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

White and Red Hollyhocks

8.5x5.5 watercolor in mixed media sketchbook done from my own hollyhocks week before last. Always a joy to paint these tall, old fashioned flowers that seed themselves. Now I've planted some dark pink seeds and am hoping to see results next growing season. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

July Hollyhocks

8x5.25 watercolor on Moleskine paper done last days of July using White Nights paints and some of my white hollyhock photos. Where I was in New Mexico, the hollyhocks were still in bloom. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Little Bit of Hollyhock Heaven

15x11 watercolor recently painted again from an earlier version of pale pink hollyhocks from my studio garden. This was painted quickly and using lots of water. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Hollyhock Heaven

15x11 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, painted wet into wet from some of my hollyhock photo refs. I first painted this back in 1999. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2024

Lush Hollyhocks

5x7 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper begun on our last day of the trip then finished here in studio. Using my own hollyhocks for reference these lush blooms can warm up even the coldest day. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Sunsplashed Hollyhock

10.5x8 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done over last weekend using White Nights paints. I featured my photo reference on this month's Watermedia forum challenge on WetCanvas. The pink hollyhocks amongst other colors were grown in my studio backyard. Light values indicate strong sunshine on its leaves and darker values are present for cast shadows. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

White and Pink Hollyhocks

12x6 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today using one of my studio hollyhock photos from a few years ago. These fragile thin petals of the white ones showed me many colors of pale pinks and lavender as well as blue. The darker value shadows as seen behind the blooms makes them all the more unique. An abstract background was put in rather than the old house next door shingles. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Bonnie's Hollyhocks

5x6 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper, sketched today using watercolor pencils.  Floral hollyhocks reference of artist Bonnie in Canada.  Part of the online challenge was to use a limited palette of 3 colors so I used manganese blue, permanent rose, and Naples yellow by Daniel Smith paints.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

April Hollyhocks

6x3 watercolor miniature floral garden scene on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, brush only, begun yesterday and finished today.  In this imaginary view one can see windows behind the hollyhocks. Some of those tall, old fashioned blooms are double hollyhocks and some are single flowers.
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

Sunday Hollyhock

4.75x4 watercolor on 300 lb Saunders cold press paper done this afternoon, sketching with multilead Magic colored pencil first then painted wet in wet.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Hypnotic Hollyhocks

16x12 watercolor on 140 lb Arches cold press paper done this afternoon for a 2 hour timed online event. I managed to go over by 4 minutes.  The pristine white hollyhocks take center stage as they guard the garden. Look closely and you can see orange tiger lilies peeking through at center bottom.  The old fashioned, tall stately blooms never cease to put me into an hypnotic state almost.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Bright Yellow Hollyhocks

15x11 watercolor on Canson XL 140 lb paper done this afternoon.  Using a very tall pale yellow hollyhock by my front door area I quickly sketched the blooms in pencil then with small amounts of water put in the flower centers allowing paint to run and mingle. This is about 45 minutes as I was trying to outrun a thunderstorm and hail. Working from light to dark, I could keep going on it ad infinitum.  Negative painting with mixed darks was last.  For greens I mixed 1) Payne's Grey + quinacridone gold 2) aureolin yellow + ultramarine blue 3) green gold + indigo.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Hollyhock Reflections WIP

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper begun Monday as a work in progress and finished today.  For references I used my studio hollyhocks in white and palest yellow that can be seen in the photos below and initial shadow washes.  Some people have asked me to show beginning stages of a floral which always start with dark values.  In the left hand photo that is too dark to see details here, but paned windows are behind the bloom.  Looking through the window you can see a window inside the studio opposite wall north.  To the right on finished painting can be seen pink and white hollyhock reflections.  Window trim was a dull red when it was first painted in 1998.  A few years ago that was changed to hot pink, flanked by spring green shutters.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Harmonious Hollyhocks

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of white hollyhocks that actually were very pale yellow from a grouping of them at my studio.  This painting SOLD at its first show and is in a private collection in New York City.  Also this image was published in International Artist book "100 Ways to Paint Still Life & Florals" Vol. 2.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2002.