Lurker in the Depths
Posted on April 6th, 2014
Lurker in the Depths by Amy Crook
Most of this seahorse is pale, like a creature evolved in a place where there’s little to no light, but his fin is decorated with a rather morbid splash of red. His eye swirls with yellow and white, making him look blind. He lurks in the swirling waters next to a barnacle-bedecked skull.
Despite all these rather ghoulish details, there’s an adorable sort of whimsy to him. Go figure.
Lurker in the Depths, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.
Lurker in the Depths, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the subtle detail in the seahorse, his creepy yellow-tinged eye and the blue shadows on his pale body. Below, you can see him in a frame, hanging out with a squid.
Lurker in the Depths, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: copic marker, for sale, pen and ink, seahorses, skull
Burglar
Posted on April 5th, 2014
Burglar, The Hobbit parody comic by Amy Crook
Amidst the piles of shining gold, Bilbo Baggins is caught by the mighty red dragon, Smaug. But it’s not the Arkenstone that Smaug’s worried about — instead, he says, “Burglar, you’ve stolen my heart.” I suppose Bilbo should be glad he’s not lunch, though I’m not sure how he’s going to get out of this one.
Burglar, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. The original is sold, but you can get a card to send to your own heart-stealing hobbit here.
Burglar greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: bilbo baggins, copic marker, dragon, etsy, hobbit, pen and ink, smaug, sold
Yearning
Posted on April 4th, 2014
Yearning, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Yearning might actually be my favorite piece out of April’s Floating Gallery. Everything about it is subtle, delicate, and incredibly hard to convey with photos and pixels, but I love it anyway. There’s just something about the two shapes and the way they strain to cross the void, sending out waves of yearning like a corona surrounding the core.
What are you longing for, in your silent, secret heart?
Yearning, 10″x8″ duochrome watercolor on watercolor paper.
Yearning, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the upper left corner, turned to catch the sunlight and reveal the hidden treasures of color and light in its depths. Below, we have the lower right, cooler and more congruent but still sending those secret tendrils outward.
Yearning, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, the piece in a frame, showing off the depth of texture in the paper, and hanging out with my iPhone for size comparison.
Yearning, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: duochrome, for sale, iridescent, splash, watercolor
Telltale Heart
Posted on April 3rd, 2014
Telltale Heart by Amy Crook
This painting is awfully bright and whimsical to be a reference to Poe’s famous short story, but the name somehow fit anyway with the way the heart is just barely defined by a few telltale strokes of the brush.
I really like the non-rainbow progression of colors, and the rich textures trapped in the transition. I imagine this piece brightening up someone’s work space, providing inspiration and a grounding in kindness.
Telltale Heart, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Telltale Heart, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a bit of the texture on the painting, a mix of granulation, brush strokes, and subtle color shifts. Below, you can see it in a frame, just waiting to go to its new home.
Telltale Heart, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, heart, watercolor
New Growth
Posted on April 2nd, 2014
New Growth by Amy Crook
Spring is creeping out into the US despite the weather, with daffodils here and brave buds there. Here in California we’ve got lots of flowers and new leaves, though there’s a yellow edge to some of them with the drought.
This painting echoes those delicate new leaves and water-drenched old growth, unfurling after a life-giving rain shower.
Art can symbolize something you want in life, and be a talisman for your own movement in that direction. Is there somewhere you could use a breath of spring and a burst of new growth?
New Growth, 7″5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
New Growth, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see how there’s a ghost of yellow even beyond the spray of new growth, like the mists of pollen floating on the page. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, washed bright in the spring sunshine.
New Growth, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, for sale, green, japanese watercolor, watercolor
The Silence
Posted on April 1st, 2014
The Silence, a Doctor Who parody comic by Amy Crook
It’s really hard to make a creepy, mouthless monster adorable, but I think I’ve done a creditable job. The puppy eyes help. He’s trying to explain how he managed to forget your birthday, but you’ll forget he wished you “Happy Birthday” as soon as you look away, anyway.
The Silence, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. Get him on a card at Etsy.
Sorry I Forgot, Doctor Who greeting card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: copic marker, doctor who, etsy, for sale, pen and ink
Studio Tour: Bookshelves part 2
Posted on March 25th, 2014
Bookcase 1 of 6*, top half
I decided not to keep you in suspense too long, so here’s the top half of the bookcase we started exploring last week. You can see off to the left there where I have a custom-made dry erase marker cup from my friend Z. It looks like a castle from the front! I’m meant to draw in some brickwork on it myself, but I never get around to it (much like the ear plugs I still owe him, d’oh!).
Most of the stuff on these shelves are easier to see behind to the books, so there’s only one that got a double photo, but to make it up to you I also photographed the stuff on top.
This is the fifth shelf, counting from the bottom up. It’s got blank books, inspirational toys, glass bunnies from Brazil, and more books! The box of three blank books bound in raw silk is just begging to be some fascinating little project someday, and the other little blank journals and notebooks are just too nifty to write in. The golden Snitch is a plushie, and that red-patterned box contains another sort of collectible of mine — more boxes! In this case it’s full of hexagonal nesting origami boxes from Japan.
The books are a mix of grammar, writing, design, and tea books, but I believe the whole shelf is nonfiction. This means I’ve read very few of them, because I get really easily bored reading nonfiction. So bored.
This shelf is teeny tiny! It’s just the right height for the stuff inside, which includes what’s left of my Pez dispenser collection, and some really awesome wee Nightmare Before Christmas statuettes. They are very cool, and also incredibly delicate, which is why they live in their packages right now, though I have in the past displayed them properly. There’s also Pooh and Piglet, acquired at Disneyland years ago if I recall correctly, and an electric candle.
And here we have the one and only place I arrange books by color, my collection of “Pooh’s Little Book” books, all silly little mini-books with quotes and art from the classic Pooh books. There’s even a copy of Eeyore’s Gloomy Little Instruction Book on the end there.
And here we have shelf seven, containing all of my Dresden Files hardcovers, a random fancy copy of Stardust, and chibi Pez. Also, Pooh and Piglet looking adorably scared, some random stationery, and a zombie fish.
On the topmost shelf, we have the British editions of Harry Potter 1-7, along with some other related things and a random copy of one of those Scary Stories books I read as a kid. I always loved the illustrations, so when I found this anthology on a Halloween sale table for cheap, I snagged it. In front are these absolutely delightful Harry Potter decorative boxes. Decorative boxes are seriously a weakness of mine, you guys. They have a little charm inside each one, so Hedwig’s is a cage and the Snitch has a broom and Harry on his broom has a Snitch. So awesome.
And finally, at the very top, we have plushies! There’s the zombie kitty that I lobotomized to see how his purrer worked, a ferret given to me with his nametag on, Paddington Bear complete with marmalde under his hat, and Sirius Blackie in his Prisoner of Love uniform. And a random purple rose, because why not?
I hope you’re enjoying this little tour of my studio, life, and brain! Next stop will be the paperbacks, which are 2 deep on the shelf and have their own bizarre assortment of collectibles and oddities.
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: about, studio tour
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