Saguaro Spirit

22x15 watercolor on Saunders Waterford 140 lb cold press paper and Daniel Smith paints done end of April. Notified yesterday from Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS) in Dallas that my redo of Shasta Daisies has won an award! I drew various cactus shapes over the original daisies then developed the composition. Juror at the SWS 63rd exhibition currently showing is Stephen Zhang. Thank you, Stephen, and SWS! COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Tucson Towers Cactus

6x6 acrylics on sketchbook page done earlier in the month, an imaginary desert scene in Arizona. I was trying to use up excess paint so brushed it on this paper then developed the tall saguaro design. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Saguaro Sun Flowers

22x15 watercolor redo of an earlier painting entitled Odessa Sunflowers. With this endeavor, I've placed cactus line drawings on tracing paper over the image then drew those lines painting in and around the new shapes. This one was done on 140 lb Kilimanjaro cold press paper back in May. Original piece was a demo done for the Odessa Art Association in April 2015. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Twisted Cactus

16x20 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done in early May. This one was a newly sketched cactus scene over an older magnolia painting. With this redo, I was focusing on various grasses and weeds surrounding the cactus base. I've used graphite watercolors along with Daniel Smith paints. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Summer Saguaro

36x24 watercolor and acrylic on watercolor canvas, done last month before all the art shows started. With this simple design the elegant desert saguaro shows off its multicolored self along with its sharp pointed cactus thorns. The cactus itself is watercolor and background is acrylic over watercolor. Using an old credit card, I pulled acrylics down from the top to bottom. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Prickly Perspective

22x18.5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Langton Prestige paper by Daler Rowney. Painted in November 2025 using Daniel Smith pigments, this unusual saguaro cactus perspective draws in the viewer. I enjoy the orange sky background for a citrus twist. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Prickly Parfait Cactus

22x15 acrylics on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper done last September, a fantasy cactus scene emphasizing the color pink and other pastel hues. A glorification of the dry arid desert flora. This painting SOLD last week during my Lincoln County Art Loop event in Alto, NM. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Prickly Pink Saguaro

15x11 watercolor on Grumbacher 140 lb cold press paper done first week of June, another imaginary cactus in my series of desert plants. I added shapes and colors to the background to mimic other saguaros surrounding the main one. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Saguaro Bouquet

5.75x5 mixed media collage on matboard done a few weeks ago as a quick mini demo. In this imaginary desert cactus the saguaro takes on its own flowering top as a fancy bouquet. I've used markers, acrylics, India ink, watercolor, and paper to create this fun fantasy floral. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Cracked Cactus Pot

9x6 watercolor and ink using Winsor Newton grey fine liner pen on Canson 117 lb cold press paper done last of May. This is a simple line and wash exercise using a prickly pear cactus in clay cracked pot. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Pristine Prickly Petals

10x8 watercolor done last of December on Canson 117 lb cold press paper using Gansai Tambi graphite paints (made in Japan). These delicate white petals blooming on a prickly pear cactus are so pristine. Always a pleasure to paint cactus art. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Rock Prickly Pear

4x3 acrylics on flat rock done last month, another 3D art creation featuring cactus on rocks and in landscapes. I enjoyed this close up of a prickly pear with its spikes or thorns. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Rock Saguaro

4x2 acrylics on a river rock that was cleaned, prepped, then painted with a desert saguaro scene. With this 3D miniature I tried to show the excitement of the desert foliage. This was done last day of October. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Precious Prickly Pear

6x6 mixed media on 80 lb sketchbook paper done yesterday. Media used: multilead colored Magic pencils to sketch, watercolor with White Nights paints, acrylics, Caran D'Ache Neocolors watersoluble crayons, and black Sharpie ultra fine point. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Sunset Cactus in Pot

8.5x2.75 watercolor on Canson 117 lb cold press paper done in August, another vertical painting that is handy as a bookmark or framed as wall art. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Patchwork Pricklies

Patchwork Pricklies 12x12 acrylic on wc paper done last month, another remake or rework of a painting I was not too fond of, to create something new and exciting. The original as seen below was in an online abstract class. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025 BEFORE

Tall Cactus with Golden Background

8.5x2.75 watercolor done on Canson 117 lb cold press paper in August; this vertical art can be framed and matted as is or can be used as a fancy bookmark. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

August Cactus

9x3 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done last month, a miniature imaginative cactus that could be framed or used as a bookmark. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Saguaro Song

9x12 acrylics over an older abstract done in 2020, another in my reworked series done the last of August. This is on 140 lb cold press paper. Stay tuned for more exciting cactus art desert scenes. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Cactus Floral Shapes

9x6 mixed media using mostly acrylic and colored pencil over an older watermedia made with stencils done in 2021. This redo or rework is fun after drawing cactus shapes in colored pencil over the original. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025 Original Floral Shapes is below for comparison.