x6 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper completed today, of a bottle of Heart of the Desert red wine and a glass half full in a glass block window.  I set this simple still life miniature up in New Mexico to photograph for various painting opportunities.  Afternoon sun was setting at the time.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Rainy Day Apple

8.5x11 watercolor done this weekend on some new paper, Stonehenge Aqua 300 lb, I'd ordered to try and really do like its performance.  This apple tree ref courtesy WetCanvas and is part a challenge this month.  The paper lifted color easily and took a lot of abuse.  Rain was done using white designer's gouache.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Florida Flamingo #National Draw a Bird Day

7.5x5 watercolor and India ink painted this afternoon for #National Draw a Bird Day that happens every April 8th.  Below is my pencil drawing.

Graphite rendering of my Florida flamingo sketched in pencil.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Mountain Bluebird ~ Draw a Bird Day is 8 April!

2.5x3.5 ink/watercolor done today getting ready for tomorrow's annual National Draw a Bird Day; I'll do a flamingo then.  Sketched with Lictin 0.3 black ink pen on an ACEO size cut out magazine card, only a few colors were used.  I see these mountain bluebirds when in New Mexico and their color is an electric turquoise blue. This art card edition original was fun to do.  Stay tuned for the flamingo.  Actual size is posted below for comparison.

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

April Arrangement

7.5x5 mixed media done yesterday with no pre-drawing, brush only using watercolor, watersoluble colored pencils sanded into wet areas, black India ink applied with a chopstick, for a loose imaginary bouquet.  I have imagined lilies and tulips with this spring arrangement in a glass vase.  Leaves were made by rolling the chopstick on its side.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Cat Asleep ~ junk journal sketch

8.25x5.25 ink sketch in junk/grunge journal done yesterday from one of my many cat photos, a sleeping tabby, blissfully unaware.  I used a Uniball 207 pen in discarded book; page had been partially gessoed (white area) which is an acrylic ground.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

April Tulip ACEO

3.5x2.5 mixed media art card on book page collaged to sketchbook paper done day before yesterday. The shadow side was fun to paint using blue and mint green mix; sketch done with Micron 01 pen.  I liked the text parts towards the bottom that say in part "...towns in Italy...villages in rural England..."
Actual size is shown below for this red and white tulip artist card edition original.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Miniature tulip actual size

Spring Waxwing

3x3 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago from my photos to showcase this berry-loving bird.

Actual miniature size shown below:

 COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Runnels Street ~ plein air urban sketch downtown Big Spring TX

9.5x7 ink sketch on location downtown done yesterday in Ecosystem sketchbook.  I was at the corner of 4th and Runnels streets and drew in part of the old R70 theatre, Lumbre bar & grill, and deserted Poncho's News and tobacco shop.  The scene would not be believable without the inclusion of the pesky pigeons seen high and low everywhere.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2018

Trumpet of the Lord ~ Happy Easter

22x15 watercolor on Italia acquerello 140 lb cold press paper, painted several years ago. The angel was actually cemetery statuary so I removed its base and portrayed the figure as if floating in clouds.  Hope everyone had a happy Easter Sunday!
COPYRIGHT 2010 Kay Smith.