Tall Cactus in Red Pot

10.75x4.25 watercolor on Canson 117 lb cold press paper with white gel pen done last week, another in my tall cactus series in small pots. Vertical art is very popular and is a size that fits just about anywhere. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

May Prickly Pears

6x8 watercolor using White Nights paints done last week, an imaginary cactus of prickly pears on handmade rough paper 140 lb cold press. I put in darks first followed by midtones then lights. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Cheery Cactus ~ reworked floral

10x8 mixed media over reworked watercolor that I first painted in 2014, mostly blues and greens, a floral on wc paper. Outline of a tall blooming cactus was sketched over the watercolor with a chopstick dipped in black India ink. Once dry I saved several of the small flowers then painted acrylics and added thorns and dots for pattern. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Tall Mini Cactus with Turquoise Background

7x4 watercolor and ink on Strathmore toned tan paper done a few days ago of a tall mini cactus in clay pot I've used in other pieces. Changing supports and colors often spark new ideas. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Blooming Saguaro

6x4 watercolor over an ink line sketch on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper done in the past few days, another cactus painting but without a bird this time. Just showing the pretty white blooms the saguaros have in this desert landscape. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Tall Cactus in Clay Pot

9x4 acrylic gouache on Grumbacher 140 lb cold press paper done last week using that medium by Liquitex. I used a backing sheet for other works hence the markings. Acrylic gouache has a matte finish and is exactly like gouache but has the permanency of acrylic paint. Cactus and pot are imaginary. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Southwest Orchid Cactus

6x9 watercolor and ink line on 140 lb cold press paper done today. The right side is part of an abstract that just didn't work. I took the cactus sketch and moved it around until it meshed with the other parts, then painted it in southwestern desert hues. Ink lines are done with STA Lictin .08 pen. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Phoenix Pricklies

3.5x2.5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Italia paper, an imaginary set of desert prickly pear cactus done in miniature. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Stately Saguaro

4.75x3.25 alcohol inks and watercolor on Saunders 300 lb cold press paper painted yesterday. In this miniature southwestern scene I did a pulled image first by putting the paper on top of a wet alcohol ink piece then lifting it up. This gave a nice orangey glow to it. A saguaro cactus was sketched in pencil then painted with a mixed olive green watercolor. Finallly tiny blooms were added with a white gel pen in this imaginary desert.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Red Prickly Pear Cactus

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Micron 01 pen) on Masters paper, sketched for InkTober last month with color added later from one of my many cactus images.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith