Posts Tagged ‘green’

Wyrm

Saturday, July 17th, 2021

a watercolor painting of a green dragon's head with spiral scales

Wyrm, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

A wyrm is a type of dragon with no legs or wings, basically a giant snake that’s still gonna eat you for breakfast. This one is essentially the result of doodling, playing with shapes formed in a loose wash of paint, building up shadows and lifting highlights until the dragon emerged from the swirling mist.

There’s sparkle throughout but especially in the fog, and my favorite shape features heavily. Spirals in the fog, in the scales, in horns that lay flat against its neck.

Sinuous and menacing, this wyrm looks hangry and you look like a snack.

Wyrm, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the pearlescent shimmer, and a close-up of our wyrm’s baleful eye. Below, he’s in a frame, awaiting his next snack.

Wyrm, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: , , , ,


Concentric 9

Monday, July 12th, 2021

an abstract watercolor painting of a series of concentric circles of dots on a green background

Concentric 9, 5″x5″ watercolor on paper

A fitting start for a gallery full of abstract artwork and reclaimed images, here’s an old painting that gained a lot more cowbell.

This mostly-green painting had some sneaky color-changing shine to it already, so I doubled down on that palette and brought in some blue to go with the gold, green, and surprising pops of red. There’s just one big set of Concentric bursts that fade through the palette, and finally trail off and fade out into nothingness.

This is a painting I wish I could show you in person, since it looks different from every angle and has a lot more to offer than I can capture in photos. A very familiar complaint, sadly!

Concentric 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sunlight reflecting off the green-gold and green-red paints, turning everything into new colors and showing off hidden details. Below, the painting is in a frame, ready to bring a bit of peace and beauty into your life.

Concentric 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


Growth 11

Tuesday, August 7th, 2018

Growth 11 by Amy Crook, abstract art in green and metallic on black paper

Growth 11, 5″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Another Gallery, another Growth.

The theme continues to develop, the feeling of macroscopic or microscopic increasing with this eleventh addition to the series.

A bright green central circle is surrounded, edged and even intruded upon, by metallic dots that stand out from the page. Everything has texture and weight, a presence that makes it fascinating to move in the light, to run fingers over.

There are three layers of gold under the dots, from a deep gold near the center through nearly silver.

What do you need to support your growth?

Growth 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Growth 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the little pearls of green and gold up close and personal. Below, the piece is in its tiny frame, already trying to outgrow its confines.

Growth 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Growth 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , ,


Uncertain Boundaries 2

Monday, May 8th, 2017

Uncertain Boundaries 2, abstract map art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, 10″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Layers of boundaries obscured but not always obliterated by the shapes that form atop them. A world that is always shifting, changing, adapting to the forces that make and move borders. A history hiding in the blend of color, the sparkle of truths that won’t stay buried.

Uncertain Boundaries 2 is another Map piece, mixed media artworks that create imaginary places and invite the viewer to explore them.

What history do you think has happened here?

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the half-obliterated history of these strange countries, lines still there in memory but outweighed by the present. Below, this piece is in a frame, waiting to add some mystery to your walls.

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,


Painted Ladies 2

Monday, October 3rd, 2016

Painted Ladies 2 by Amy Crook

Painted Ladies 2, 10″x8″ gansai watercolor on Arches cover black paper

It’s inevitable, living near San Francisco as I do, that I would revisit the Painted Ladies theme.

This time a soft, seafoam green permeates the beautiful Victorian row houses, each with a unique facade that nonetheless echoes its neighbors. The clouds above look like cotton puffs, fluffily floating along among the shining stars in the velvety black sky.

This paper is unique because it gets its color from a chemical process, so the black is lightfast. Though of course it’s never a good idea to put artwork in a sunny spot, it’s good to know it won’t become grey over the years.

Painted Ladies 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Painted Ladies 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of a few of the charming faces on the painted ladies. Below, they’re tucked into a simple frame, just waiting to add charm and elegance to your home.

Painted Ladies, framed art by Amy Crook

Painted Ladies, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


Pond Diptych

Wednesday, May 4th, 2016

Pond Diptych, abstract watercolors by Amy Crook

Pond Diptych, two 6″x4″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Click here to get a bigger view of these two paired paintings!

Beautifully abstract, this diptych reminds me of algae blooming in a sunlit pond, mysterious clouds of green moving in the clear water.

These would be perfect for adding a splash of brilliant color to one of those awkward spaces in your home. You could hang them above a doorway to help give you reasons to look up more.

Pond Diptych, detail, by Amy Crook

Pond Diptych, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the beautiful movement and gorgeous green color up close. Below, these two paired paintings are together in frames, waiting for just the right wall or shelf.

Pond Diptych, framed art by Amy Crook

Pond Diptych, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: , , ,


Peninsula

Tuesday, October 6th, 2015

Peninsula by Amy Crook

Peninsula by Amy Crook

The penultimate piece in this month’s Gallery is another in my Map series. The delicate changes from paper to watercolor become stark with black ink outlining each little eddy and fjord.

Although the paint is entirely non-shiny in this one, the nature of the sharp lines makes the land mass appear limned in a pale blue light. The granulating paint has settled into mountain ridges and smaller hills, forests and plains, creating a topography that exists only between the imagination and the page.

Where will this map take you?

Peninsula, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.

Peninsula, detail, by Amy Crook

Peninsula, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the exquisite detail created by the texture of paper and paint, and the fine lines of pen and ink creating borders around each little shape. Below, the map sits in a frame, awaiting a new adventurer.

Peninsula, framed art by Amy Crook

Peninsula, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , ,


Drip divider More Art This Way »