October Black Hollyhocks

22x15 watercolor done on 140 lb cold press paper done first of October from one of my many hollyhock photos. I was especially proud of these so called black ones, which actually are a very deep reddish purple hue. Daniel Smith pigments were used to depict this realistic rendition of such lovely old fashioned blooms. Happy Black Friday!!! COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Hummer and Hollyhocks

8x8 watercolor using White Nights paints done on Saturday per customer request at our art tour. It is painted on Masters Touch Premium 140 lb paper using combination of three references including a previous black hollyhocks piece. This work is SOLD. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Black Hollyhock Towers

8.25x5.25 mixed media in junk journal done over the weekend. Media included collage across the top of the 1950's page, sketch of plants in multilead colored pencil, Brusho wc crystals in orange, and watercolor in this view of towering black hollyhocks. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Studio Black Hollyhocks

28x20 watercolor on Lanaquarelle 140 lb hot press paper completed yesterday.  These black hollyhocks grew along the classroom side of my studio along with pink, red, and white ones.  Many colors went into the deep purple almost black hue:  Quinacridones violet and magenta, permanent rose, alizarin crimson, carbazole violet, indigo, UB, thalo green and blue, etc.  Since the blooms were transparent for the most part I used opaques for the background:  Periwinkle, Mint Julep, and Peachy Keen (American Journey).
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Three Black Hollyhocks

5.5x3 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper painted this afternoon quickly, brush only, so no pre-drawing with pencil and fretting over the lines.  I used a #12 round brush and the same alizarin crimson + thalo green combination for the black color.  The bottom blooms have quinacridone violet and UB along with a touch of carbazole violet in this imaginary old-fashioned garden.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Black Hollyhocks and White Roses

7x5.5 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper, an imaginary garden flower scene in prepping today for a very large one of just black hollyhocks I'm getting ready to paint.  Mixed blacks were done using quinacridone violet, UB, quin magenta, permanent rose, carbazole violet, and indigo.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Midnight Hollyhocks

8x8 watercolor on Italia 140 lb. cold press paper done yesterday from some photos taken at one of the casinos in Ruidoso, NM, where the hollyhocks are still in bloom.  Love the black hollyhocks and thought they'd look super with a coral background, a permanent rose and orange mix.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Hollyhocks Over the Fence

5 3/4 x 7 watercolor, an imaginary made up scene of multicolored hollyhocks spilling over white picket fence posts.

Black Beauty

30x22 watercolor from the studio black hollyhocks, so dramatic and ever the swashbucklers of the garden. This one is SOLD.