Shop – Abstract and Just Plain Weird « Antemortem Arts

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Binary Green

Friday, July 13th, 2012

Binary Green by Amy Crook, $250

Two green planets orbit each other in a mysterious, swirly blue-black sky. This binary system has continents dotted with sparkling salt crystals, perhaps the cities of some alien race.

I have three flower-shaped ceramic palettes of Japanese watercolors. One is earth tones, reds and oranges. One is blues, purples and a nice solid black. The last one is greens and yellows and a matte blue-black that you can see making the swirly night above. I had my water brushes out the other night with the green palette, and this piece was one of the results, along with the tentacles from Tuesday. (There’s also a pair of bookmarks no one will see until I get to 7 and declare another Bookmark Week.)

I really like the effect I’m getting with judicious use of the saturated salt solution, dripping it onto damp watercolor and making mysterious geographies as the two interact. I think I’ll take my planets to Endgame this month and give the skies a rest, so look out for that post as well.

Binary Green, 7″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Binary Green, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the sparkling salt on the upper left planet’s surface, where below we have the darker shapes glittering from the surface of the lower right planet.

Binary Green, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally, I’ve put it in a frame (sans glass), so you can imagine it sitting on your desk at work, giving you dreams of distant worlds during your coffee breaks.

Binary Green, framed art by Amy Crook

Title: Binary Green
7 in. x 5 in. Japanese watercolor and salt on paper
$250 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
Frame is not included
Shipping is free anywhere in the world
Payment plans are available, just email me
The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out

Tags: balls, for sale, green, planet, salt, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »

Red Planet 2

Friday, July 6th, 2012

Red Planet 2 by Amy Crook, $250

The pitted surface of this planet combines with its warmer tones to be more Mars-like than the first Red Planet painting. I used salt in damp-to-wet watercolor to get the texture, after I’d made a wash that I liked the color variations on. The planets on white paper always make me think of some specimen or illustration in a science book, from some mysterious future where we’ve seen more planets than the nine eight in our solar system (poor Pluto!).

Red Planet 2, 7″x5″ salt and watercolor on paper, $250 with free shipping.

Red Planet 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see light reflecting off some of the few little salt crystals that actually formed on the surface. Below, the planet floats serenely in its frame, just waiting to add some science fiction to your life.

Red Planet 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Tags: for sale, planet, red, salt, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »

Filigree Planet

Friday, June 29th, 2012

Filigree Planet by Amy Crook, $399

And here we have the final piece with the spirals of doom. I was really in love with the planet itself before I got out the pens, and then I was so delighted by the filigree look on Monday’s piece that I decided all the space around this one needed it. It’s slightly less masochistic than the piece I’m still working on with the black pen-and-ink spiral texture, which means it actually got done whereas that one’s back on hold until my wrist forgives me in a few more days.

The warm, bright purple of the glitter stands out much more clearly on the black paper, in the way of these things, framing this richly textured planet with whimsical spirals. There’s a very subtle bit sheen to the dark salt crystals that formed as the piece dried, but it’s very subdued compared to the bright glittery “stars” surrounding the planet.

I first painted the actual periwinkle wash, then I took a darker, warmer violet and dripped it wetly onto the still-damp wash. Finally, I added a few drips of salt water to the mix and, after a bit more interference, let the whole thing dry. The spirals came last, and in stages over the course of a couple of days.

Filigree Planet, 5″x5.25″ mixed media on paper, $399 with free shipping.

Filigree Planet, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the sun lighting up the glittery spirals and just glinting off the salt at the center of the piece. Below, I tilted the piece away from the light so you can see the difference in color. It’s interactive!

Filigree Planet, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Finally we have it loosely tucked into a 5″x5″ frame, though it doesn’t really fit as it’s just a wee bit too wide. It’ll need to be matted into a bigger frame for final display, which I can do for you if you like for an additional fee.

Filigree Planet, framed art by Amy Crook

Tags: black paper, filigree, for sale, glitter gel pen, periwinkle, planet, purple, salt, spirals, violet, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »

Filigree Moon

Monday, June 25th, 2012

Filigree Moon by Amy Crook, $666

I’m utterly delighted by this piece, from the salt pools with their soft, chalky centers to the fine filigree of glittering spirals over the subtly colored moon. I almost didn’t put a price on it at all, and I’ll definitely find a spot for it among my shelves where it can bring me delight for as long as it lives here.

The glitter gel pen has no actual pigment in it, and the glitter in it is remarkably large, so that you get an effect of translucency that reminds me of glitter nail polish. From some angles the filigree is bright and obvious, but from others, like the one in the scanner, it’s barely there at all. The tiny salt-pool stars add their own bit of sparkle to the piece, and the velvety black paper makes the perfect space backdrop.

Filigree Moon, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, $666 framed, with free shipping.

Filigree Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the filigree lit up by the sunlight, spirals and curlicues that shimmer and vanish when you turn the painting away from the sun. Below, you can see that I’ve finally had the brilliant idea to photograph the black paper pieces without the glass in the frame, and magically there’s no glare. Fancy that.

Filigree Moon, framed art by Amy Crook, $666

Tags: black paper, filigree, for sale, glitter gel pen, moon, periwinkle, salt, spirals, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Shop - Flowers, Trees and Landscapes | 1 Comment »

Red Planet

Friday, June 1st, 2012

Red Planet, watercolor by Amy Crook

This piece is a combination of old ideas and new toys. I got some nifty waterbrushes to test out, and some new eyedroppers for my salt solution, and used them together to paint another planet. First I used the waterbrushes to paint in the circular wash in two shades of red, and then I added a few drops of salt solution to the mix while the paint was still wet and forced myself to set the whole thing aside to dry without any further interference.

There’s not a lot of sparkle in this one, mostly the salt created texture rather than crystals, but I love the way the texture looks like the surface of some far-away alien planet.

Red Planet, 8″x8″ salt and watercolor on paper, $222 with free shipping.

Red Planet, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the texture and a tiny bit of shine where the salt catches the light. Below, I’ve got it put in a wall frame (they don’t make many 8″x8″ standing frames), which can be yours for a small additional fee mostly relating to the shipping costs where you are.

Red Planet, framed, by Amy Crook

Tags: for sale, pink, planet, red, vampire, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | 1 Comment »

Flow

Monday, May 28th, 2012

Flow, abstract art by Amy Crook, $323

This holiday Monday brings a piece that’s ironically about work, and getting into the flow of things. I actually painted the background for this upside-down, but I decided I liked the way it looked better the other way around once I got in the flow of working on it.

It reminds me a little of those desk toys with the two unmixing fluids that rock back and forth meditatively, creating waves where the two fluids meet. Something to put up at work to remind you that sometimes, all you have to do is look at things another way to get into the groove again.

Flow, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper, $323 with free shipping.

Flow, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see some of the crosshatching up close, and the subtle variations in color and texture throughout the piece. Below, it’s been temporarily put in a 10″x8″ frame for scale. I can frame it for you for a small additional fee, of course, just drop me a line to let me know. And now, by request, it’s also a computer wallpaper.

Flow, framed, by Amy Crook

Tags: blue, crosshatching, for sale, green, pen and ink, spirals, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | 4 Comments »

Galaxies

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Galaxies, abstract art by Amy Crook, $424

From some angles the background of this piece looks as black as the space between galaxies, or at least as black as the paper it’s painted on. Shift it just a little though, and a liberal dusting of silver stars sparkles up in the blackness, making the whole piece shimmer. The iridescent green paint, opaque blue and glittering salt form mysterious shapes floating in the black, broken spirals and strange pools of color.

I was just playing when I made the spirals, wanting some different shapes and enjoying the bigger page, which was more forgiving of the lack of precision from the salt water solution. It sat around for a few weeks after it dried while I decided what to do with it, and in the end I decided a subtle dusting of silver paint would best set off the shapes. I ended up brushing most of the silver particles back off the page, which makes the whole effect much more subtly supporting instead of overwhelming.

Galaxies, 10″x8″ salt and watercolor on paper, $424 framed, with free shipping.

Galaxies, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the golden afternoon light reflecting off the salt and paint in this particular spiral formation. Below, the strange little frost that formed where the water flowed off the edge and then soaked into the corner of the paper.