Grazing

6x6 acrylics on paper in sketchbook by Master's Touch (80 lb), an imaginary farm or ranch scene with cows doing what they do best. No refs used for this landscape. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Cloudy Day at the Farm

Cloudy Day at the Farm 6x6 watercolor and white gouache over gessoed paper in Masters Touch sketchbook done latter part of July, an imaginary scene of a farm landscape. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2024

Bodacious Bovine

6x6 watercolor on Masters Touch 80 lb paper done last week, another imaginary contemporary cow painting focusing on colors not ordinarily seen in livestock cattle. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Buffalo Sunset

15x15 acrylics on 140 lb cold press Canson paper, done last week using an acrylic abstract I'd done before as a background. This reminded me of a sunset and the buffalo's profile was a good idea to place over that design. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Springtime Cow

7.25 x 3.5 mixed media on paper done last week using Micron 01 pen, watercolor (White Nights paints), gel pen, black India ink. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Feedlot

9x10 ink and watercolor cows featuring one of them with the number 7 on her forehead, and her friends at the feedlot, done with black Tombow brush pen on hot press sketchbook paper. I've omitted the other cows and extra background clutter and worked from a black and white photocopy. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Texas Longhorn Herd

12x12 watercolor on Masters 140 lb cold press paper done last week from multiple photos taken of a herd in Scurry County several years ago. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Longhorn Statue

5.5x5.5 mixed watermedia on 140 lb cold press paper done recently in Arteza sketchbook, sketched from a metal longhorn sculpture. I cropped out the rest of its body to focus on the head area. I used Brusho, watercolor, Inktense pencils, and gouache. Ref courtesy WetCanvas! COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Bleached Cow Skull

12x6 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper started yesterday then finished today from an old bleached cow skull hanging on the wall. I liked its dramatic shadows so sketched it in a narrow format for a southwest still life. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Greener Pastures

11x14 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper, a calf who was staring out at his green pasture from one of many livestock photos.  Spring has already begun for this Hereford fellow and now on to the next patch of tasty grass.  Lots of rain so far this year for cattle owners.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Charolais Cow

15x22 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper completed today of same cow painted earlier and  reworked.  Lots of value challenges with this one!
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Mad Cow

10.25x9 mixed media on paper, another in my weird cow series. Media used: Watercolor, Staedtler Calligraph Duo 3.5mm pen, white gelly roll ink pen, black India ink, light blue Montana acrylic marker (background), and white gouache.Working from black and white photocopy all color is imaginary for this Hereford.   I tried to keep the values correct and put small bursts of colors here and there such as ultramarine blue and cadmium orange for this whimsical farm animal.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith.

Cow Conference

5x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today as part of an animals forum online monthly challenge.  These three Holsteins appear to be in conference out in the pasture.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Larry's Longhorn

6x8 watercolor and ink contour line drawing in Stillman & Birn Zeta series sketchbook done recently.  This steer belongs to fellow artist Jo's brother Larry.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

How Now Brown Cow ~ ACEO

2.5x3.5 watercolor and ink on collaged book paper done recently, an art card edition original of a brown milk cow lying down.  I used a STA Lictin 0.3 pigment liner/black ink to draw.  Actual miniature size is posted below.  (Ref courtesy Maria/WetCanvas)
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Brown Calf and Cow

5x7 ink sketch on Bristol cropped at that size on a 9x12 sheet.  Tombow black brush pen was used to put in darks first followed by a rigger brush dipped in water to make the grey areas; white is the white of the paper.  I loved the long cast shadows the cattle made in my original photograph.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

#InkTober day 11 ~ New Mexico Longhorn

4x6 watercolor and ink using Uniball Vision Elite pen on magazine card for the 11th day of worldwide #InkTober challenge.  Here I've used a brown and white steer seen on our trip last week to New Mexico. 
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Approaching Storm

22x30 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press paper finished today.  An imaginary family farm complete with red barn and outbuildings sit on one side of a vast grazing ground while cows ignore the rain and approaching storm clouds.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

California Cow - (demo) Midland TX Worshop/Day 26 of 30 Challenge

24x18 acrylics on canvas that was today's lesson for my Palette Club workshop in Midland, TX.  We used palette knives to apply thick applications of paint, lifting paint, scraping back, then overall enhancing colors.  My photo was of a black and white Holstein that is now red and white.  I've done two other variations of it.  Look closely in its right ear (our left), and in lower right where I've stamped California in red orange using an old strawberry plastic basket cut up for stencils.

Here are some of the painters hard at work:  L to R Dee Kemp, Somita Fekete, Alicia from Houston, Mary Tucci, and Nancy Henderson.


Since 9-1-15, I've posted daily works on Leslie Saeta's #30paintingsin30days challenge she hosts annually on her blog Slices of Life you can see HERE.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Longhorn Lope

7.5x5 watercolor and ink (Staedtler Lumocolor pen) on Moleskine for watercolor sketchbook paper.  In May I found longhorns in a Snyder, TX pasture and this one was kicking up his heels in a fast lope.  I always enjoy painting the University of Texas mascot.

Also since last Tuesday 9-1-15, I've posted daily works on Leslie Saeta's #30paintingsin30days challenge she hosts annually on her blog Slices of Life you can see HERE.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.