Theater Night

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper sketched and painted this afternoon. Ref courtesy Unsplash which did not identify the image but it appears to be the Orpheum Theater in downtown Minneapolis, MN. I loved the night scene with its partly darkened buildings and bright light from the theater. A man seems to be on his way there. Tomorrow starts a 3 day watercolor landscape workshop with Tim Oliver of Lubbock so am practicing my cityscapes or townscapes. COPYRIGHT Kay Sith 2026

Downtown Doors

10.25x9 watercolor and ink on paper done in 2016 from an older photograph I shot in downtown Big Spring.  Using Lamy Safari pen and grey Noodler's ink I got the two doors centered then added windows, wood trim, then bricks.  These doors face west and ground floor of the old building was an antique store with living quarters upstairs.  Walls were painted a pale warm beige unlike the painting showing reddish brown, and no flower pots or plants exist.  This same building houses the former Alberto's Crystal Cafe to its east side on 2nd Street.
COPYRIGHT Kay Smith.

Krakow Evening

8.5x5 watercolor on Fluid 140 lb cold press paper begun yesterday then finished today as part of another weekend drawing event on WetCanvas.  For the 2 hour time limit, I managed to get it done in about 45 minutes.  With the silhouetted buildings the sky was an opportunity to create some dark, dancing clouds in the fading evening light.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Downtown Doors

10.25x9 watercolor and ink on paper done today from an older photograph I shot in downtown Big Spring.  Using Lamy Safari pen and grey Noodler's ink I got the two doors centered then added windows, wood trim, then bricks.  These doors face west and ground floor of the old building was an antique store with living quarters upstairs.  Walls were painted a pale warm beige unlike the painting showing reddish brown, and no flower pots or plants exist.  This same building houses Alberto's Crystal Cafe to its east side on 2nd Street.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Spanish Building

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink line (Micron 01 pen) on Masters sketchbook done this past weekend.  As part of a WetCanvas weekend drawing event, we had only 2 hours to choose a reference (courtesy Wendy) and paint it.  If not done at the 2 hour mark participants must photograph the stage they've reached at that time and post it.  We should paint without interruption but that is not always possible.
Here I have cropped a tall white stucco building in Ronda, Spain.  I like the small iron balconies and the cast shadows; the photo did not have red tile roofline but I changed it for more emphasis.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Budapest Buildings

8.5x5.5 watercolor and ink on sketchbook done last week.  What started as a cropped sketch using Pigma Micron 01 pen on some of our cruise ship brochures, ended up as a colored piece and an imaginary sky.  I had saved the intriguing European spires and roof buildings because of the amazing architecture to study later.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

The Marketplace

6x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper painted today.  Using a previous sheet I put underneath other works that's already splattered and marked, I drew figures, tables, plants and umbrellas in this imaginary marketplace scene.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Fox Theatre

10.25x9 watercolor and ink on paper done today from one of my many town photos that have not yet been painted.  This one shows the legendary Fox Theatre, conceived in 1928 and opened on Christmas Day 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia.  With its ornate architecture rising in the sky, the theatre overcame many obstacles and was rescued from demolition by the town citizens.  For the past 10 years, the Fox has been rated one of the three top American theatres.
COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith

Sudderth Drive

12x9 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper painted last Monday, the first day of our Florida workshop at Indian Rocks Beach Art Center.  This is from my photo of our last trip to Ruidoso, New Mexico.  Sudderth is the main street of the village and I was excited about the women shoppers and the red pickup truck in the composition for this townscape.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.