Botanical Hydrangea commission

12x9 watercolor over ink line on Canson 140 lb cold press, painted last week, one of two commissions.  Background was painted to resemble old cream colored parchment paper.  This work is SOLD.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

At La Lorraine

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Arches paper, the front of a French restaurant in Ruidoso, New Mexico that is no longer in business.  They had wonderful French cuisine and atmosphere and am sure lots of followers of this blog will remember its ambience and decor.  I painted a demo of this place later for a class.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Bonnie's Hollyhocks

5x6 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper, sketched today using watercolor pencils.  Floral hollyhocks reference of artist Bonnie in Canada.  Part of the online challenge was to use a limited palette of 3 colors so I used manganese blue, permanent rose, and Naples yellow by Daniel Smith paints.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

House of Worship

8x6 watercolor in Stillman & Birn sketchbook, Zeta series, done over last weekend for another online WetCanvas challenge.  I love the church spire and steeple silhouette against the sunset sky.  The turmoil in the sky adequately reflects the mood of the world towards Christian worship today while the house of worship stands tall and steadfast.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Bouquet and Navy Blue Wall

6x4 mixed media on glossy photo paper completed today. Yesterday I used various colors of oil pastels to sketch loosely some unknown flowers in a clear green vase.  Alcohol inks were added by dropper and wooden chopstick.  Lastly I used acrylics in bright yellow for some tiny blooms and centers.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

May Carnation

8x6 watercolor on Stillman & Birn paper (Zeta series) done over this past weekend using no photo ref for an online floral challenge.  I've mixed all the hot analogous colors it the carnation's petals using White Nights paints.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Tulip Tapestry

15x22 watercolor over a weekend, a totally imaginary Spring scene.  I had a new nursery garden catalog which had a tulip with these dark blue/purple centers inside green topped with brilliant reds, called 'poppy tulips'.  Butterflies or moths circle gently over the tulip garden against the stark white background.  Support used 140 lb cold press paper.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Hunter Hawk

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted  as part of an online challenge.  It is done wet on dry with a fairly limited palette in a direct painting method.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Sunflower House

6x6 watercolor and ink on Masters paper.  I had previously drawn this scene in my sketchbook but never did any more work on it.  The stylized look of the sunflowers or poppies gives the imaginary house a fresh appeal.  With high temps daily now we are all ready for flowers, sunshine, and blue skies.
COPYRIGHT  Kay Smith.

Faucet Cat

5.5x8 mixed media on paper in Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media.  Starting with a black Tombow brush pen I lightly sketched in outlines of the cat's head, faucet, and water stream.  Watercolor was added last to pull the composition together including reflections in the metal.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Summer Peaches

15x11 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper.  I love the blue and white kitchen towel, the white tall bowl and the sunny imaginary foliage outside the window.  Shadows and reflections of each shape cause bounce light to occur thus creating color nuances most people don't see.
COPYRIGHT  Kay Smith.

Fat Blue Vase of Blooms

10x8 mixed media on paper finished today, painting with a background of alcohol inks overlaid with acrylics. The mass of blooms tumbling out of the blue vase consists of daisies, tulips. blackeyed susans, and many other colored shapes.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Winter Chickadee

9.5x7 mixed media in Ecosystem sketchbook done week before last for another online event which I am hosting.  Sketched in hard charcoal, I used watercolor pencils for the color then Brusho watercolor crystals for the background in this wildlife nature scene of a black-capped chickadee.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Whiskey Glass

4.75x3.75 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press painted this weekend, another in my glass practice pieces.  This alcoholic beverage has it all:  Ice cubes, reflections, and booze.  There was a glass bottle to the right of it that contained whiskey but I omitted it when sketching.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Blue Vase in Window

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper sketched and painted yesterday for a timed 2 hour event on WetCanvas.com.  Participants have to select an image then finish within the time frame allowed. I liked the simplicity of the blue vase and its stem of floral berries plus the interesting building behind.  Reference courtesy of their reference image library.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

A Bearded Iris

15x11 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper.  This pure white iris with its purple frilly edges shines bright in my artist's garden surrounded by warm colors of violet, magenta, orange, red, and gamboge.  Its fiery red orange center seems to be burning hot in spring sunshine.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Catching Minnows

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper completed today of two young boys with their minnow jar, ready to use for bait with fishing on a nice sunny summer day.  Landscape scenery is imaginary and the figures are from a very old black and white photo.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Blue Vase of Blooms

6x4 mixed media completed today that was a disastrous alcohol inks image first before adding imaginary vase and various blooms in acrylics.  I used a 1" flat foam house painting brush only.  Red areas are more magenta looking in real life.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Spindalis - Stripe Headed Tanager

8x8 watercolor on 140 lb Magnani cold press paper painted a few days ago based on my sighting of one of these birds or at least it was one that looked like a tanager.  Not hard to miss them with their bold coloring feather patterns.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Ollie dog

6.25x9 watercolor over black felt tip pen sketch done over the weekend of Ollie, Li Newton's dog, who is part border collie.  They were at a picnic when her photo was taken.  Painting is done on Lanaquarelle 140 lb hot press paper and is featured in the current weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Aloe Vera

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago, a sketch from life.  This succulent plant has so many great uses of its fabulous leaves and I have several varieties.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Shrew

5x7.5 watercolor painted last week in my moleskine for watercolor sketchbook done for the Facebook page All Animals Watercolor May challenge.  This small creature resembles and is often mistaken for a mole but has a long snout.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

April Abstract

2.75x3.75 acrylics on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper done last month using leftover paint on a 1" sponge brush in this abstract miniature painting.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Time for Cardinals

4.75x2.75 alcohol inks, watercolor, and ink on abstract multicolored background done last month. The cardinal outline fit well within the red splotches of color already on the 140 lb cold press Canson paper.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Bizarre Blooms

9x6 alcohol inks, and oil pastels on paper done last week for fun.  First I sketched floral outlines with different colored pastels then added inks.  The outlines kept ink from flowing out for the most part.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Stately Saguaro

4.75x3.25 alcohol inks and watercolor on Saunders 300 lb cold press paper painted yesterday. In this miniature southwestern scene I did a pulled image first by putting the paper on top of a wet alcohol ink piece then lifting it up. This gave a nice orangey glow to it. A saguaro cactus was sketched in pencil then painted with a mixed olive green watercolor. Finallly tiny blooms were added with a white gel pen in this imaginary desert.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Western Sparrow

6x12 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper painted yesterday for an online challenge.  In this nature wildlife scene I've put in negatively painted tree branches surrounding the plain little sparrow. An abstract underpainting was done using two colors first.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Kitchen Tulips

4x3.5 acrylics and watercolor on paper painted last week in an effort to use up leftover paint, so hope these imaginary blooms in an old canning jar make your day.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Saturday HIbiscus

7x10 alcohol inks on paper, an abstract floral I did back in February.  A yellow and pinkish red bloom are taking center stage in this composition.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Baby Porcupine

4.75x6 watercolor on paper, a backing sheet used under other works, a baby stickler for sure, so cute, painted last month.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

May Day Garden Bench

12x12 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper painted today for one of my online events I hosted.  This old bench has seen better days; sunshine and rain have weathered its former glory.  Pink petunias and geraniums along with small blue flowers flank its front.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith