Cunning Coyote

24x18 acrylics over a watercolor portrait of a woman named Carol. It was sketched then filled in but leaving her patterned scarf for the coyote's right ear and fur. To successfully rework a painting takes lots of imagination and determination. To see this art, visit Heritage museum, 510 Scurry in Big Spring, TX now thru 29 October 2022. "A Brush with Creativity" features several Caboose Watercolor members and their new creations from old works. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Sunflower Power

15x22 watercolor on Fabriano 140 lb hot press paper of a single sunflower drawn over a failed painting that was a neighbor in a purple suit.  As one of my contemporary reworked or recycled pieces this one was lots of fun to develop into warm and cool hues with an abstract background that might be leaves, stems and petals.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Tree Tapestry ~ How to Rework a Painting

 

                       AFTER version and final result Tree Tapestry mixed media 15x11 on Canson 140 lb paper completed today.

BEFORE original painting Strolling

 



 

First step:  Sketching tree trunks over existing watercolor using black Tombow brushpen

 



 

Second step:  Covering most of background with white gouache and Coastal Fog (Cheap Joe's), leaving colors inside trees.

 

In this work in progress step by step I am showing how to rework what I considered a failed painting into a mixed media landscape. It doesn't take too long to find a bad painting you want to improve upon and this one done in 2009 of a Victorian couple was no exception.  After deciding to do trees the rest was obliterating the background, first with gouache to see how it would look, then filling in with various Montana acrylic markers.  A black marker and Caran D'Ache watersoluble wax crayons were used last to accent and punch up the composition.  Very little of the original is now visible except in left foreground and within the tree trunks, branches, and limbs.

Image is COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.







Heartfelt Geraniums-reworked mixed media floral

 9x10 mixed media (inks, colored pencils, gouache) done today in 1 hour approximately from existing painting titled Primary Colors Heart from Feb. 2013 (inks, see below).  I've painted these same red geraniums before and did another watercolor yesterday of hanging baskets, but changed the flowers to a variegated salmon.  The photo was taken of my friend Barbara's plant on her sun porch a few years ago.  Tonight this was featured in WetCanvas! Weekend Drawing Event in the All Media Arts Forum where I am the host.

You can see where I've left parts of it showing in the new reworked image which I like a whole lot better
Images are COPYRIGHT 2013/2014 Kay Smith.

Kerrville Workshop Demo: Petunia pig

15x22 watercolor, gouache, collage and ink AFTER version of Petunia Patch below.  This was my demo for the Guadalupe Watercolor Group at Kerr Arts and Cultural Center for our workshop program on Wednesday, 15 January 2014.

Members and guest artists attending my Kerrville program on marketing tips and watercolor demo on Tuesday, 14 January 2014.  There were about 40 or so people who came.

BEFORE version, titled Petunia Patch 2012, watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, of a large pink petunia with other flowers, a floral that just did not quite work for me and earned its reputation as an 'old dog' painting.  I'd selected it, then put a line drawing of a pig over it, traced the outline, then developed a new composition as seen in the top image.  The only part I really liked was the upper left red petunias and leaves.
Images COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.