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

Sunday Prickly Pears

12x9 watercolor using a limited palette of Payne's Gray, Perylene Maroon, and Quinacridone Gold on Canson 120 lb for mixed media paper. With this palette, I'm still exploring color combinations on the imaginary landscape cactus. This one was done in July. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Purple Pad Cactus

6x6 watercolor with White Nights paints on 80 lb sketchbook paper done week before last while on our trip. Another imaginary desert cactus scene, I've focused on the purple colored cactus leaf pads seen sometimes growing wildly. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Colored Cactus Pears

8.5x5.5 watercolor done in mixed media sketchbook last week, another imaginary cactus theme focusing on its edible pear fruit. This was painted quickly and loosely. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Red Prickly Pears Vignette

10x14 watercolor with White Nights paints done last week on Stonehenge Aqua 140 lb hot press paper; such a fun exercise from my earlier value study. In that study I used a black Tombow brush pen on Fabriano Bristol 100 lb paper for three values of dark, medium, and light with a #1 rigger brush to get a mid-tone. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Mexico Cactus Pot

9x7 watercolor using White Nights paints in sketchbook done last week, another imaginary still life in a landscape. This time I imagined being in Mexico with a potted cactus and flower at front and buildings on the side and background. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Cactus and Agave

8x6 watercolor on rough handmade paper done over a week ago combining two references into one composition of prickly pear cactus along with large agave plant. COPYRIGHT 2025 Kay Smith

Tall Cactus with Peach Background

10x8 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper just completed , a pencil sketch based on earlier cactus paintings I've done. Marked backgound of random colors, shapes, and designs is the result of using paper to put underneath small and miniature ones to catch drips. White gel pen used for thorn marks after the peach background dried. Lots of fun playing with this today. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Purple Pot Cactus

6x6 watercolor using brush only, no pencil drawing, done yesterday of a potted cactus, another in my cactus series. This is on 80 lb sketchbook paper in Masters Touch book. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Prickly Pear Cactus Surprise

6x6 watercolor, India ink, and gel pen in Masters Touch sketchbook done a few days ago, a quick design to use up colors for a mixed black (Permanent Brown (Daniel Smith), phthalo green (Dick Blick), and Indanthrene blue (Holbein). When dry black ink dropper tip used to make scattered line marks for the prickly pear cactus pods and white gel pen for other marks such as thorns and spots. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Cactus Pads

2.5x3.5 mixed media art card on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done over the last week, a miniature prickly pear cactus pad using watercolor with White Nights paints and white gel pen for the thorns. The fruit from its pods is starting to open up. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Cactus with Pink Bloom

8.5x5.5 watercolor using White Nights paints done over the past week on Master's Touch paper from my ink line sketch earlier. 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 Grey Pot

7x5 watercolor and ink using STA Lictin 0.2 pen and White Nights paints on paper done last weekend from imagination. I put a clay colored stucco wall behind the cactus. CO;PYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Purple Prickly Pear Cactus

12x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper. These cactus blooms caught my eye as they bloom in May here in west Texas, and the purple coloration set off the orange yellows. A patch of sthe spiky succulent plants was growing near to the big spring for which our town is named. I used two opaques together, American Journey's Mint Julep and Blue Bice, for most of the softer green areas, with a lot of water. COPYRIGHT 2020 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

Tall Flowering Cactus

8x8 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper using Daniel Smith and American Journey paints.  This imaginary desert flora scene was painted a few days ago.  The cactus seem to be reaching for the sun.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Neon Nopal Cactus

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Winsor Newton paper, one of the first cactus in a series of painting leaves and blooms opposite of their local colors.  It was one of the cactus groups found at our big spring area of Comanche Trail Park.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Cactus Flame

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper finished today.  Actually I have been laboring over this for 3 days, working on it as I had time.  This vibrant red orange cactus bloom captivated me when I saw it in our park by the big spring for which our town is named.  Parts of pods were dried and withered but the bloom was there in all its flaming glory.  Again I used Mint Julep (American Journey by Cheap Joe's) plus various shades of gold, ochre, sienna, and indigo for the greenish grey pods or leaves.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Yellow Cactus Bloom - Day 27 of 30 Day Challenge

5x5 watercolor on 140 lb Canson cold press paper painted today for day #27.  This close up of a prickly pear yellow cactus flower along with more blooms on the pear shaped pods is already SOLD.  Known as nopales, the thin nutritious pads are edible.

Since 9-1-15, I've posted daily works on Leslie Saeta's #30paintingsin30days challenge she hosts annually on her blog Slices of Life you can see HERE.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.