Blue Cactus Pot

9x6 watercolor and ink on Canson 117 lb cold press done first week of this month. I've used White Nights paints and Winsor Newton grey 0.3 fine liner pen to sketch. These old cracked pots make excellent plant holders and give artists a chance to explore all their nooks and crannies. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Summer Saguaro

36x24 watercolor and acrylic on watercolor canvas, done last month before all the art shows started. With this simple design the elegant desert saguaro shows off its multicolored self along with its sharp pointed cactus thorns. The cactus itself is watercolor and background is acrylic over watercolor. Using an old credit card, I pulled acrylics down from the top to bottom. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Prickly Pink Saguaro

15x11 watercolor on Grumbacher 140 lb cold press paper done first week of June, another imaginary cactus in my series of desert plants. I added shapes and colors to the background to mimic other saguaros surrounding the main one. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Desert Vibes

30x11 acrylics on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper done in January, a playful unrealistic cactus depiction. These tall saguaros are welcoming everyone with their open arms, colorful contortions, and desert vibes. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

Thorny Beauty

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done in March, a beautiful pink fuchsia colored flower amongst the thorny spikes of desert cactus. This ref was shared on WetCanvas for one of the challenges last year. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2026

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

Shadows and Cactus Blooms

14x10 watercolor done on Stonehenge Aqua 140 lb hot press paper, done at first of this month, emphasizing the importance of shadows to highlight the cactus blooms on the prickly pear. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Pink and Yellow Cactus Flowers

6x6 watercolor using White Nights pigments in sketchbook done over the past 2 weeks, another imaginary prickly pear cactus desert landscape. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Rough Cactus Patch

8x6 watercolor on rough handmade paper done week before last using graphite paints by Gansai Tambi (Kuretake) and Rosa Gallery paints. In this imaginary southwestern desert landscape focusing on cactus plants, I've used the graphites for the rough texture and Rosa paints for their brilliant colors of the prickly pears. 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

Desert Day Cactus

9x12 watercolor using White Nights and Tombow markers on Fabriano Bristol 100 lb paper done last week. In this imaginary desert scene, cactus pad leaves were put in first using various markers. Lastly, I sketched in a southwestern tile roof building in the background to fill empty space. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

March Saguaro Madness

9x7 mixed media on 140 lb cold press wc paper done last month. After initial sketch using colored pencils, I used watercolors, Stabilo woody pencils, white gel pen, STA Lictin 0.3 ink pen, ink stamp. This is an imaginary cactus saguaro. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Pink Prickly Polkadots Cactus

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch 140 lb cold press paper began over the past weekend and finished yesterday by strengthening values in this imaginary prickly pear cactus scene. It is all painted in reverse, e.g. green pads (leaves) are warm colors and yellow orange blooms are in greens and blues. No masking fluid used for thorns, just painting around them. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Wild Prickly Pears

6x6 watercolor on Masters Touch sketchbook 80 lb paper done last week of May, another in my cactus series. Each one is different using various approaches. This was painted quickly without any pre-planning. COPYRIGHT 2023 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

Cactus Confetti

8.25x5.25 mixed media in junk journal, a book published in 1950. I first put on collaged elements of tissue paper and a ticket stub, stenciled acrylic colors, added ink marks with technical pen nib, wrote words, then added a saguaro cactus shape. Assorted colors for stripes and dots and flowers on top. COPYRIGHT 2021 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

Climbing White Roses

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Saunders Waterford. These climbing white roses were by our front steps and I snapped several photos when they were blooming at their peak then painted them. Not happy with the mid section it was reworked and more negative leaves, stems, and thorns added. My favorite part is the rosebud upper right. It was painted wet in wet and colors allowed to mix and mingle.  Daniel Smith paints used.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.