7 Seconds

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

7 Seconds, abstract art by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, abstract art by Amy Crook, $399

I can’t really explain the title of this painting, other than to say it suggested itself to me when I was contemplating what to name the file when I was scanning it. There are seven pools of salt, rather more distorted from perfect rounds than usual because the paper was already slightly warped by the wash of hibiscus tea before I made them.

This is one of my first pieces combining watercolor with tea, though I’ve since worked on several more. I really like the way the rich turquoise paint works with the softer green of the salt, and the muted blue-violet of the tea.

7 Seconds, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, $399, framed, with free shipping.

Here you can see the initial wash drying — the lightest spots turned to blue almost immediately, leaving the original pink lingering in the pools of tea, though as you can see they, too, changed as they dried.

7 Seconds, work in progress, by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, work in progress, by Amy Crook

This photo gives away one of my cheater secrets — I use the knickknacks off my shelves to flatten out the pages when they get too warped. Though it’s far from perfect, that’s part of the point, the compromise between order and entropy, deliberation and natural randomness.

7 Seconds, work in progress by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, work in progress by Amy Crook

It was quite warm the day the salt water was drying, which created unusually delicate salt formations.

7 Seconds, detail 1, by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Some of those formations were washed away by the paint, turning instead into small crystals haloing the original salt pools.

7 Seconds, detail 2, by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, detail 2, by Amy Crook

This is definitely one of those paintings that looks much better once it’s framed. The black really makes the colors look richer and deeper, and helps showcase the harmony of the piece.

7 Seconds, framed art by Amy Crook

7 Seconds, framed art by Amy Crook, $399

Find more like this:

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: , , , , , ,

« Drip divider »