Aspens and Feathers

12x12 oil/cold wax on gessoed wood panel done last Saturday at a class on using cold wax plus oil. Primaries were mixed with a 3:1 ratio of wax and Galkyd gel, then layered on the support or substrate. Bowl scraper, palette knife, silicone brush, cut credit card edge, etc.,were all used to make pattern first on the transparent colors of alizarin crimson and phthalo blue. Next layer was opaques for this abstract desert themed imaginary piece. COPYRIGHT 2023 Kay Smith

Rowdy Rooster

8.5x6 watercolor/ink line on ColorSketch sketchbook yellow tinted paper done today. This is for another WetCanvas online challenge where participants have 2 hours to do their art. It was sketched with STA Lictin 0.3 pen followed by paint. COPYRIGHT 2021 Kay Smith

Blue Emu

12x9 mixed watermedia on Canson for mixed media spiral bound sketchbook done today. Sketching with a Micron 03 pen, next was an application of turquoise then grey Brusho wc crystals. Watercolor followed then Montana acrylic marker in white for lost white feather area on his neck, and splatters of orange, the complement of blue were added. Ref courtesy morguefile free photos. COPYRIGHT 2020 Kay Smith

Barnyard Hen

2.5x3.5 watercolor on Italia 140 lb cold press paper using White Nights paints done today from another chicken barnyard image.  The top view is the actual size and bottom just a bit larger in this miniature art card.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Blue Barn Hen

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line on Masters sketchbook done for another online event. I used Lictin .10 pen in black to sketch the hen and barn wood.  Ref courtesy Kay M/WetCanvas.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Randy Rooster

9.5x9 alcohol inks on deli white paper done day before yesterday using an older sketch that is one of my favorites of all the chickens.
COPYRIGHT 2019 Kay Smith

Mask-erade

20x26 poured watercolor onto dry Saunders 140 lb cold press paper. This is an older mixed media abstract work taken back to the easel.  I put torn masking tape over it first and long strips at random. With no preconceived ideas I laid torn paper doily placemat pieces then spray painted those. After all dried, removed tape and confetti came to mind, then portions of playing cards painted using real ones for reference. I put 5 and a 3 for the year I was hatched, and a King of Hearts the K for my initial. The 2 of Hearts upper right means the 2 that can go with the 3 card for 23rd, my birthday date. Lastly I used real feathers to paint negatively red, green, yellow, blue feathers around eye holes then developed eye masks in the lower part, two obvious masks and there's a third one hidden.  See if you can spot it.  The whole thing is a  Mardi Gras mess and was it was fun to do a  fairly abstract piece.  The playing cards are actual size.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith.

Blue Barn Hen

5.5x8.5 watercolor and ink line on Masters sketchbook done yesterday for another WetCanvas event for the weekend hosted by Kay M.  We had 2 hours to complete a painting; mine was done in about 1 hour. I used Lictin .10 pen in black.
COPYRIGHT 2018 Kay Smith

Chorus Line birds

12.5x15 alcohol inks on paper finished today, another one in my bird experimentation series.  With this, I've used the same bird sketch as before, tracing off each one then reversing the one on far left.  Each is using the design principle of variation of the elements of color, line, size, shape, texture to name some.  Blue hues using two inks were put in first then allowed to mix with alcohol 91% and blending solution.  Each bird was painted in various browns, greys, and  goldens.  Line was added by putting a drop of ink on the tip of a chopstick.  No pencil used.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith           Email:   1971ks@att.net to purchase via PayPal            Cost:   $215

Barn Chicken

22x15 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper by Saunders with Daniel Smith/Da Vinci paints.  Done wet in wet quickly, this work is showing a curious hen looking back where she came from.  This work is SOLD.
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kay Smith.

Fluffy Fowl

9.5x7 mixed media on Ecosystem sketchbook done a few days ago.  Using a Uniball black Elite ink pen, I drew the chicken outline and feathers.  With watercolor I put in light tan, gold, and its red comb and beak.  Lastly I applied Montana acrylic markers to the background in light blue and orange.
Image COPYRIGHT 2016 Kay Smith.

Bird Dreams

9x12 watercolor, gouache, and India ink on Canson 140 lb paper completed yesterday.  It was a vertical loose and splashy sunflower, brush only that I painted Monday, being in the mood for sloshing pigment on paper that did not turn out.  So yesterday I began by lightly drawing in black India ink the shape of a bird.  Doing many bird paintings has triggered venturing off on an abstract tangent such as this, with vivid reds hitting electric blues.  Lollipop shaped flower petals were carved out negatively using gouache.  Light washes of white gouache were overlaid on much of the background.  The large dark irregular circle to the left of the bird is what's left of the sunflower center.  All in all it was total fun seeing what might pop up to be developed.  A tiny golden tree is to the bird's right, below his beak.  Feather and leaf shapes can be seen throughout.
Image is COPYRIGHT 2014 Kay Smith.

Mask-erade

20x26 poured watercolor onto dry Saunders 140 lb cold press paper. I put torn masking tape over it first and long strips at random. With no preconceived ideas I laid torn paper doily placemat pieces then spray painted those. After all dried, removed tape and confetti came to mind, then portions of playing cards painted using real ones for reference. I put 5 and a 3 for 1953 the year I was hatched, and a King of Hearts the K for my name. The 2 of Hearts upper right means the 2 that can go with the 3 card for 23rd, my birthday date. Lastly I used real feathers to paint negatively red, green, yellow, blue feathers around eye holes then developed eye masks in the lower part, two obvious masks and there's a third one hidden.  See if you can spot it.  The whole thing is a mess but reminded me of Mardi Gras and was fun to do a poured fairly abstract piece.

Mad as a Wet Hen

15x22 watercolor on 140 lb cold press paper, painted quickly then partially outlined using black India ink. I splattered paint when dry. Painting barnyard creatures, especially chickens, is too much fun. Growing up on a farm, one of my chores was to gather and wash eggs in Pine Sol. To this day I hate the smell of that disinfectant.