Fractured Poppies

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Fabriano paper done last week using one of my pale pink poppy photos, sketching it, then adding various sizes of rectangles. Each division is its own painting. I've done several in this style and it is always a challenge. No color is repeated twice. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Reds A Poppin'

15x15 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today for a timed challenge of 2 hours or less and I painted it with 10 minutes left.  Painting the red poppies in a direct manner wet on dry, I used primarily Perylene Maroon, Transparent Pyrrol Orange and Alizarin Crimson (Daniel Smith) and True Red (Grumbacher).  Darker red shadow areas had a mix with ultramarine blue, quinacridone violet, and thalo blue.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Mason Jar Poppies - ACEO

3.5x2.5 watercolor and ink line using Pigma Micron 01 pen and Daniel Smith paints on 140 lb cold press paper.  This was drawn a few days ago and painted yesterday.  Who doesn't love old canning jars with a few blooms inside? This is an art card, or ACEO (artist cards, editions & originals) miniature painting.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Red Riot Poppies

6x6 watercolor on Masters paper, a group of red poppies drawn today with Pigma Micron 01 ink.  It is fun to do imaginary scenes with abstract backgrounds.
Image is COPYRIGHT 1-4-14 Kay Smith.

Poppy Explosion

11x7.5 watercolor poppies that are imaginary, painted on Langton 140 lb cold press paper a few days ago in my hotel room.  You can get some pretty vivid colors from a travel palette and a little bit of effort.

Poppy Portrait - Happy Veterans Day!

22x15 watercolor on Italia 140 lb paper; Daniel Smith and American Journey paints, done today.  I drew this with a wet brush only on wet paper front and back and continued to spritz at random.  The background is imaginary also with a budding bloom lower right pointing to the main orange red poppy.  It had been awhile since painting any poppies so this was long overdue and too much fun! The papaver somniferum is most appropriate to paint on Veterans Day!!! Thank you to all the veterans in my family, coworkers, patients, and those brave souls still in unform; God bless America!

Memorial Day - Remembering Freedom is Not Free

Poppies signify those soldiers who fought and died for our freedom whether here at home during civil war, or abroad such as two world wars, and middle east conflicts. This is Flanders Fields that I painted while reviewing that poem by Lt. Col. John McCrae that says it all. This is watercolor 20x30 and is SOLD to our good friend and Navy veteran neighbor Jim Murray.   Here are the words McCrae wrote:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium