Rancho de Taos Summer Sky

14.75x22.25 watercolor on Daler Rowney Prestige 140 lb cold press paper completed last week. I've painted from my photos from there before, changing color of the mission church from brown to white, for a different take. Since the building is plain except for the bell tower, I've added foliage on both left and right sides of the landscape. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Mission Light

12x9 watercolor done last week, an imaginary light filled southwest mission scene, very minimal in structure as well as color and line. I've used Daniel Smith paints. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

San Jose Church

9x7 watercolor painted last week on 80 lb sketchbook paper from one of my southwest mission style photos. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Tiny Mission Town

3x6 watercolor on Canson 140 lb. cold press scrap paper done today; the paper had been used as a backing sheet so had Brusho and regular paint splatters on its surface. The various splotches seemed to indicate buildings so I sketched some shapes and shadows and lightly painted on roofs. Far left building's roof was already marked as was parts of the ladder and green for trees. Far right green window was a spot left untouched as was the main large white building shape and the warm color stairway. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Mission Soleil

22x15 gouache over ink sketched outline of an imaginary mission on 140 lb hot press paper. This was done over an horizontal abstraction painting that just was not working and is the second time to paint this mission bell tower. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith