Sunflower Ambience

9x9 watercolor on Canson 117 lb cold press paper done week before last; inspiration was seeing a field of sunflowers showing the last of summer's sun upon their majestic heads. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Old Faucet with Sunflowers

11x12.5 watercolor on Kilimanjaro 140 lb cold press paper; Daniel Smith paints. This is an imaginary country still life with the vivid sunflowers, old rusty hydrant faucet and weathered wood barn wall behind. COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2025

Sunflower Petals in the Wind Woven

9x12 watercolor using two almost identical paintings from my sunflower photo done last month. To create a woven piece such as this you must paint a pair of duplicate works. Then cut one in vertical strips and the other in horizontal strips which are woven as one piece. I adhered the back to another 9x12 sheet of Canson 140 lb cold press then matted and framed. COPYRIGHT 2024 Kay Smith

Heatwave

15x22 watermedia on 140 lb cold press paper, of various sunflower faces. It began with loose yellow washes in acrylic and progressed to laying stretched gauze over center area then flooding with various warm hues such as quinacridone violet/magenta, etc. Gauze was lifted when dry. This makes a nice textural effect for watermedia. Background is abstract. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

More Amarillo Sunflowers ~ Happy Spring!

12x9 mixed media using pastel, charcoal, and watersoluble Caran D'Ache wax crayons on pastel paper from some fake sunflowers. I love their free form organic shapes and twisted leaves. COPYRIGHT 2022 Kay Smith

Sunflowers Collage

20x 9.25 mixed media collage on board, recently painted gouache on top of watercolor, and India ink. Tissue paper was used to adhere to the board then sketch was done of these imaginary sunflowers. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Quirky Sunflowers

11x15 watercolor on 140 lb Saunders cold press paper, an imaginary scene inspired by a dying sunflower. This work is SOLD. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Chickadee on Forsythia

8x8 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper done a few days ago from some of my chickadee photos.  Being ready for Spring in 3 weeks or so I added the cheery yellow forsythia blooms.
COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Dewi's Sunflowers

12x9 mixed media on Bristol board 300 series (colored pencils, Inktense pencils, Brusho, watercolor, India ink) from a WetCanvas online challenge.  Photo courtesy Dewi.  I sketched the sunflowers using Magic multi-lead colored pencils then filled in with the other media in this loose floral.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

January Sunflower

9x7 watercolor and ink line with Micron 01 pen on Canson 140 lb cold press paper done today.  I started it yesterday and it was only a rough ink sketch for this month's floral challenge online.  So decided to add color and this is what resulted, a basically white sunflower and leaves as it is January and cold, and it is surrounded by its promise of sunny days ahead.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Miniature Blackeyed Susans ACEO

 3.5x2.5 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Fluid paper recently done as I was in the mood for happy blackeyed Susans or rudbeckias in a miniature format.  Commonly known as artist trading cards, or ACEO (artist cards editions & originals) these tiny treasures are fun to paint and to trade or to sell.  The image below is its normal size in perspective.

Image as it appears in real time.  COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.  Email:  1971ks@att.net to purchase via PayPal @ $25.

Bowed Heads sunflowers

20x26 watercolor on Yupo of a group of sunflowers bowing heads before worshiping the sun and fading with time.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith

Fence Row Sunflowers ~ day 27 of 30 in 30 challenge

5.25 x 4.25 watercolor of wild sunflowers lined up in a row by an old white picket fence.   You can see these type flowering weeds growing everywhere.  This small work is featured for day # 27 of Leslie Saeta's biannual 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and is done on 140 lb cold press paper.
Image COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

Inauguration Blossoms ~ day 20 of 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

9x10.25 inks on paper created by placing large drops of ink, covering and blotting then outlining in ink over an abstract background; this work is for day 20 of Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days annual challenge.  Ten days to go! These happy blossoms take center stage just as our new president did on inauguration day today, a salute to freedom and our nation.
Image COPYRIGHT Kay Smith 2017.

Sunset Flowers

5x7 alcohol inks on white foamcore done a few days ago, an abstract floral using many different colors over a light red background.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Rudbeckia Riot

12x9 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper completed today.  I had planted rudbeckia, or blackeyed Susans as they're called here in the south, awhile back.  Using several of my photos I grouped some of the more interesting blooms together in this imaginary floral garden scene.  Some have been knocked about in the wind.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Sunflower Day

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press Saunders Waterford paper done today.  Since temps were in the 70s and sunshine plentiful it put me in the mood for being outside and seeing sunflowers or thinking of planting them later on in the year.  I wanted to paint a high key, loose group of them using at least two pigments seldom or never used.  So I chose thioindigo violet and vitruvius blue (combination of Lapis Lazuli and cerulean).  The violet and blue together with a bit of alizarin crimson made very nice hues.  Also I wanted to use only my 1" flat sable brush so too much detail could not be done.  Towards the end I decided to put the flowers inside a glass vase.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Heat Wave Sunflowers

15x22 watermedia on 140 lb cold press paper done in 2011, a work in progress of various sunflower faces.  I showed the WIP stages on this blog HERE.  It began with loose yellow acrylics and coffee filters and gauze were used.  Curious? Click on the link and see how it was developed.  Paintings can be purchased on www.dailypainters.com in my gallery or contact me directly.
Image COPYRIGHT 2011 Kay Smith.

Sleepy Susans (Blackeyed Susans)

5.5x8 watercolor and ink line on Strathmore Visual Journal for mixed media done a few days ago.  Blackeyed Susans, or rudbeckia, are tough to beat color wise.  They brighten up any corner of the flower garden with brilliant golden yellow and dark brown caps.  Photo courtesy Li Newton for WetCanvas current weekend drawing event in the All Media Art Events forum.
Image COPYRIGHT 2015 Kay Smith.

Sunflower Bucket

18x12 watercolor on Canson 140 lb cold press paper, painted a few days ago.  This is a combination of more than one of my photos and the use of old metal bucket obtained at hubby's family reunion.  The dark background and sunny splash of yellow on the bucket front was done on impulse to see if it worked.  I used a direct painting method wet on dry.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.