Blog « Antemortem Arts | Art & Writing by Amy Crook

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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Deep Ultraviolet

Posted on April 6th, 2018

watercolor painting of tentacles, baby octopuses, and jellyfish on a deep violet backgroudn by Amy Crook

Deep Ultraviolet, 12″x6″ watercolor and white ink on Fluid watercolor paper

In the violet depths of some mysterious sea, light filters down to find shining octopuses, waving tentacle fronds, and frolicking jellyfish.

Ultraviolet is the Pantone color of the year, and somehow the word seemed to fit this mix of vivid purples and shining metallics. There’s a sense of more going on than the eye can see, life just around the corner of vision.

What lies deep in these oceans?

Deep Ultraviolet, detail, by Amy Crook

Deep Ultraviolet, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the iridescent blue and duochrome mauve highlights on the floating jellies. Below, this art is in a temporary frame, waiting to bring its gorgeous mystery into your beautiful home.

Deep Ultraviolet, framed art by Amy Crook

Deep Ultraviolet, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Whimsical and Strange
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Whorled

Posted on April 5th, 2018

an abstract watercolor of overlapping turquoise spirals accented in coppery gold by Amy Crook

Whorled, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Swirls and whorls and spirals decorate this beautiful turquoise abstract. The shining texture of the overarching spiral gives it a dragon-like feeling, with its copper eye and snakelike head at the center.

The detail photo has perhaps the best color, but like so many things in life this one has to be seen live to be properly appreciated.

One patron said, “Oh, it’s another Moana painting!” and while they’re not wrong, this one has more of a sly, sideways reference, bursts of shining heat within the ocean’s cool blues rather than a direct quote.

Whorled, detail, by Amy Crook

Whorled, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sun shining off the iridescent paints, bringing out the coppery and turqouise tones. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to bring something shiny into your day.

Whorled, framed art by Amy Crook

Whorled, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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