Drifting Down
Posted on January 9th, 2012
Drifting Down by Amy Crook
Another salt experiment, this time using pen and ink in a different way. The spirals inside the salt pools are actually watercolor, which the water didn’t really pick up at all this time, and then the grass and vines are both pen-and-ink that’s been brushed with water to give it a different texture.
I really like the peaceful, floating quality of this piece. The little salt pools seem weightless as they rest like the barest fluff on the upright grass. Actually it reminds me a bit of Horton Hears a Who — I wonder if there’s any Whos hiding there?
Drifting Down, 5″x7″ ink, salt, and watercolor on paper.
Drifting Down, detail, by Amy Crook
The meagre winter sunlight this time of year doesn’t catch the sparkle on the salt very well, but you can really see the texture of the paper and the watercolor-like quality of the curling ink vines. Below you can see it in a frame (with my iPhone for scale – not included, heh). It would fit nicely on a desk at work, for anytime you needed a moment of peace and weightlessness, growth from above and below and the effortless connection between them.
Drifting Down, framed art by Amy Crook
If you think you’d like to bring this piece into your life, or are just too shy to comment, feel free to email me! I’m always happy to help find the right home for my art, or just chat.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: brush and ink, for sale, pen and ink, salt, vines, watercolor
Bee sketch
Posted on January 7th, 2012
Bee of Whimsy sketch by Amy Crook
This whimsical little bee is quite fashionable in his hat, scarf, gloves and boots. He’s out getting a bit of pollen for the hive, but just because he’s working doesn’t mean he can’t be dapper.
Categories: Daily Art, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: nfs, pencil, sketch
Moon Dark
Posted on January 6th, 2012
Moon Dark by Amy Crook
I really love how stark and simple this piece is. I was tempted to add more color to it, but in the end I think the copper moon and golden, salt-haoled stars are best on their own. In a simple black frame, it’s really striking, a slice of night for a desk, wall or bedside table.
Moon Dark, 5″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper, nfs.
Moon Dark, detail, by Amy Crook
Here you can see how the salt picked up a tiny bit of the iridescence from the paint, though mostly it sparkles all on its own.
Moon Dark, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: black, copper, gold, moon, nfs, salt, spirals, stars, watercolor
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By Starlight
Posted on January 5th, 2012
By Starlight by Amy Crook
Another piece inspired by the iconic blue-gold-white of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, there’s a different textural feel to this one on every level, despite being similar in many ways to Midnight Blue. The paper is thicker and of a much softer texture, the salt pools are saturated with bright yellow paint but the spirals are still visible, and the ‘starlight’ is sharp-edged and fragmented instead of a soft glowing circle.
I really just like the feel of it, the swoop of bright stars across the deep blue sky, each one surrounded by its own halo of color.
By Starlight, 5.25″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper.
By Starlight, detail 1, by Amy Crook
There hasn’t been a proper sunny day for photographing these salt pieces in a while, at least not one that’s warm enough to open the back door for the extra light that always makes them shine. Still, you can see the far pool catching a bit of light, as well as the rich texture the paint makes on the paper.
By Starlight, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Here you can see the tiny bit of spreading the salt did on the paper this time, not full snowflakes like some of the pieces I’ve done with this paper, but softened, creeping edges trying to expand beyond the water droplets’ original boundaries.
If you’re interested in this piece and would like to talk, you can comment here or email me, my inbox is always open.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: blue, for sale, salt, stars, watercolor, yellow
Weeble Buddha
Posted on 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.
Categories: Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: brush pen, nfs, sold, weeble, zen
4 Comments »
Tentacle Spiral 1
Posted on January 3rd, 2012
Tentacle Spiral 1 by Amy Crook
I was mucking about with washes, and I thought I’d do something a little different with this pale, almost flesh-toned wash I did on one of my last blank handmade postcards from India. The lunar black paint made exquisite textures as it granulated and pooled in the surface of the card, giving the tentacles a half-real feeling.
I like this effect with the tentacles spiralling in from all sides, so I’ve optimistically called this #1 in the hopes that I manage a series out of it.
Tentacle Spiral 1, 6″x4″ watercolor on handmade postcard.
I took a close-up of one of the spirals so you can really see the texture.
Tentacle Spiral 1, detail, by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: for sale, spirals, tentacle spiral, tentacles, watercolor
2 Comments »
Autumn Breeze
Posted on January 2nd, 2012
Autumn Breeze by Amy Crook
I wanted to revisit the autumnal color palette of Autumn Winds, so I created this piece with different materials. The paper is a thick, soft cream-coloured printing paper, and the little spirals use quinacridone burnt orange paint instead of the less lightfast pen ink, though the pigment doesn’t infuse as well into the salt. Instead of tea there’s all watercolor paints for the rest, breezy spirals gathered around each salt pool like strange seeds tossed on a light fall breeze.
Autumn Breeze, 8″x6″ watercolor and salt on Arches cover white paper.
Below you can see how the salt crystals spread a little into the textured paper without going too far outside their original pool. The actual color of the piece is somewhere in between the two images, more saturated than the scan but less so than the detail photo.
Autumn Breeze, detail, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: brown, for sale, gold, orange, salt, watercolor
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