Merry Christmas!

love, the Smith Family.

You Are Invited!

If you'd like a night out full of fabulous art, stop by and say hi and eat some fabulous appetizers by The Gourmet Girls at the The Arizona Art Alliance Gallery, Saturday: December 3rd from 6 to 9pm. We have a fun redesigned Artist's Gift Shop and there is something for everyone there. I have some new Holiday jewelry and prints and note cards there too. AND meet the famous former Suns basketball player and artist Dick Van Arsdale! (The event is free and open to the public.)

Client: Mauna Kea Shave Ice

I met this delightful young mother named Meg through my daughters. She owns Mauna Kea Shave Ice. At our Annual Smith Spooktacular 2011, she served up the most delicious shave ice drinks! Her menu even reflected all things Halloween. The Shave Ice was a HIT at our party!!! So, as I sometimes do, we bartered her skills for mine, and I painted her trailer after the party was over. (during the next few days) I think it turned out fun and refreshing looking, just like her! Thanks Meg!!!!

"Lindsey's Kids"

These are 10" by 8" oil portraits that I painted from photos that my fabulous friend Lindsey took of her three darling children. I changed the color of some of their clothes and used the same background color to tie the three portraits together. I also posted some more of my family portraits on my Glamma Fabulous blog...

6" by 6" Jewels

I've been delving into some mixed media lately. I love these small canvases and the paintings remind me of little jewels. $75 each. Contact me at kelleysmithart@hotmail.com if you are interested in adding these little beauties to your art collection. (personally, I thought about hanging them on the wall above my kitchen counter underneath the cabinets. I already hang some horizontal format art there and it looks fabulous)

"Sitting Pretty"

When my family was over last Sunday for dinner, I saw Pepper sitting watching her older cousins. She looked so cute with that little bow in her hair and the bow on the back of her outfit screamed for a photo. I sketched this portrait of her onto a 24" by 18" canvas using graphite pencils. It looked so nice that I decided not to paint over it and leave the sketch alone. I then sealed it with crystal clear permanent fixative and a semigloss top coat.

I sure do love those grandbabies of mine!

Three Rooster Portraits

"Looking Fierce" painted in oil is 16" by 16" floated in a black frame,

"This is my Best Side" oil 16" by 16"
and "Bad Hair Day",an oil and 16" by 16", are also framed in black float frames. All three are currently showing at the gallery of the Arizona Art Alliance. Who doesn't like roosters?!

Sunflowers.

I just love Sunflowers. I love their thick seedy center and the interesting texture that each variety of Sunflowers have. I also love how strong the petals are, and still be translucent when the sun shines through them. Here are a few of my favorite Sunflower paintings, some recently painted and some I did some years back... above: "Sunflower, Flora Series #09" oil 16" by 20" SOLD

above: "Sunflowers and 3 1/2 Lemons" oil 11" by 14" SOLD
above: "Three Sunflowers" soft pastel 11" by 14" SOLD

"Afternoon Sunlight" soft pastel image 15" by 21", framed 22" by 28" SOLD
(I actually traded this painting for a wonderful painting of drying laundry that I still treasure by artist Donna Stenger)

above "?" ...If you know me, you know that I try to be very organized. I have taken photos and recorded the show history and sales of every one of my paintings. But I can not find the paper work for this one, only the photo. I don't remember what I titled this painting, but am pretty sure that one of my daughters has it....(let me know if you do and look on the back for it's title OK girls?) Anyway, I do remember painting it. I was in the Celebration of Fine Art Show that lasts for 3 months several years ago! Each artists creates a studio and basically lives there for the duration of the show. I sold paintings to people who come specifically to that show from all over the United States and Canada. It was fun because I met so many wonderful artists who were so very generous and shared their knowledge and tips for creating and selling art. But unfortunately, I am not the best seller of my own art, so I was not invited back. I do have to say that I have grown much in the business side of art since then AND I can sell other artists work very easily and enthusiastically!

"Carrot Stack"

I like to paint things in 5's to celebrate my five daughters. I was looking at the grocery ads and saw a photo of some fresh carrots and decided to pay homage to the orange vegetable. (I don't have a diamond, but my girls are worth more to me than a multiple carrot stone!!! This 11" by 14" painting is showing and for sale at the Arizona Art Alliance at The Pavilions at Talking Stick. It is painted with soft pastels on Wallis sanded paper and matted & framed in a black 16" by 20" frame.

"One Beat at a Time" is an oil paining with oil stick. It measures 24" high and is 12" wide.

"Fresh Garlic" is also an oil painting with oil stick and measures 24" high by 12" wide. Both are for sale in the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery at The Pavilions at Talking Stick.

The perspective of this portrait of a client's children by their pool is very popular and on trend currently. A couple of my friends who are not artists, came over and saw the red primed canvas, they were very worried about how this painting was going to turn out. I explained to them that I like to paint my canvas a contrasting color to the overall color theme that I will be using. When you see the finished painting up close, tiny spots of red can be seen between the ripples of water. The blue and red vibrate against each other because the colors are opposite temperatures and close to opposite each other on the color wheel. and the finished painting! It is 48" by 48". Quite big and fun!

Win this Painting!!!

This Saturday: March 26th, my painting "Lady in Red" will be raffled for charity at the Hot Rod Show in front of the Arizona Art Alliance Gallery for $5 at ticket. I will also be doing a painting demo. and schlepping my prints and greeting cards from 10am to 5pm. It will be fun to see all of those cool cars and cool art! Maybe I will see you there?! (The AZ Art Alliance gallery is in The Pavilions at Talking Stick just off of the East 101 and Indian Bend Road in Scottsdale, AZ.)

"Farmer's Market Trio" is a 11' x 14" vibrant soft pastel "study" painting for sale (matted and framed) in The Arizona Art Alliance Gallery at The Pavillions at Talking Stick .