Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Symbols

Posted on October 4th, 2010

Symbols by Amy Crook

Symbols by Amy Crook

This is another print that combines tiny etching plates with double-inking to make a unique print. The 3 images in the middle column were all inked once, wiped clean,a nd then inked carefully a second time to give them a duochrome look, while the two plates to the left and right were inked just once in the same pure colors that are used on the others. Really there’s four colors present: blue, yellow, red and black, very primary.

Each plate has its own symbolism that, when combined with the others, invites the viewer to construct their own narrative. Do your eyes start in the golden sand dunes, or up with the floating cruciform figure? Do you puzzle out the dancer on the left first, or the ankh on the right? The central image is completely abstract, drawing the imagination to fill in why it’s surrounded by these other, smaller satellite images.

Symbols, 10″x10″ etching and monoprint on watercolor paper, $399 with free shipping.

Symbols, detail, by Amy Crook

Symbols, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Whiteboard Doodles

Posted on October 3rd, 2010

Whiteboard Brain in a Jar by Amy Crook

I got a whiteboard! Well, a stick-on whiteboard, which I’ve put on the back of the linen closet door.

I also acquired a rather odd assortment of marker colors, though I’ve bought a more normal set to supplement with now. The bright ’80s turquoise especially was hard to photograph, so it’ll be nice to have some boring blue.

Today I thought I’d share some of the silly doodles I’ve done on the whiteboard, with the to-do lists, reminder notes and other randomness carefully cropped out.

Sorry about the picture quality, poor lighting + iPhone camera = even more meh than usual.

Whiteboard Cthulhu by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Cthulhu by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Violets by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Violets by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Weeble Vampire by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Weeble Vampire by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Skulls by Amy Crook

Whiteboard Skulls by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Fairy Studies

Posted on October 1st, 2010

Fairy studies by Amy Crook

Fairy studies by Amy Crook

Just a couple of sketches I did for a tiny painting I’m working on. I’m still not totally happy with either one, so who knows what the final painting will be like!

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
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Endless: Delirium

Posted on October 1st, 2010

Endless: Delirium, 1/2 by Amy Crook

Endless: Delirium, 1/2 by Amy Crook

Today’s print is the last in a series of 4 which were inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, and the only one that I printed twice, once in a single color (below) and once in a sickly rainbow of shades (above).

Delirium was once Delight, though the story of how she went from one to the other remains untold. To represent this dual nature, there’s two intertwined sections of the plate, with butterflies fluttering in the light and — though they’re nearly impossible to see now — frogs hopping around in the darker sections of the image. Delirium was in many ways the most whimsical of the Endless, but at the same time represented a social loss of innocence.

Delirium, 2″x2.75″ etching on 6″x6″ watercolor paper, edition of 2, $199 each with free shipping.

Edition

Endless: Delirium, 2/2 by Amy Crook

Endless: Delirium, 2/2 by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Endless: Despair

Posted on September 30th, 2010

Endless: Despair by Amy Crook

Endless: Despair by Amy Crook

Today’s print is the third in a series of 4 which were inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

This plate represents one of a pair of “twins,” Despair, the sister to desire. I went entirely abstract with this one, as Despair wears no clothing, squatting in her domain of mirrors, listening to people’s murmurs as they look at themselves. The dripping aquatint shading grows dark and darker as it goes down the image, layer upon layer of the illusions we build to cover up the darkness inside.

Despair, 2″x2.75″ etching on 6″x6″ watercolor paper, 1/1, $199 with free shipping.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Weeble Wednesday: King in Yellow

Posted on September 29th, 2010

Weeble King in Yellow by Amy Crook

Weeble King in Yellow by Amy Crook

The King in Yellow is the fourth weeble in my series of depictions of the mythos of HP Lovecraft. He’s often associated with Hastur, and originally appears in the short story “The Repairer of Repuations.” He is the titular character in a play said to reveal such irresistible truth as to drive any reader or viewer mad.

In keeping with the Neil Gaiman theme of the week, the play is a central part of a pastiche of Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes that he wrote, entitled “A Study in Emerald.”

King in Yellow, 5″x7″ pen, ink and Copic marker on watercolor paper.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Endless: Desire

Posted on September 28th, 2010

Endless: Desire by Amy Crook

Endless: Desire by Amy Crook

Today’s print is the second in a series of 4 which were inspired by Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

This plate represents one of a pair of “twins,” Desire — whose sister is Despair. This time I used delicate lace to give texture to the top half of the plate, and below we have a pile of shiny, discarded hearts. The face of Desire is reflected in the largest, central heart, vague yet compelling as it represents the secret desires hiding in us all.

Desire, 2″x2.75″ etching on 6″x6″ watercolor paper, 1/1, $199 with free shipping.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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