Long-eared Owl in Intaglio Dry Point

7x5 with 4x3 artwork on Strathmore printing paper using watercolor with ink. In an Intaglio dry point process this owl was created. Last night I prepared him by creating with a sharp tool, lines on plastic, coating with ink to fill the lines, rubbing off, then running thru a Sizzix embossing machine that acts as a printer. Two prints were made and this one is the second, or ghost print. Using a #1 rigger or script liner brush, colors were added wet on dry today. Ref photo was from Birds and Blooms magazine. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Spring Aspens

9.5x7 watercolor done today in Ecosystem sketchbook over a pencil sketch of aspen trees and branches seen on our last trip to the mountains. I mixed Coastal Fog and Titanium White gouache with other yellows and blues, even black, to get the various green shades. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Fruit Plate

22x15 watercolor on hot press 140 lb paper that I first coated with white gouache, then painted. This gives a nice softness to the colors in the fruit still life of pears, strawberries and blueberry muffins on antique china plates. Before the pear paint dried, I color-sanded colored pencil into it using fine grit sandpaper. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Chickadee and Forsythia

3.75x6.25 watercolor and gouache on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper sketched yesterday then painted today from my chickadee photos. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Parrot Tulip Petals

11x15 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press block painted last week. I used every red and pink plus magenta and violet and did mix some. Muted mixed greens for the abstract background. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Pink Owl

9x6 watercolor and ink line using STA Lictin .05 pen on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today; an abstract background made by using a marked backing sheet I put under smaller works. First I sketched in pencil then went over the lines with ink followed by paint. Lots of marks and other colors already on the paper led to the loose design. Yellow green added in spots for maximum contrast. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Abandoned New Mexico Structure

11x15 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on Strathmore 140 lb cold press block done last week. It took quite a long time to do the stippling marks in ink before applying paint, but this old building with its sun dried clay bricks mixed with grass (for strength) deserved some attention. As was the habit with these structures, they were mud-mortared then covered with mud and have stood the test of time. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Cattails and Wildflowers

11x6.5 watercolor on Winsor Newton 140 lb cold press paper sketched and painted today for another weekend drawing event on WetCanvas. Participants have 2 hours to select their choice of photos then paint. Ref courtesy of host Bonnie McBride of Canada. I combined her yellow wildflowers with cattails for a wildflower scene for her challenge. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Pink Strawberry

8.25x5.25 acrylics on gessoed junk journal page done today. Strips of washi tape can be seen on the side borders. A fun fruity piece to continue filling up the vintage book am using as art projects. Some are whimsical and some are realistic. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Bitterroot Bloom

11x15 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press block completed yesterday. These unusual flowers only grow in the Bitterroot Mountains in Montana. An underpainting using permanent rose and cerulean was applied first with a 1" flat brush then the painting was developed within the pencil sketch. I had manipulated and edited the photo colors to be more intense before beginning. This work is SOLD. Photo ref courtesy Rick Jackson. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Mountain Arts Ruidoso

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb Saunders cold press paper, a cropped storefront scene I photographed years ago in Ruidoso, NM. This was painted wet in wet and has favorite hollyhocks in red, and the work is SOLD. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Adobe Walls

15×22 watercolor on Fabriano rough 140 lb cold press paper done last week using a combo of photos plus imagination. I added purple sage, hollyhocks, and yucca plants to the imaginary adobe abode painting wet into wet with a 1″ flat sable synthetic brush. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Cottage Garden

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Saunders paper, an imaginary garden scene with its varied shadows and secrets. I first painted this in 2002 in a wet in wet manner so here it is again just in time for spring planting. It has shutters, picket fence, and hanging baskets, all that anyone needs. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Watercolor Sketch Ruby II

8x6 watercolor using brush only, done today from live model Ruby, a 10 minute sketch on Hahnemuhle grey tinted paper 95 lb. I used White Nights paints and a #12 round brush. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Daffodil Delight

10x11 watercolor and Brusho on Masters 140 lb cold press paper done today for a timed WetCanvas event. An underpainting of cerulean, arylide yellow, and permanent rose was placed on the paper with a 1" flat brush after it was wet. When dry I developed the daffodil's center with arylide and gamboge, then painted shadows on its white petals. Lastly, the background was applied using quinacridone gold, indigo, ultramarine blue, permanent rose. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Young Bird

5.5x5.5 watercolor on Arteza 110 lb paper in sketchbook done over this past weekend. Ref image courtesy WetCanvas. I liked how this very young bird had such tiny feathers and it seemed ready to face the world. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Cut Dahlias

9x6 watercolor and gouache on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago of some cut imaginary dahlias. I was covering up marks made testing out a student's art supplies and did apply a dahlia stencil over yellow and orange areas. I used my own vase of water for various shapes and colors. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Tiny Mission Town

3x6 watercolor on Canson 140 lb. cold press scrap paper done today; the paper had been used as a backing sheet so had Brusho and regular paint splatters on its surface. The various splotches seemed to indicate buildings so I sketched some shapes and shadows and lightly painted on roofs. Far left building's roof was already marked as was parts of the ladder and green for trees. Far right green window was a spot left untouched as was the main large white building shape and the warm color stairway. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Red-eyed Tree Frog

5.5x5.5 watercolor and ink using Micron 01 pen on Arteza 110 lb paper in sketchbook, done over the weekend. This was a timed WetCanvas event; ref. courtesy Pexel. Participants have 2 hours to select their image then do a painting. I used 45 minutes with White Nights paints. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Outdoor Cafe

5.5 x 5.5 watercolor on Arteza paper done yesterday after seeing an ad for umbrellas and patio bistro sets. Now I want one. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Floral Rain

22x15 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb hot press paper, Daniel Smith paints, an exercise in semi-abstraction. We are so starving for some garden color and for some rainfall. Flowers reign in floral rain! COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Ball Jar Zinnias

22x15 watercolor on Winsor Newton 140 lb cold press paper done using fresh zinnias awhile back. Stuck in a canning jar in front of a window this kitchen still life has a country charm. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Ruby Red Dog

12x9 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, drawn and painted in 2013 for a weekend drawing event on WetCanvas; photo courtesy of Gail Bowers. Ruby is Gail's dog and I tried to make her seem realistic. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Spiky Guy

8x6 watercolor limited palette on Hahnemuhle grey wc paper 110 lb./cold press done a few weeks ago for one of the Sktchy assignments. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Fat Redbreasted Robin

8x8 acrylics on gessoed foam core board done today, modeling the fat robin after ones in the front yard with spring tree blossoms. I used a lavender sky rather than the pale brown blowing sand we are used to seeing. A filbert #8 was used to paint this. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Native American Dancer

14x11 watercolor on smooth Yupo synthetic paper made from polypropylene done today using one of my dancer photos from an event held at our local VA several years ago. This woman was having such a great time showing us her colorful costume and the native ritual dance. This event was to highlight Native Americans during the month they did their program. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

April Magnolias

8x8 watercolor on Masters Premium 140 lb cold press paper done today after the sketch in pencil yesterday. So sad after our former neighbor cut her magnolia tree down since it was dead. These trees are not supposed to thrive in west Texas. Blooms were more pale pink in the photo so I've added fuchsia, permanent rose, transparent pyrrol orange, and Grumbacher red along with Orchid and quinacridone magenta by American Journey. Greens were a mix of quinacridone gold and ultramarine blue plus arylide yellow. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Roly Poly Chickadee

9x9 acrylics on gessoed foam core board completed yesterday from one of my earlier chickadee watercolors. Sides are all painted as well so no need for framing. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Miss Minerva Cat

5.5x5.5 watercolor on Arteza 110 lb. paper done today for a timed WetCanvas event. Ref courtesy of Maureen the host. Participants have 2 hours to select an image and paint it; this cat took less than one hour. Her sister's cat had its mottled pattern of colors then I put a lined squares design beside her then used a rubber stamp for a patterned wall. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Mr. Flamingo

8x8 acrylics on gessoed 3/8" foamcore board completed today. I'm working from my watercolor animals and cropping them to a square to paint these acrylic close ups using a #8 filbert bristle brush. Sides of the board are also painted with no framing necessary. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith