September’s Works in Progress
Posted on September 16th, 2013
abstract watercolor work in progress by Amy Crook
The month’s halfway done and so is some of the art. Above there’s a piece that’s done in a similar style as Edges, in greens and golds. It feels very map-like to me, all the tiny intricate fjords that I outlined with my smallest Micron pen.
Below, there’s a piece that waited quite some time between start and finish. I kept working on it and stopping, waiting to see what it needed, until in the end I realized what it needed was a TARDIS.
Both these pieces will be available in October’s Floating Gallery. I do hope you’ll stop in and visit!
Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey, work in progress by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Works In Progress
The Floating Gallery: How to Buy my Art
Posted on September 14th, 2013
So what is a Floating Gallery, you ask?
Well, Dear Reader, it’s an itinerant art show of a sort, a virtual pop-up shop of strange surprises. Bimonthly for barely more than a week, the gallery floats in and sets up, offering an assortment of art originals both rare and strange.
- The Floating Gallery is open from the 1st through 8th of every even month, approximately midnight to midnight Pacific time.
- Original artwork will be displayed in the Floating Gallery for those 8 days only, and each piece is one of a kind. Once the Gallery floats away, those pieces will not be for sale again.
- My Art Patron’s List gets a few days before the 1st to sneak in and get a preview of the Gallery, and buy before the general public sees it.
- You can buy art from the Floating Gallery either by using the buy buttons on the page, or arranging a payment plan with me, but you have to decide before the 8th.
- You’ll see the little airship in the sidebar to the right if the Floating Gallery is open. Just click on it to go view the show!
- Other than commissions, this is the only way to buy my original art if you want to take a piece home. If you’re new and want to see what sort of art I make, check out my Portfolio of recent works.
Questions? Email me! I’m always happy to talk to my Dear Readers and Future Patrons.
Categories: Floating Gallery
Tags: floating gallery, info
Lucky Podsworth
Posted on September 13th, 2013
Lucky Podsworth by Amy Crook
It’s Friday the 13th, and Pod wanted to have his portrait painted, from his tentacle tail to his pink jellybean toes. He’s feeling very elegant and refined here, so clearly I’ve taken liberties.
I put him on a card with the message, “Make Your Own Luck.” I felt like in this picture he was saying something rather superior, so you can add whatever tone pleases you.
Make Your Own Luck greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: basement cat, cat, pen and ink, pod, watercolor
Random Recipe: Lentil Stew
Posted on September 11th, 2013
This isn’t really a detailed recipe so much as an outline of a recipe that you can fill in with whatever flavours you like. So far I’ve made a nice spicy curry, a lovely sage and oregano version, and a delicious sweet-savory Moroccan spiced stew.
As a disclaimer, I’ve been making and eating this mainly for the nutrition, so this is specifically an easy, cheap recipe that I can give variety to, freezes well, and is high in iron.
I have no idea how veggie-friendly it is, though I would assume very. I use meat to add protein and flavor, and I assume someone who didn’t eat meat would have something else they use for that purpose. Also, there are no onions in it because I hate onions, but you do what you like.
The Basic Ingredients
- 1 lb lentils
- 1 lb baby carrots, chopped
- 1 lb meat (I’ve used rotisserie chicken, ground turkey, and ground beef so far)
- 1 package frozen spinach (yes frozen you whiner, you’re cooking it anyway, but thaw before adding)
- broth & water in whatever mixture makes you happy
- salt, herbs, spices, and other flavor components
Brown the meat if it needs it, then add the carrots, lentils, flavorings, and broth/water. I found that about half and half made a nice rich soup without overwhelming whatever I was making with the broth. I used the instructions on the lentil package for how much liquid (and then added more for the carrots etc) and how long to cook everything.
I add the spinach near the end so it stays as happy little green highlights without dissolving into the broth, but still gets hot.
I serve this over brown rice when I’m feeling virtuous, or white rice when I’m not. It’s very filling, and as tasty as you make it. However salty it tastes in the pot, btw, the rice will suck a lot of that away, so I always end up taking a bit of extra salt to the table to make up for it.
Enjoy!
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: nfs, recipe, sharpie marker
One day more…
Posted on September 8th, 2013
The Floating Gallery will fly away in just a few more hours…
If there was any art you were hoping to sneak in and buy at the last minute, now is that minute! Email me if you’ve got any questions, or just go admire the pieces one last time before they’re gone.
Categories: Floating Gallery
Tomorrow’s the Last Day!
Posted on September 7th, 2013
Where the Wild Artists Go
The Floating Gallery is going to pull up stakes and float away at midnight tomorrow night.
I sketched this little map to amuse myself and you. Are you amused yet?
Categories: Floating Gallery
2 Comments »
Red Sky Firefly
Posted on September 6th, 2013
Red Sky Firefly by Amy Crook
Strings of glowing fireflies flit in the distance through red-tinted dusk in this abstract piece. The night is slowly banishing the last hints of color, but for now the fireflies still eclipse the stars. There’s a dreamy, gorgeous feeling to this painting, with its metallic-bright firefly spots and softly textured ruddy end-of-sunset background.
Red Sky Firefly, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and metallic watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Red Sky Firefly, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the texture of paper and paint, and the soft glow of golden light that seems to float above the surface. Below, I’ve put the piece in a frame so you can imagine it like staring out a window into some fairy world where it’s always dusk, and sailors always delight in the red sky at night.
Red Sky Firefly, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, fireflies, for sale, gold, metallic watercolor, red, watercolor
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