sold « Antemortem Arts | Fine Art & Custom Paintings

Posts Tagged ‘sold’

Dichrome

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Dichrome by Amy Crook

Despite the rather random way this image came about (and really, do my abstract pieces come about any other way?), I’m really in love with the stuttering flow of the paint and the subtle transition from warm orange to cool, soft blue. The salt pools came later, using a black ink that separates in water into brown and blue, which mixed beautifully with the pink Himalayan salt.

The swoop of paint reminds me of clouds at sunset, breaking up as they rise up into the sky, but then I’m not sure what the salt pools would become, though they were absolutely necessary for the visual balance of the piece.

Dichrome, 6″x6″ watercolor, ink and salt on paper, nfs (sold).

There’s a lot of variation in the salt pools this time around, and here you can really see the colors of them and how they echo the paint colors.

Dichrome, detail 1, by Amy Crook

And here’s another view of the same section that allows you to really appreciate the geometric crystals in the big pool, and the chunk of pink salt with its rough surfaces that’s nearby. I always find the close-up photos of the salt crystal formations fascinating.

Dichrome, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Tags: blue, nfs, orange, salt, sold, watercolor
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art | 2 Comments »

Weeble Buddha

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Weeble Buddha Rubs His Own Belly for Luck by Amy Crook

This jolly little brush-pen Buddha is rubbing his own belly, that’s how lucky he feels! He’d invite you to rub with him, but he’s afraid you’d get fingerprints on your monitor.

Tags: brush pen, nfs, sold, weeble, zen
Posted in Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces | 2 Comments »

New Leaf

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

New Leaf by Amy Crook

A lot of the time I resist the urge to make things pretty and decorative, so with this piece I let myself make smooth, lovely progressions of shapes and colors all I wanted. I was experimenting with salt on a new paper, which turned out to be a bit too absorbent to make formations, but still left sparkly pools of color. Then I got my awesome new Japanese gouache-like paints out (watercolors, but opaque!) and just noodled about with two shades of green and a series of shapes and patterns.

Although the scanner tends to shift it to yellow, the lighter parts of this painting are a vivid new-leaf green, and the whole thing has a lovely rough, hand-torn edge. I’m thinking of framing it with photo corners on black mat board to bring out the roughness around the edges of the otherwise smooth, decorative shapes.

New Leaf, 8″x8″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

Even my camera didn’t really like the lighter green color, but here you can see just a touch of the salt sparkle nestling amongst the matte paint and finely textured paper.

New Leaf, detail, by Amy Crook

Tags: decorative, gouache, green, nfs, pen and ink, salt, sold
Posted in Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art | 2 Comments »

Sherlock bookmark 2

Saturday, October 22nd, 2011

Sherlock Bookmark 2 by Amy Crook

I was experimenting with some new paper and salt, and after tearing down a 8″x8″ square for another piece I was left with this strip. I made my usual spirals, except this time I kept them all along the top edge rather than scattered over the whole page. They didn’t form proper salt pools, but I did like the will-o-the-wisp quality that was left, with just a few tiny salt crystals and the soft swirls of ink like a glowing light.

In a fit of 2am whimsy, I pencilled in a half-dozen little Sherlocks, first examining, then chasing, and finally catching his very own will-o-the-wisp.

Sherlock Bookmark 2, 8″x2.75″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

You can see the salt crystals much better in this detail photo, and some of the teeny tiny detail in the little Sherlocks.

Sherlock Bookmark 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Tags: bookmark, nfs, pen and ink, pencil, salt, sherlock, sketch, sold
Posted in Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of | No Comments »

Sherlock bookmark

Saturday, October 15th, 2011

Sherlock bookmark by Amy Crook

This little scrap of paper is nice thick Arches cover black, and should stand up to being used as a bookmark, though I suspect the soft edges will get a bit softer over time. Basically I was tearing some 5″x5″ squares and I had this little 1″ strip left so I decided to draw a contemplative Sherlock.

Sherlock bookmark, 1″x5″ white gel pen and pencil on paper, nfs, sold.

Tags: bookmark, gel pen, holmes, nfs, pencil, sherlock, sold
Posted in Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of | No Comments »

Violet Midnight

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Violet Midnight by Amy Crook

Another image I keep revisiting, the moon glowing in the night sky. I went for a simple duochrome effect, the stars and moon drawn in orange ink, then the stars turned warm and golden when the salt and water were added. I used a dark blue-violet paint, which was making such fascinating shapes and shadows on its own as it pooled and flowed that I decided not to try to add any more stars and let the velvety paint stand on its own. Then I used a metallic copper watercolor to create the haloes around the moon and stars, the color an excellent match to the orange ink.

Violet Midnight, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs.

This piece has a great contrast between the matte violet paint and shimmery, iridescent copper paint; between the flat ink and three-dimensional salt crystals; between the meticulous spiral pattern in the moon and the random, cloudy shapes in the sky.

Violet Midnight, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Here you can really see how the interplay of colors and textures up close.

Violet Midnight, detail 2, by Amy Crook

A simple black frame protects the salt, and makes the vivid colors really glow.

Violet Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook

Violet Midnight, framed, by Amy Crook

Tags: moon, nfs, orange, pen and ink, salt, sold, stars, violet, watercolor
Posted in Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes | 4 Comments »

Twisted Tree

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

Twisted Tree by Amy Crook

Today’s art combines a number of techniques into one unusual piece. The base is a heavy, handmade postcard from India, part of a set I bought years ago with irregular, natural edges. The wash was made with strong black tea, and the texture comes from salt crystals placed on the wet paper. Then, I added a touch of blue paint and a little more salt to create the shape of the bird.

I have to admit, once I saw a bird in the blue, I couldn’t help but think of Twitter, but I think that’s just a sign I spend too much time on social networks.

I broke out my fine-point sharpies in brown and black to create the tree and the detail on the bird, using a loose, scribbly style to create an organic shape that fit with the background.

Twisted Tree, 4″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).

The bird ended up with a bit of an attitude, and I rather imagine him saying something like, “Yeah, yeah, tweet, whatever.” Despite that, he’s got a bit of sparkle to his personality, as you can see here.