Spiritual Sparrow

9x7 mixed media collage on paper from mm/sketchbook done today. Sketched with a sepia 0.3 Winsor Newton ink pen, I used White Nights watercolors next. Lastly, I cut out the sparrow's breast shape a part of a well known hymn, "Just As I Am", then used matte medium to adhere it. A few feather marks were put in over that. I used an older sparrow painting as an inspiration. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Lonely Blue Jay

8.5x5.5 watercolor over Winsor Newton 0.3 fineliner sepia pen in sketchbook 80 lb paper; done at first of August. Another artist provided the blue jay image that she had photographed. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Varied Thrush Bird

8x3 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done last week or so ago of the varied thrush bird species. I enjoyed painting all its colors as seen in this male. Other names are winter or mountain robin and its range is in the Pacific Northwest. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Western Sparrow

6x12 watercolor on Strathmore 140 lb cold press paper painted yesterday for an online challenge.  In this nature wildlife scene I've put in negatively painted tree branches surrounding the plain little sparrow. An abstract underpainting was done using two colors first.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Birds Flocked Together

12x18 watercolor over gessoed matboard completed yesterday.  Some of the birds were sketched in colored pencil.  There are 9 total with a blue parakeet in flight.  This imaginary scene was previously done in other colors so all were lifted out and repainted using cardinals, robin, bluejays, etc.  Negative painting also for branches and leaves.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Frosty Flier finch

4.5x7.25 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper completed today. Red color is mostly restricted to head and upper chest, contrasting with cold gray-brown nape, back, and wings. Pale sides show distinct brown streaks, lacking red tones. Females lack bold face pattern and have more diffuse patterning overall.  We see these, often confused with purple finches, at the feeders in New Mexico.  I tried a new experiment for the icy snowy background first covering it with a wash of white gouache, letting dry, then painting in the positive brown branches.  When that dried, I went back over with another gouache glaze and finally splattering the white for snow.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Female Bushtit Bird

4.5x7 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper completed yesterday from my stash of numerous bird photos.  The female bushtit bird's coloring blended right in with the purple and pink sage floral.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

White Pigeon

8x8 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper done this afternoon using only cobalt blue and quinacridone burnt orange to begin with then adding quin gold, arylide yellow, quin magenta, and cadmium orange.  A mixed grey of all the colors was used for the building edge and roof line where the partially backlit bird is perched.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Green Cheeked Parakeet

2.5x3.5 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted today as one of the animal and wildlife photos I've posted in a WetCanvas forum June challenge.

Actual size below:

COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

WIP 2 ~ Parrot Perch continued

Continuing on with my watercolor work in progress of two parrots perched on their tree branch.  These blue gold macaws are so vibrant they are a pleasure to paint.  On each bird I've started with the darks first so I'm not guessing at what values need to go where.  Stay tuned for more.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Tree Swallow ~ Draw a Bird Day

9x12 watercolor, gouache, ink, and acrylic on Canson 140 lb cold pess paper done today for National Draw a Bird Day.  It is almost as if he is singing and notes are the colored marks in acrylic coming out in song.  I've used a sheet of wc paper as backing underneath smaller works and these are the random marks seen.  Each year I try to remember 8 April is a day for artists to remember birds; multiple refs online used to sketch the flowering tree, branches and the swallow.  An oblong black ink mark fit nicely underneath his tail feathers while a white dogwood blossoms behind.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

Florida Egrets

24x18 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, a recent bird painting of a group of white egrets lined up watching along the waterfront.  I so enjoyed living in Florida and go back there periodically to visit and see the wildlife activity.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

Eagle or Snowy Owl

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink (Staedtler Calligraphic 3.5mm pen) on Masters paper.  I'm not sure if this fellow is an eagle owl or a snowy owl.  I found a recent bird in the road that was dead and took photos, so this is a recreation of how he must look alive with a tree in the background.  Eyes are more yellow and not orange.  It was located on the Vealmoor highway as you turn off south to Big Spring.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Greenjay Gaze

5x3.5 watercolor and ink on magazine insert card paper done today from one of my greenjay images.  This fellow is gazing at something we cannot see or maybe just because it is Spring! Pigma Micron 01 pen used to draw the bird and branch then background is multiple dropping in of various pinks, mixed purples, and greens.  Splattering with opaque pink done when dry (Taylor's Flamingo Pink by Cheap Joe's American Journey).
COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith

Christmas Birdhouse

6.5x3.5 watercolor done recently for a special painting friend after a birdhouse seen in the mountains of New Mexico. Painted wet on dry I used Daler Rowney 140 lb cold press paper and not too many colors (quinacridone burnt orange and gold, UB, Grumbacher true red, mint julep, green gold.)   No masking fluid was used.  This work is SOLD.
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Chickadee Crevasse

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, drawn yesterday with a brush only and painted maybe 1/3 of it, finishing up today.  An abstract pink, orange and green background paired with neutral palette mix/soup greys are a soft foil for the little bird, another in my blackcapped chickadee series.  He appears to be at the edge of a large crevasse looking down, hence the title.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Chickadee Landing

6x6 watercolor and ink wash and line on Masters paper also done Sunday, continuing on with my chickadee series.  The first ones were in acrylic, and now have switched over to my favorite medium.  I'll be doing a live demonstration 10 February 2014 in Brownfield, Texas featuring yet another chickadee, a watering can, and pansies for their art association.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2014.

White Capped Noddy birds

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, finished today, after drawing yesterday and beginning putting darks in first as seen below.  Fellow artist Christine in Australia provided a larger photo which I cropped down to position the mother bird looking out of her nest to unseen dangers.  Little baby white capped noddy is covered by her protective wing.  Branches and twigs were negatively painted within a multicolored natural background.

At the 2 hour mark today; this is as far as I got after taking so long to draw the scene.  I submitted the final version to our weekend drawing event on WetCanvas! tonight.  Christine provided 16 images for participants.  After selection is made, you have 2 hours to complete, and if not done, take a photo of your progress when time's up.  With all the tree limbs, branches, twigs, and leaves I had to add another hour.  White capped noddy birds are seabirds of the tern family.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Nevermore Ravens

11x15 watercolor of several different raven poses, inspired by my favorite poet Edgar Allan Poe.  I have posted this image here a few years ago and wanted to see it again these few days between Halloween and December which he mentioned in his poem "The Raven". My friends and family don't know it, but I had memorized his 1845 haunting melancholy verse and it remains one of the best in literature.

Bottoms Up goose

5x7 watercolor of a Canadian goose diving for fish for his supper.  Painted wet on dry Arches 140 lb cold press paper this afternoon.  Pigments used:  Daniel Smith quinacridone burnt orange, UB, manganese; DaVinci raw umber; American Journey midnight blue, raw umber violet, periwinkle blue.