Wash Day on Yupo

15x11 watercolor on synthetic paper Yupo of a country house with the laundry wash on the clothesline, an imaginary scene that says all is quiet out in the rural area.  I placed a large tree to the left and other foliage behind the white farm house with a lush green grass lawn in the foreground.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Bluejay at the Feeder

12x9 mixed media on Canson 140 lb cold press paper completed a few days ago, ref courtesy WetCanvas.com where the bird was featured in a timed 2 hour event.  A popular event every weekend an artist host will provide images for whoever wants to participate and they have a 2 hour time limit to select one and paint it.  I used a backing sheet of various marks in acrylic, ink, and watercolor, then sketched the bluejay.  Watercolor and Montana acrylic markers in yellows and blues were applied to the background for a unique abstract look.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Firefly

7.5x9 watercolor done last week for another online challenge featuring this illuminating insect.  Image courtesy USDA.  Black sky is a mix of alizarin crimson and thalo green applied wet in wet.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Brusho Bouquet in Jar

9x6.5 Brusho watercolor crystals and watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done this afternoon using no pencil sketch or reference, only a few colors and a large round brush.  Flowers in a jar are always carefree and country and these are an explosion of light.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Flaming Parrot Tulip

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb Saunders cold press paper, a wet in wet approach to this lovely frilly open tulip from one of my photos.  With floral art I like to explore all angles and take unusual viewpoints when setting up the composition such as this macro view.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Sleepy Cat Nap

7x9.5 watercolor on Ecosystem sketchbook done over the past few days of a sleeping or napping cat with the same markings as my Midge has.  I used White Nights paints and mixed the blacks using Indigo Blue, Sepia, green, and carmine.
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Wild Goldfish

6x6 watercolor over Pigma Micron 01 ink sketch I painted before while in Arizona.  Painting time was very quick using no color reference, just pure artistic impulse or intuition.
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Indian Rocks Beach

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink, using Micron 01 pen on Masters paper, a beach scene adapted from a local brochure painted while on vacation at the fun Florida beach in 2014.
COPYRIGHTKay Smith 2014.

Pelican on the Pier

10.5x6.75 mixed media on paper done over this past weekend using crayon, Tombow burnt sienna brush pen nib, watercolor, walnut ink, and charcoal.  For an online challenge we had 2 hours to choose an image and paint it.  These oft-overlooked birds are common around water and I've always loved to paint or sketch them in their comical ways.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

July Watermelon

9x12 watercolor still life I set up then photographed of a ripe red one on white paper plates complete with spoon, salt and pepper although we never use seasoning.  All is sitting on lightweight bamboo lap tray.  In the photo, I had a newspaper with July 4th ads showing underneath, but when painting decided to eliminate text and just put in dark blue lines.  Maybe now it is a tablecloth! I cut this melon up and served with balsamic vinegar/blood orange sprinkled with feta cheese.  Note the melon's reflections in the silver spoon.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Lazybones Cat

9x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper completed today of a lazy orange and white tabby cat who just woke up and is not pleased.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Garden Tools and Flowers

12x12 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Masters paper completed today of a garden still life complete with a butterfly.  The old yellow chair holds a watercan of tools while the blue metal can holds freshly cut annuals and flowering tree blooms.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Stray Calico Cat

6x9 watercolor I painted awhile back of a beautiful stray calico cat resting on a bench; she belonged to another artist who hosted an online painting challenge.  This is a single direct paint application.
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Bashful Burro

8.25x5.25 mixed media in my junk journal done a few days ago using no reference.  With brown and black Tombow brush pens the outline was sketched onto an already watercolor and ink (India and walnut) marked page. The book was published in 1950.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Prairie Coneflowers ~ Mexican Redhats

8x8 watercolor on Masters 140 lb cold press paper completed today from my Mexican redhat wildflower photos.  This beauty can be seen along roadsides and vacant lots and is also known as the common prairie coneflower with either red, dark red, or yellow 'skirts'.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

America's Bird ~ the Bald Eagle

8x8 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper completed today for an online challenge featuring the bald eagle, America's symbol of freedom.  As this raptor flies over its territory I wonder what it thinks as it looks below. Photo courtesy USDA.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Tomato Harvest

11x6 watercolor on Italia Magnani 140 lb cold press paper finished yesterday of my ripening tomatoes on the vine.  I might pick the green one, slice it thinly, then fry it. 
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Fortune Teller

9.5x7 mixed media in Ecosystem sketchbook done over this past weekend for another drawing event on WetCanvas; photo courtesy Li Newton.  To me, this Tainos woman looked as if she'd like to rob someone or cast a spell.  Or maybe she was just tired of tourists.  The double ring in her nose was heavy and pulled it down.  I used Micron 01 pen to sketch, then watercolor, colored markers, white gouache, and white oil pastels.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Beach Beverage

5x7.75 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper painted over this past weekend from an online miniature painting challenge.  I love the shadow the drink cast upon the sunlit beach sand and the distant water.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Frog Patterns ~ finished

5x7.5 ink sketch with watercolor using White Nights paints on old book text page started last week.  I love the first sentence of the first chapter "I'm NOT the pretty sister".  Jeremiah is his name.  Cool blues and greens as a background and some on his face completes the cute amphibian while tans and browns color his patterned skin.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Frog Patterns

5x7.5 ink sketch on old book text page using Micron 05 pen done on Monday this week.  I love the first sentence of the first chapter "I'm NOT the pretty sister", as it seems to fit the subject.  I will be adding color to the frog so stay tuned.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Bookworm

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb hot press Lanaquarelle paper done previously of another artist's cat, who had his own shelf at the local library.  A big fluffy longhaired fellow, he seems right at home there with the surrounding books, peace and quiet.  Perfect for a catnap.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Fresh Lilies

5x6 watercolor on Masters 140 lb cold press paper completed last weekend, a grouping of white lilies another artist shared with us to paint in watermedia. This is a direct application of the medium with no repeated glazes or washes.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Kinky Sunflower

12x9 watercolor over ink line (Micron 01 pen) on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper in mixed media journal done over the past weekend.  Deciding on a warm color scheme I used the following exercise where you choose a color then paint three shapes with it of small, medium, and large using the paint color only once.  Mix some together if you have to and you can use 1-2 cool accents.  I did not include any patterning using a gold felt tip marker (for warm themed work, silver for cool) but might add later.  There were more yellows, golds, oranges and reds in the paint drawer than I thought I had.  Inspiration photo and initial ink sketch are below.

COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Stalker Cat

12x9 watercolor on Fluid 140 lb cold press paper.  Fluid is made in USA in Kansas City, MO., and is quite like working on velvet. I had a cat with similar coloring to this one named Taco Belle, a Maine Coon.
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July Llama

2.5x3.5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done over the past weekend, a miniature of another artist's black llama.  Using a limited palette of quinacridone gold, ultramarine blue, and alizarin crimson this handsome fellow was painted in under 2 hours.  An abstract background was added for green foliage grasses.
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Sunlit Cyclamen

16x12 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper completed over this past holiday weekend, a potted cyclamen in a sunny spot, from one of my cyclamen photos.
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California Poppy

16x12 watercolor on Italia Magnani 140 lb cold press paper completed yesterday, a macro view of a small golden yellow orange poppy, or California poppy.
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Patriotic Cockatoo ~ Happy 4th of July!

12x9 watercolor on Canson XL 140 lb paper for a previous online event.  WetCanvas had a patriotic challenge for USA artists so since the bird is white its beak had to be indigo blue.  Abstract background is a mix of thalo blue & green, alizarin crimson, ultramarine, Grumbacher red, and Blue Bice for the red, white & blue.  Splatters with Blue Bice and Grumbacher red. 
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Kids Zone

7x10 mixed media on Canson paper using pencil, Derwent Inktense, watercolor, and Conte' Pastels. These four young goats are a detail from a larger photo featuring many more, courtesy Oty/WetCanvas! I added a tail on the left kid and changed the background and foreground into a vignette.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith.

Little Sunflower Trio

5x7 mixed media (watercolor, acrylics, alcohol inks) on paper done last month of free form sunflowers using no reference and no pencil drawing beforehand.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith