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

Prairie Clouds and Cows

9x12 watercolor on Crescent sketchbook paper done last week of March, an imaginary scene featuring stormy looking clouds over a small group of cows grazing. This is mostly monochromatic hues of browns. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith

Hilarious Holstein

8x8 watercolor on gessoed Italia 140 lb cold press sketched in pencil then painted with Daniel Smith pigments. Some areas of the cow's black markings were sprinkled with salt for texture. Mostly I used a #1 rigger/script liner brush and had forgotten how fun it is to work on gessoed surfaces. COPYRIGHT 2022 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

Till the Cows Come Home

8.25x5.25 mixed media in junk journal done recently using watercolor, Brusho, 0.5 STA Lictin pen, gel pen, and gouache of these country Holstein cows waiting to come home. I always liked that phrase. Collage elements are a grocery receipt from H.E.B. and a torn scrap of paper. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Two Holstein Cows

9.5x7 mixed media on paper painted today over a realistic pencil sketch. India ink was used with a chopstick to apply color to the black areas.  Watercolor for eyes, noses, the land, and shadows. Montana markers in blue and green used for sky and grass.  Number 23 is my birthday number.  Touches of white gouache put in eyes.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Lamesa Longhorn

4x6 watercolor and white gouache done last week over a magazine card from New Mexico publication. This old fellow lives north of Lamesa, TX on the Stevens place.  When we drive by he is usually resting like this and was when I shot the photo a few years ago.  Now he has another longhorn for company there.
COPYRIGHT 2019 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.

Feedlot Cows

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.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.
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Thai Cows

6x8.5 watercolor and ink tip pen on ColorSketch paper done recently from a WetCanvas weekend drawing event featuring Thailand scenes.  I loved these unusual looking cows walking along with soft greenery in the background.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Dairy Farm Cows

6x6 watercolor and Micron 01 ink drawing on Masters paper, drawn this morning then painted later on for my daily work.  Love any black and white animals; such fun to paint high contrast, and these imaginary Holsteins are no exception.  For the sky, I'm using a new paint Cheap Joe's makes, Blue Bice, American Journey brand that I just got and sure do like its cool shades.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Cowabunga cows

15x22 watercolor and ink on Italia 140 lb soft press paper using 3 color limited palette:  Quinacridone burnt orange, ultramarine blue, and Peachy Keen painted today.  I drew them first in pencil, then added black India ink sparingly, then applied paint wet on dry.

Cows at the Farm

15x22 watercolor on 300 lb cold press paper, begun yesterday then finished after work this evening. This scene is on our home place between Ackerly and Vealmoor TX and I photographed this cute brown calf et al years ago but never painted it. You can see the old cement stock tank in the background and of course dust everywhere. I especially liked the long evening shadows from the animals' bodies across the picture plane foreground. Fence posts were negatively painted and Daniel Smith pigments were used.  Splattering was done to indicate rocks, hoofprints, and debris in the foreground.

Cow Skull

15x11 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper of an old cowskull I photographed on my brother's ranch in O'Donnell, TX. It was propped against a tree and had rocks below and beside it. Daniel Smith paints used: Quinacridone burnt orange, quin gold and magenta, raw sienna, UB, aureolin, and Carbazole violet, all done wet on dry. Yesterday I drew it and today painted it. These icons of western art always sell pretty quickly.

Three Cows - a daily painting

Another daily painting from my trip this week of three lovely cows going off together, done in watercolor, 5x7 on hot press Fabriano paper and Winsor Newton travel kit paints.  So many of these animals have had a very bad year with the continous drought here in Texas.  Pray for rain!

Holy Cow!

22x30 acrylic over failed cherub painting, hence the title. This is a WetCanvas! challenge to paint in a style or colors you're not used to, so it was quite difficult with large flat shapes. A Netherlands cow of Connie van Winssen was the ref used and it was in the middle of a green field with a city skyline behind, so I enlarged it and took out all the rest.

More Work on Bison Herd

Realizing the herd needed more cows I added two more today one at the front of the line and one bringing up the rear. I softened more edges and glazed the sky area with raw sienna + Coastal Fog.

Stock Market

15x22 watercolor demo done today in Snyder. I used Saunders 140 lb CP paper with American Journey paints and Daniel Smith.

Tintern Abbey Cows, Wales UK

11x15 watercolor from my May 2010 photo taken in Wales of these cows grazing next to the famous abbey.

Thunderstorm

22x30 watercolor on Saunders 140 lb cold press, painted on 16 October at Frank Francese's workshop, Lubbock Texas. An imaginary scene, it was done using 2" brush, American Journey paints on dry paper, no pencil drawn shapes, layering color on top of color quickly in about 2 hours. The subject is actually the clouds not the buildings or cows.