Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 5

Posted on June 7th, 2018

Harvest Moon 5 by Amy Crook, a watercolor painting of three herons flying in silhouette against a golden full moon

Harvest Moon 5, 8″x8″ watercolor on Arches watercolor paper

Today’s beautiful golden moon silhouettes three great blue herons against its warm glow.

The stars have a little sparkle to them, but the sky is a flat, swirling velvety grey nestling them like little droplets of molten gold.

Any moon that’s close to the horizon will look orange, but those autumnal full moons that presage the season of crunchy leaves and spooky ghosts have a special sort of mystique to them. You never know what you’ll see, whether it’s a bird or a bat, a swirl of fallen leaves — or a ghost.

Harvest Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one of the cranes in closer detail, a dark blot of feathers and grace against the bright moon. Below, the moon is captured in a frame, just waiting to become a part of your sky.

Harvest Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Grove

Posted on June 6th, 2018

Grove by Amy Crook, a waterclor painting of five dormant trees against a sunset with three birds flying

Grove, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Now that spring is sprung and summer is on its way, it’s back to longing thoughts of autumn and winter, and trees bare of their leaves (and their evil, evil pollen).

The sky is painted with gold and red, pink and orange, and the trees have a depth to them that invites the eye to trace out branching pathways like handmade lace against the peachy clouds.

What’s on your horizon?

Grove, detail, by Amy Crook

Grove, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the soft oranges of the sky and the interlacing branches of these dormant trees. Below, they’re in a small frame, perfect for adding a bit of beauty to a tiny space.

Grove, framed art by Amy Crook

Grove, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Culture

Posted on June 5th, 2018

Culture by Amy Crook, abstract watercolor of purple and rust orange blotches on white

Culture, 10″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Bold splashes of burnt orange spark through a field of purples, from a soft mineral lavender to a deep violet black. A loose, liquid boundary almost contains the color like a frame, but there’s splashes all around, joyfully bursting free of the confines of geometry.

This is a gorgeous abstract, bright and warm without being too obnoxious, and would go elegantly in any room.

Culture, detail, by Amy Crook

Culture, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the delicate lace formed as the colors mix and blend, rust to peach, purple to paper white. Below, the culture waits behind glass to be examined, appreciated, and enjoyed.

Culture, framed art by Amy Crook

Culture, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Old Blue Eyes

Posted on June 4th, 2018

Old Blue Eyes by Amy Crook, a painting of a whimsical-creepy skull with no jaw, a crown, and glowing blue eye sockets

Old Blue Eyes, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

The King is dead, long live the king! Old Blue Eyes here is ready to rule even in the tender grip of death — is he a lich or a ghost, or leader of the skeleton army?

Or perhaps he’s a she, a queen of the undead with her spirit shining out of her eye sockets with as much fierceness as ever.

What story would you give to this clever creature?

Old Blue Eyes, detail, by Amy Crook

Old Blue Eyes, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of the crown and the subtler blue glow of the eyes on this strange skull. Below, the painting’s resting in a frame, just waiting on the next chapter of their story.

Old Blue Eyes, framed art by Amy Crook

Old Blue Eyes, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Beneath

Posted on June 3rd, 2018

Beneath by Amy Crook, a pencil and watercolor painting in blues with a large marine monster below a tiny surfer

Beneath, 4″x8″ pencil and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Humanity has explored such a small percentage of the oceans, and we can comfortably swim or surf or sail on just the thinnest sliver of surface. We never know what lies just beneath those waves, waiting patiently for their time to come.

This monster with its blank, shining eye and teeth taller than a mast is there below the waves that propel this surfer just over its head.

But not necessarily out of its reach.

Beneath, detail, by Amy Crook

Beneath, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sharp teeth and dead, pearlescent eye of the creature up close. Below, the monster is hiding in its frame, lying in wait for some unfathomable cue to act.

Beneath, framed art by Amy Crook

Beneath, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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April Patreon Sketches

Posted on May 22nd, 2018

April 2018 Patreon request sketches by Amy Crook

April 2018 Patreon request sketches by Amy Crook

I finished these a while back but have just gotten around to sharing with you, my lovely readers. You’ve all been so patient with me while I got through my No Good Very Bad Year, thank you.

  1. Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, “Happiness” for Jeff
  2. Penguin for Corinne
  3. Books & Tea for Kim
  4. Cat Making a Mistake, “Spring” for Grace
  5. “Squid Friends” for Oscar

Want your own weird little sketch? Support me on Patreon!

Categories: Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Kelp 2

Posted on April 8th, 2018

abstract art of turquoise blue cascading upwards on black paper, with occasional horizontal breaks in the flow, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Shining fronds in beautiful blue-green rise up through the charcoal depths of this lightfast paper, with the occasional horizontal detour into shelf-like protrusions.

Another installment in the Pathways series, this painting takes a simple monochrome palette and breaks it into glittering particles. Each little piece of color seems to shine with its own shade of blue, green, or silver, shifting oh-so-subtly as it moves through the light.

Where do you need something beautiful to catch the light in your life?

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the subtle sparkle of mica-laden paints and the beautiful rivulets of thick paint and dancing void. Below, the painting is sitting in a frame, a waving undersea frond trapped in its own little aquarium.

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books
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