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Mood Ring
Thursday, February 9th, 2012
Mood Ring, abstract watercolor painting by Amy Crook, $323
More experiments with the awesome black paper this week. This paper is actually colored by a chemical reaction in the paper pulp when they manufacture it, so the velvety black color is completely lightfast. Possibly more so than the paint and inks I use, actually.
The deep purple paint nearly disappears into the paper, but the opaque red pulls it into visibility, and both colors dye the salt here and there. I think I did tint this salt with ink as well, but I’m having a hard time remembering. The end result had a very ’70s feel to it to me, hence the title. Yeah, I said hence.
Mood Ring, 5″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper, $323 framed, with free shipping.
Something about the middle ring in the group of 3 catches the light much more than the other rings, which you can see in the detail below.
Mood Ring, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Below you can see the purple and red paint bleeding into the salt in the circles down in the lower right. I also made an iPhone wallpaper of the three central circles, and am sneaking it in here for those who read all the words.
Mood Ring, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And this one actually does fit into a frame, so you can see it next to my iPhone (for scale only, sorry) below.
Mood Ring, framed art by Amy Crook, $323
Tags: black, for sale, purple, red, salt, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »
Tentacle Spiral 2
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Tentacle Spiral 2 by Amy Crook, $222
As predicted, I’ve got a second installment for my Tentacle Spiral series. This started out as something else, but once I looked at the smudgy, swirly green background I just knew it needed tentacles. I mixed up a very dark green that’s a little translucent, so you can see some of the other colors where the tentacles grow thin, as though they’re not quite fully in this world.
Tentacle Spiral 2, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper, $222 framed, with free shipping.
Tentacle Spiral 2, detail, by Amy Crook
These tentacle spiral pieces also look very cool when photographed at an angle like this, so much so I even made a wallpaper of this one. It’s been ages since I shared one, so I figured it was about time.
Tags: for sale, spirals, tentacle spiral, tentacles, watercolor
Posted in Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books, Shop - Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Tentacles | No Comments »
Green to Blue
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Green to Blue, abstract art by Amy Crook, $299
This abstract work uses the same soft celadon green Crane & Co. cardstock as Hibiscus Green, but is a much more complex piece. I used a green pen for the salt pools, which ended up with a much less uniform color to them than most of mine, the ink staying more firmly soaked into the paper so that the salt rises pale and shining above the darker green centers. I used watercolor for the surroundings, trying to expand the palette without covering up the gorgeous, subtle hue of the paper completely.
Green to Blue, 6.375″x4.25″ mixed media on paper, $299 with free shipping.
Here you can see a view of one of the formations at the center of the piece, with light shining on the fine line of redistributed salt in the blue paint.
Green to Blue, detail, by Amy Crook, $299
I don’t have a frame for this piece yet, but I’ve made a computer wallpaper and iPhone wallpaper of this piece for you to enjoy.
Tags: blue, crane and co, for sale, green, pen and ink, salt, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »
Vine Glory
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Vine Glory by Amy Crook, $333
I wasn’t sure what to do with these glowing green florets after I’d created them on the page, but after looking again at Goth Vines I decided to take a different tack with the same idea. The hibiscus tea I used for the flowers blurred out into softer shapes than I’d originally expected, but it went with the softness of the green florets. I used a the green pen on the vines as inhabits the salt circles, and then signed the piece with the same orange that decorates each blossom with a hint of pollen.
The pink trumpet-like flowers look a bit like morning glories to me, and so I couldn’t resist punning a bit with the title. Since this piece is so decorative, I also made an iPhone wallpaper and computer wallpaper out of it for you.
Vine Glory, 5″x7″ mixed media on watercolor paper, $333, framed, with free shipping.
I used the other side of this paper, which has a different texture, and the result was much softer salt formations, though I still got the haloing effect the crystals aren’t nearly so defined as in Snowflakes or Aglow.
Vine Glory, detail, by Amy Crook
I ended up having to remove the very bottom of this piece in order to make it fit in a frame, just the last, translucent 1/8″ or so where the ink was blurring anyway.
Vine Glory, framed, by Amy Crook, $333
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, pen and ink, salt, tea
Posted in Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Flowers, Trees and Landscapes | No Comments »
The Eyes Have It
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
The Eyes Have It, abstract art by Amy Crook, $59
This little piece is practically a sketch with its rough lines and simple structure. I made the salt pools using paint instead of ink, and the salt-infused paint grew brittle and flaked away at the centers, as you can see. Then I added halos of color to give it a feeling like the eyes on a peacock’s tail, first scribbling with the watercolor crayons and then going in with the water brush to soften the lines and blend the colors.
The scribbly lines make for a fun computer wallpaper or iPhone wallpaper, too, so I made up free ones for you. Okay, mostly for me, but a little bit for you.
The resulting little drawing is unframed, but the stiff card would sit easily on a bookshelf or little cubby, or I could even include one of my tiny wooden easels for display if you’d like.
The Eyes Have It, 5.5″x4.25″ mixed media on paper, $59 with free shipping.
Tags: for sale, salt, watercolor, watercolor crayons
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »
Hibiscus Green
Friday, July 29th, 2011
Hibiscus Green, abstract art by Amy Crook, $77
I bought this celadon green Crane & Co. cardstock at a stationery store a few years back, and I was curious to see where on the spectrum of blue to pink it would fall with the hibiscus tea. After swirling on an abstract pattern, the tea turned slightly purple, and in the very thin spots where it went bluer it faded into the green paper. I liked the pattern it made so much I called it done and scanned it.
I enjoyed the soothing abstract colors of this piece so much I made a computer wallpaper and iPhone wallpaper out of it. I’m really enjoying the wallpapers I make for myself, switching out every few days to something new, especially on my iPhone. Clearly, I’m easily amused.
Hibiscus Green, 6.375″x4.25″ hibiscus tea on paper, $77 with free shipping.
It’s just a little larger than a standard 4″x6″ card, which means I haven’t found a frame for it, so the price is for the unframed work.
Tags: crane and co, for sale, green, hibiscus, tea
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | 2 Comments »
Hibiscus Blue 3
Monday, July 25th, 2011
Hibiscus Blue 3, abstract art by Amy Crook, $323
I wasn’t sure if this piece would be part of my Hibiscus Blue series or not until I started it, because I used an entirely different sort of paper. This is a thick watercolor postcard, which turned the rich pink of the tea into a gorgeous periwinkle blue that grew even darker where it pooled around the salt. The two unusual art materials reacted together to create gorgeous cornflower-like rosettes in the lighter places, while sparkling patterns of blue-dyed salt crystals add texture to the darker sections.
Hibiscus Blue 3, 4″x6″ hibiscus tea and salt on watercolor postcard, $323, framed, with free shipping.
Rather than my usual method of putting the liquid over the salt, this time I created a very wet wash of tea and then scattered the salt crystals onto the drying tea. You can see below how the tea stayed pink the longest where it was drawn into the salt, but at the same time it also turned bluest in those places where there was more salt.
HIbiscus Blue 3, work in progress by Amy Crook
This shot really captures the sparkle of the piece, not just in the places where the salt is thickest but also around the center of each flower.
Hibiscus Blue 3, detail, by Amy Crook
It fits nicely in a simple black frame, ready to ship and hang in your home or office. It’s the perfect size to decorate your desk or a small bit of wall to which you’ve been wanting to add a surprising touch of beauty.
Hibiscus Blue 3, framed art by Amy Crook, $323
As a bonus, I made a free computer wallpaper and iPhone wallpaper of this piece just for the people who read all the way to the bottom. Enjoy!
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, hibiscus blue, salt
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books, Shop - Abstract and Just Plain Weird | No Comments »
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