State of the Cats: 2020
Posted on January 20th, 2020
2019 was a weird cat year for me, with losing Belladonna and gaining Formaldehyde. Pod, I think, would agree — as soon he was off B’s weight gain dry food, he slimmed down and has become practically svelte again, but the blood tests show he’s healthy, just getting a much better diet for his age and circumstances.
Pod turned 11 in September and is officially an Elder Kitty now, and Mallow will be 3 in April, putting her firmly in the young adult category. She’s not a kitten or even a teen anymore, but it’s still a lot more energy than I’m used to. Pod, too, has suddenly had to deal with another cat who wants to play and make friends instead of sleep and seethe.
And now for the part you’ve been waiting for: cat pics!
I can never move again. Formaldehyde has colonized me.
smackypaws!
is this really necessary?
don’t you wuv me?
she’s behind me, isn’t she?
Categories: Words Words Words
Tags: cat, cat pics, formaldehyde, info, pod
Artist’s Choice: Best of 2019
Posted on January 1st, 2020
2020 is here!
It’s been 2019 all year, hasn’t it? But I still made a lot of art, including five Floating Galleries with 9 paintings apiece. Here’s my favorite dozen from the past year!
May 2020 bring us all clarity, compassion, comfort, and joy.
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Words Words Words
Tags: favorites, info, words
Inktober 2019, part 3
Posted on November 12th, 2019
October continued to be Peak 2019, and the Floating Gallery happened before this, the final round-up of my successful Inktober. Thanks for all your patience and support!
Inktober 2019 day 23: Ancient, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
Inktober 2019 day 24: Dizzy, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO
Inktober 2019 day 25: Tasty, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 26: Dark (aka “the yawning void”), 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink on ACEO
Inktober 2019 day 27: Coat, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 28: Ride, 3.5″x2.5″ brush & ink on ACEO, nfs
Inktober 2019 day 29: Injured, 2.5″x3.5″ ink wash on ACEO
Inktober 2019 day 30: Catch, 2.5″x3.5″ pen & ink and ink wash on ACEO
Inktober 2019 day 31: Ripe, 3.5″x2.5″ pen & ink on ACEO, wip
Abbreviation decoder ring!
- wip = work in progress, ie, I’m probably going to color some or all of the drawing before it’s really done
- nfs = not for sale, ie, it’s a Patreon sketch and already belongs to someone else
- ACEO = Artist Card, Edition Original, also known as ATC or Artist Trading Card when traded rather than sold, which is a standard size I use for all my Patreon sketches these days
Want to get your own sketches, dibs on art, or just feel the warm glow of being part of my community of supporters? Head over to Patreon and pick a tier to get started! There’s also bonus cat photos sometimes, if that helps.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: ash ghost, cat, ink wash, inktober, iron man, jefferson, mcu, patreon, pen and ink, pod, pokemon, winter soldier
Growth 13
Posted on November 8th, 2019
Growth 13, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper
A bright and cheerful change of pace brings us the almost-too-saturated colors of this newest Growth painting.
It owes a lot of its aesthetic to another series, Concentric, but the final image still follows the reaching-out visual language of its quieter predecessors. There’s a sense of light, of motion through space that only a few of its fellow pieces reflect.
The warmth suggests combustion, sparks from a fire, from a meteorite falling and burning on its way to earth. And yet, there’s something solid about the droplets raining down and radiating away from it, so perhaps it will leave an impression after all.
Growth 13, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine and texture of the golden beads of paint floating atop the orange glow. Below, this bright painting is framed in black to set off its gorgeous colors.
Growth 13, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, growth, metallic, watercolor
Spider Moon
Posted on November 7th, 2019
Spider Moon, 8″x8″ ink and watercolor on paper
Another month, another Moon. This one is a golden Harvest Moon as befits the time of year, with a spider’s complex web stretched between branches just right to catch the light. The design looks just enough like an eye to give one an eerie feeling, and perhaps to make one wonder who is looking at who.
Not to mention wondering where the spider went.
Spider Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the delicate web of silk shadowed against the strange surface of a lush golden moon. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to shed some light in your home.
Spider Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: ink wash, interference, moon, nfs, pen and ink, sold, watercolor
Fire Season
Posted on November 6th, 2019
Fire Season, 6″x4″ ink on paper
It’s fire season here in California, and it’s been a month for ruins all around.
The beautiful golden-peach glow of the smoldering sky is hard to capture on a monitor, but the inks give a magnificently clear color in person. The charcoal grey of ink wash swoops in fluid lines to suggest some kind of burnt-out ruins, close or distant, large or small.
Birds circle above and around, giving them a sense of scale — unless it’s the birds themselves that are distant.
Fire Season, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shadow of a bird, the soft texture of paper and glow of the sky, and the stark jut of burnt ruins wreathed in their own smoky residue. Below, this dramatic scene is contained safely in a frame, just waiting to grace your wall.
Fire Season, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: brush and ink, for sale, horizons, ink wash, ruins
The Things in the Mirror
Posted on November 5th, 2019
The Things in the Mirror, 5″x7″ ink and watercolor on paper
Every year, we reread A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, and I’m always inspired by the story and its amazing illustrations.
This year we have the Things in the Mirror, the slitherers whose main property is, apparently, to be sticky. The grey-on-grey ink wash background suggests an otherworldly space, while the mirror itself is bright with color and shining with gold.
It begs the question, what exactly is the most real space, in or outside of the mirror, and who is actually occupying it?
The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the metallic sheen of gold watercolor and the loose curl of a couple of tentacles up close and personal. Below, the slitherers have been further contained by a picture frame.
The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, ink wash, pen and ink, tentacles, watercolor, zelazny
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