Pear Abstraction

12x9 acrylics on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done last week or so. I took a pear painting then put in Photoshop under Artistic and cut out filters. This effect simplifies and consolidates detail, shapes and values in a useful way. Using the process can help those who have trouble "seeing" to begin looking beyond the ordinary. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Painted Indian Pony

22x30 acrylics over older abstract that is now reworked and is more pleasing to me. In this imaginary native American decorated war horse I've let the design speak for itself. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Checkerboard Grasshopper

6x6 watercolor in Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done last week using the square grid as background pattern for the grasshopper insect. Ref courtesy WetCanvas ref image library. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Fluffy Cat with Orange Markings

8x6 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper by Masters Touch, a cat pet portrait done earlier in the week. I only had a black and white photo of this unknown kitty so had to imagine its markings. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Daisy Bee

6x6 watercolor and ink line in Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done last week for an online challenge featuring insects on flowers or plants. I chose the bee exploring a daisy and used STA Lictin 0.2 pen to draw it. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Checkerboard Northern Saw-whet Owl

6x6 watercolor using White Nights paints on Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done week before last. I used some of my saw-whet owl photos then added squares behind the bird for a pattern and painted those light green. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Lemons in Blue Bowl

6x6 watercolor using White Nights paints on Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done week before last. As part of a WetCanvas challenge we had 2 hours to choose and paint our chosen image. Ref courtesy reference image library on WetCanvas. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Glad About It

6x8 watercolor using White Nights paints on Fluid 100, 140 lb hot press paper, another white gladiolus bloom. This was a short demo done for new students in Alto, NM, who were eager to learn how to do direct painting wet on dry with darks first. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2024

Crescent Moon

5.5x8.5 watercolor using White Nights paints on Canson 117 lb cold press paper done last weekend for a landscape challenge online. In this endeavor, we were given only one word, no photo refs and that word was 'moon'. My sky was supposed to be darker so these are not clouds behind the crescent moon. Instead of using a masking fluid I simply cut out a crescent shape from a round sticky label. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Checkerboard Star Cat

6x6 watercolor using Rosa paints made in Ukraine recently done on Masters Touch 80 lb. sketchbook paper. Using my photo of a friend's almost white cat, Star, squares were put in the background then painted down into her face. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2024.

Checkerboard Chicken

6x6 watercolor and black Brusho on Masters Touch 80 lb paper sketchbook done last week, another class exercise in color and pattern. Micron 01 pen used to draw the hen. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2024

Thirsty Bluetit Bird

6x6 watercolor and Brusho done last week of a thirsty blue tit or bluetit bird. I've used this same photo and painted the bird larger the first time. I wanted to see how Brusho would do on 80 lb sketchbook paper by Masters Touch. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Club Heads

15x11 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done last week, a golf still life of club heads in a bag. I painted a similar one years ago using personal clubs and bag. With this painting I've added a driver or two more, a putter, and a background golf course and trees. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Brown Chicken Collage

5.5x7.5 mixed media on mat board completed around first of the month using watercolor cut pieces and other paper using mat medium. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Checkerboard Cat

6x6 watercolor on Masters Touch sketchbook paper 80 lb, done first of April, using one of my previous cat's photo. The young calico has been painted by me at least 3 times. I've used Rosa paints made in Ukraine, and this technique was a class lesson in the use of squares in a composition. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Joe's Toucan

8x5.5 watercolor and ink in new junk journal which is actually an old book written in the 1940s. Ref used courtesy of Joe, online host for animal art/WetCanvas. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Tossed Tulips

4x11 watercolor on Canson XL 140 lb cold press done last of March, drawing and painting from life, my silk tulips, just in time to see real ones blooming. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Calicos on Cat Tree

9x7 watercolor of another artist's calico cats on their cat tree done last part of March as another online WetCanvas challenge for the weekend. One has more tortoiseshell markings than the other. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

March Saguaro Madness

9x7 mixed media on 140 lb cold press wc paper done last month. After initial sketch using colored pencils, I used watercolors, Stabilo woody pencils, white gel pen, STA Lictin 0.3 ink pen, ink stamp. This is an imaginary cactus saguaro. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Anna's Hummer in Spring

8x8 watercolor using White Nights paints on Canson 117 lb cold press, done last month. In this spring bird art, I've tried to introduce pastel hues to indicate the new season. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Early White Poppy

5.5x8.5 watercolor using White Nights paints on Canson 117 lb cold press paper done about mid-March. Flipping through my dozens of poppy photos I came across this white beauty that had not been painted yet. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Springtime Cosmos

12x9 watercolor using Rosa paints made in Ukraine on Fabriano 140 lb hot press paper, done last week of March. I sketched and painted these delicate cosmos flowers from life using a silk bouquet in the studio. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Onion Shadow

6×8 watercolor using Rosa paints made in Ukraine on 140 lb cold press Masters Touch paper; I loved the darks and neutrals in this one that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Simple onion vegetable still life says a lot. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Winter White Amaryllis

8x8 watercolor using Daniel Smith paints on Mastes Touch premium 140 lb cold press paper done last month. I was flitting through my amaryllis references and thought this one needed to be painted before spring. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Great Tit Collage

5.5x7.5 mixed media on matboard done in March, another WetCanvas endeavor; ref courtesy of WDE host. Cut papers including decorative patterns were used along with watercolor. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Sunflower Petals in the Wind Woven

9x12 watercolor using two almost identical paintings from my sunflower photo done last month. To create a woven piece such as this you must paint a pair of duplicate works. Then cut one in vertical strips and the other in horizontal strips which are woven as one piece. I adhered the back to another 9x12 sheet of Canson 140 lb cold press then matted and framed. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Bells of San Xavier

15x11 acrylics on 140 lb cold press wc paper done last month using one of my photos of the old mission south of Tucson, AZ. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

March Lily

9x7 watercolor on Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done last month, another floral study of a lily. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith