Waterbirds
“Competition at the Fishing Hole”
Perched on a branch of sycamore, a kingfisher pair takes a moments rest . Dangling below them is a long lost fishing bobber, its line tangled among the leaves. It’s proof of a fisherman’s past failure. Proudly the male kingfisher holds a freshly caught fish in his bill, his success unmistakable. With gentle humor and exquisite detail, Smith contrasts human effort with instinct, revealing the true master of the fishing hole.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Waterside Portraits”
In Waterside Portraits, a great blue heron stands poised along a quiet riverbank, its slate-blue feathers rendered in delicate gouache and refined pencil. Behind it, a pale sun glows softly, while reeds and roots form a hidden world below. A dragonfly clings nearby, frogs peer from shelter, fish gather in the shallows, and a small turtle moves cautiously along the edge. Each creature feels quietly aware of the heron’s presence. The composition celebrates stillness, detail, and the fragile balance of life woven along the water’s edge.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Soul Searching”
Great White Egret
Egrets are elegant birds and are most common wading in the southern wetlands. This fella is searching for his next meal and the still water gives us the title for this piece - “Soul Searching”. We all find soul searching necessary now and then.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“River Woody”
Wood ducks are north America’s most colorful and spectacular duck. They are a small duck and they prefer the shallow areas of wooded swamps, rivers and ponds. Nesting high in tree cavities their ducklings are famous for the daredevil leap they take from the nest to the ground. This is one of the very first times I used pencil for the background and I really like the soft detailing and the way the wood duck both blends and is featured.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Homeward Bound”
“Homeward Bound” captures a Great Blue Heron in graceful flight. His six foot wings fully extended as it glides past an exposed tree root along the water’s edge. Precise strokes of gouache render layered feathers in cool blues and silvery grays. The textured roots beneath are intricately drawn, concealing several small critters within the pencil work. The composition feels both powerful and quiet—a study of movement, habitat, and hidden life.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Larry, Moe and Curly Joe”
Brown Pelicans
So much character in these faces! I couldn’t resist naming this after the comical characters in my childhood. Anyone who has spent time along our southern coastline has watched these fellas cruise slowly through the sky and then suddenly fold wings and plunge headfirst into the water. Brown pelicans are the smallest of the world’s eight species but they have a wingspan of seven feet! They were once endangered but have recovered and are so much fun to see.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Cold Shoulder”
Green-Winged Teal
This is a situation that couples can relate to. The male has apparently said something wrong and he’s at a loss about how to remedy his blunder. Meanwhile, he’s getting the “Cold Shoulder” from his lady. Give them a little time and they will work it out. Green-winged teal are north America’s smallest dabbling duck inhabiting shallow wetlands like this setting. I had taxidermied birds to work from and my husband, David Curles, waded out into the lake to photograph this tangle of water iris for me. While he was out there it began to rain and that gave me a wonderful texture in the water. I really like doing tangles and this pencil work was certainly a challenge! Making some things recede and others come forward is like a magic trick to me!
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“A Resting Place”
Canada Geese
Canada geese are handsome and powerful birds that form life-long bonds with their mates. Males are very protective of their nesting mate and their young. More than that, they maintain extended families and grandparents help raise the young. Their population was in trouble back in the 1980’s but they have recovered and are now plentiful. This piece took all the painting time I had for an entire year. The original is large - 21” x 34”. The birds are in gouache and the rest in black and a bit of green colored pencil. I knew how I wanted the main roots to flow and searched river banks for a reference but couldn’t find what I wanted. As a result, this is all out of my head. You’ll find ferns, oak leaves, may apples and poison ivy tucked into the pencil work. Again, I love doing tangles!
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache and pencil original
“Lost in Thought”
Soft and dreamy, this elegant great blue heron is considering his environment and the creatures he’s most familiar with. Graceful reeds echo the lines of his long curved neck and flow down to tangle in feathers and then envelop the objects of his thoughts. It’s his bright eye that first captures your attention - very alive but somehow focused inward. The piece captures stillness, habitat, and the intimate details of wetland life.
Archival giclee signed and numbered limited edition (500) from a gouache, pastel and pencil original
All of the prints are archival giclees produced by us and in our studio. The term "giclee" refers to the printing process. This process provides wonderful color accuracy and detail without the dot pattern of an offset lithograph. David scans the original and uses photoshop to correct colors. Color correcting is a skill and can go quickly or take days of trying. We have a large format Epson printer and use Epson's archival inks on acid-free Somerset Velvet paper. The inks are light-fast and under normal household conditions will not fade for 100 years.
Arkansas is home to the southern part of the Ozark Mountain range with wooded mountains as high as 2,700 feet. Clear rocky waterways thread through the mountains in a rush or slow into deep blue pools. It’s beautiful country blessed with a big national park to protect it. I’m not an ocean girl. The movement of rivers and creeks with boulders and bluffs is more interesting to me so kingfishers and great blue herons are my waterbirds - though I know they inhabit coastal areas too.
The great blue heron is my favorite bird to paint. He is just elegant with long lines of neck and legs, wispy feathers off his head and breast and I love the blue, white and orange combination of him. On a river, I’m trespassing into his world where he is aloof, regal and displeased. He will spread his giant wings to leave and croak. What a croak! Reminding me - we all have our weak points and it is often better to keep your mouth shut!
My fishing husband watches the kingfishers for advise. They are experts in the art and there are wonderful underwater photos to prove it. They plunge in headfirst to snatch up a fish leaving just a trail of bubbles. Kingfishers are all over the world in different sizes and colors. Ours is the belted kingfisher, named for the broad rust colored belt across the female’s chest. They’re a chunky bird that moves fast with an almost constant rattle of a call as they charge down river.
If you ever visit Arkansas you must canoe the Buffalo River. The Buffalo is our nations first scenic river and a treasured part of the Arkansas landscape. The Buffalo’s clear water curls though our mountains past limestone bluffs 200 feet high - wonderful.