Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category

Dreaming Tree

Thursday, July 6th, 2017

Dreaming Tree by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Lines etched into the paper create the silhouette of a massive tree, its branches weighted down with foliage. The night sky visible in between the curves and shadows of it, cradled within the arms of the tree’s dreams.

Or perhaps the tree is a dream itself, or a keeper of dreams. Each line is a dream, forming the hill, the world, the earth, everything but the shimmering blue-violet of the sky.

You could even consider it dark matter cradling a nebula full of stars, shining out of the far reaches of the universe.

Dreaming Tree, detail, by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the lines indented into the paper with purple ink shining darkly out of each groove. Below, the scene rests in a frame, protected from the waking world for you.

Dreaming Tree, framed art by Amy Crook

Dreaming Tree, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Dark Grove

Monday, July 3rd, 2017

Dark Grove, abstract art by Amy Crook

Dark Grove, 4″x6″ gel pen and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

A strange, swirling white mist furls through the tops of the strange trees in this grove. Or perhaps it’s flowers, or low-hanging clouds that’s half-obscured by the reaching, rattling black branches.

The Pathways series takes a strange turn with this one, almost not an abstract at all with is tree-like shapes and hints of deliberation among the randomness.

There’s a beautiful simplicity to the materials in this painting, opaque black paint, opaque white gel ink, and the swirling interactions between the two on top of the warm buff of the soft, textured paper.

Dark Grove, detail, by Amy Crook

Dark Grove, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the ghostly white shining through the deep black and floating atop the warm buff paper. Below, you can see this tiny painting in a frame, ready to add some spook to your space.

Dark Grove, framed art by Amy Crook

Dark Grove, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Formations

Thursday, June 8th, 2017

Formations, abstract art by Amy Crook

Formations, 7″x5″ Primatek and metallic watercolor on Arches Cover buff paper

This newest installation of the Map series is inspired by the amazing images we’ve been seeing in the past few years of Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter.

A wobbly blue planet has its mysterious formations outlined in a warm silver that complements the creamy buff paper that makes the space around it. Everything about this painting is muted and soft, inviting the viewer to appreciate the fine details.

What would you name these mysterious geological formations?

Formations, detail, by Amy Crook

Formations, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sun glinting off the metallic formations, the silver tone as warm as the paper. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, posing for your perusal before it heads off to its new home.

Formations, framed art by Amy Crook

Formations, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Mountain Heart

Monday, June 5th, 2017

Mountain Heart by Amy Crook

Mountain Heart, 6″x4″ Primatek and metallic watercolor on watercolor postcard

Framed by a rich midnight blue sky and sparkling silver stars, regal purple mountains stand fast. You can imagine standing up at the top, bathed in the golden sunrise peeking from behind them, feeling the universe sending you love.

Organic shapes are contained within the heart, a nod to the diversity of nature. Metallic stars shine in complementing spirals all around.

This beautiful painting will add a big measure of ‘whoa’ in a small package wherever you choose to hang it.

Mountain Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Mountain Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the stars catching the light, and a swatch of the lovely rugged purple mountains framed by midnight. Below, this tiny painting is in a frame, small enough to tuck anywhere you need a stalwart heart.

Mountain Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Mountain Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Uncertain Boundaries 2

Monday, May 8th, 2017

Uncertain Boundaries 2, abstract map art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, 10″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Layers of boundaries obscured but not always obliterated by the shapes that form atop them. A world that is always shifting, changing, adapting to the forces that make and move borders. A history hiding in the blend of color, the sparkle of truths that won’t stay buried.

Uncertain Boundaries 2 is another Map piece, mixed media artworks that create imaginary places and invite the viewer to explore them.

What history do you think has happened here?

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the half-obliterated history of these strange countries, lines still there in memory but outweighed by the present. Below, this piece is in a frame, waiting to add some mystery to your walls.

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Halloween Pathways

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Halloween Pathways, abstract art by Amy Crook

Halloween Pathways, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches Cover black paper

Deep charcoal supports and subdues the bright Halloween orange in this latest Pathways painting.

The image suggests bold autumn trees, lit by the last orange rays of sunlight slanting towards them. Or is it a bright potion bubbling over the sides of an iron cauldron? Perhaps you see the stripes on some deadly orange monster instead.

The simple-seeming monochrome hides a depth of color and detail that will give you hours of peaceful contemplation while you sit and sip cider and think of Halloweens to come.

Halloween Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook

Halloween Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the the way the charcoal blackness of the paper draws the orange into itself, lending a base of deep gloom to the holiday brightness of it. Below, the painting is tucked into a frame, just waiting to haunt your home.

Halloween Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook

Halloween Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Dream Well

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017

Dream Well, abstract art by Amy Crook

Dream Well, 5″x5″ watercolor and brush pen on Arches Cover buff paper

May is here! I hope you had a good April, the cats and I missed seeing you terribly while I was convalescing.

Dusky lavender swirls like liquid, bounded by broken lines like a dream of an object, soft and subtle and strange.

Dip into the dream well and see what you pull up from its depths. The shallowness is only an illusion; the well of dreams goes down forever, full of endless possibilities and impossible futures.

This lovely mixed media piece is quite small at only five inches square, the soft buff of the paper making it perfect to warm up a space that needs a little imagination.

Dream Well, detail, by Amy Crook

Dream Well, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the stuttering strokes of pen filling in the borders where the brush stuttered first, making waves in the soft, warm violet well. Below, this tiny artwork is resting peacefully in a frame, perfect for a small meditation nook, or even just your desk at work.

Dream Well, framed art by Amy Crook

Dream Well, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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