Hummer Buzz

8x8 watercolor with White Nights paints done last week while on a short trip. This is on 140 lb cold press Grumbacher paper. In the hummingbird scene one can wonder who will get the nectar first, the bee or the bird? COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Pink Dogwood

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cp paper done last week or so as a class activity; ref provided by one of the students. A difficult backyard scene to recreate so we tried to simplify the elements to focus upon the pink dogwood blooms. I did do negative painting in the foreground with the larger leaf shapes. COPYRIGHT 2025 Kay Smith

My Birthday Flowers

8x8 watercolor on Masters Touch premium 140 lb cold press paper. I did a side sketch of my large bouquet of flowers sent last month then painted it wet on dry. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Blue African Violet

7x9 watercolor using White Nights paints done last week. This is on 80 lb Masters Touch paper, painting wet on dry with a fairly abstract background. Ref courtesy WetCanvas.com COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Last Geranium ~ new Rosa watercolors

4.5x3.5 new watercolors using Rosa brand paints made in Ukraine, 4.5x3.5 miniature floral done today of my last geranium blooming at New Mexico house. I used a scrap of 140 lb cold press Saunders Waterford paper. The set of paints has strong and bold colors, full range of cadmiums, and black. No indigo blue so had to use my other palette to get mixed greens dark enough. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Purple Lotus Blossom

7x5 watercolor using White Nights paints on Fabriano 140 lb cold press paper done last week. As part of an online challenge, this bud or about to be blossom was colored with mixed purples and blue hues. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Butterfly Zinnia Garden

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper completed yesterday of summer annual zinnias with monarch butterfly, an imaginary scene from one of my photos. This was painted wet on dry using Daniel Smith and White Nights paints over a couple of days. Zinnia leaves are rough and scratchy. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Calla Charm

14x10 watercolor on Kilimanjaro block 140 lb cold press paper.  A lone white bloom beckons the gardener to get busy planting more lovelies.  This realistic lily is one of my featured watercolors in our Caboose group's upcoming show Nov. 18 - Jan 12, 2018 in Breckenridge, TX.  Reception is Nov. 18 @ 5 p.m. at the arts center there.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2017.

Fresh as a Daisy

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb hot press Strathmore Gemini paper done today in under two hours.  I was in the mood to paint a morning still life so concocted a country kitchen scene complete with coffee cup, book, and pitcher of fresh daisies.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Only Orchids

11x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today.  The plant belongs to fellow artist Joanne who featured its image on our last weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.  Participants have 2 hours to choose what to paint and do it.  It took me an hour and if a background had been put in it would've been longer.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Mexican Red Hats Fiesta

9x4 watercolor wildflower floral begun yesterday during a class and finished today using some of my Mexican red hat photos.  We did not see too many of them this spring so maybe it was too wet.  Commonly known as prairie coneflower this dark red petaled stunner can also be seen in shades of yellow and gold.  Also known as Ratibida columnaris, this perennial prefers hot, arid and dry conditions.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Coneflower Chorus

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink on Masters sketchbook done yesterday.  These are my pink coneflowers planted last year around the back patio.  Butterflies love them and so do I.  Since my other Masters book this size had been completed I was anxious to begin a new one and these lovely blooms singing a song were just the thing.  Love how the paper takes watercolor and Pigma Micron 01 pen together.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Just Orchids

22x15 watercolor of several pale green and pink orchid blooms on their tall and curvy stems.  This was painted a few years ago and was SOLD at its first exhibition.
Image is COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Lilies and Tulips

15x22 watercolor on cold press paper with rice paper on top for a different softer look.  This composition was drawn from life and I featured it on this month's Florals & Botanicals forum on WetCanvas! where the subject was lilies.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Perfect Pink Hollyhocks

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper of tall pale pink hollyhocks from my yard.  A lot of negative painting was done in the background.  I love to paint hollyhocks, those old fashioned heirloom guardians of the garden.  This work is SOLD.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Hydrangeas Window

5.5x8 watercolor and ink line on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done today; no reference used. With a Pigma Micron 01 pen I sketched lots of hydrangea florets and leaves in front of a paned window.  Reflections of flowers' colors can be seen in the glass.  A mix of blue and pink blooms spread out across the paper.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Cosmos Confetti

11x15 watercolor on Bienfang 140 lb cold press paper drawn yesterday starting with the cosmos centre and few greens, then finished today.  I used a #12 round Escoda brush from Cheap Joe's that is rapidly becoming a favorite.  It makes a very sharp line with its tip. These pink cosmos were part of my studio garden about 6 years ago and I took tons of photos to use later.  For this painting, three different images were combined.  I really like the withered bloom lower left and new one about to open on the right lower side.  Background is totally imaginary.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Tall Red Poppies

8x5 watercolor and ink over collaged novel page done today as I was in the mood for poppies.  I've not painted them in awhile and don't need reference photos anymore as their forms are memorized.  With the long curved stems bending in the wind just imagine them growing in your garden or on your wall.  The paper page was adhered to sketchbook sheet then drawn with Micron 01 pen when dry., pa
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Viv's Hydrangeas

9x14 watercolor on partially gessoed matboard, drawn this morning with colored pencils then painted. I only used a black and white photo so all color is imagined.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Zinnia and Butterfly

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper from one of my older photos of studio zinnias that I was lucky enough to have camera ready when the butterfly stopped by for a visit.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.