Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Red Ghosts
Monday, July 4th, 2016
Red Ghosts, 6″x6″ Primatek and interference watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Happy 4th of July! Looking at this today, I wonder if I shouldn’t have named it after fireworks instead.
The mysterious red-violet depths of the background in this beautiful abstract make the perfect grounding for the ghostly shapes that float atop them.
The interference red switches from white to shining red depending on the angle of the light, throwing off little ghosts of color and letting the looming shapes behind show through.
This is one of those paintings that will catch your eye at odd moments and show you a new detail every time you look at it. Perfect for adding a touch of beauty to your space.
Red Ghosts, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautiful interference red catching the light, as well as the gentle sparkle of genuine amethyst and garnet paint in the complex background layers. Below, the ghosts have gone white with their faces turned away from the sun in this simple frame.
Red Ghosts, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, interference, pathways, primatek, purple, red, watercolor
Marble Pathways
Sunday, June 5th, 2016
Marble Pathways, 8″x8″ Primatek and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
This painting reminds me of the very first Pathways painting, with its sparse lines framing the white page. The beautiful black tourmaline mineral pigment provides a pearly grey base for the sparkling paint atop it, like veins of malachite in creamy white marble.
A piece that rewards repeated viewings, this abstract contains layered detail in the subtle interactions of paint, paper, and light.
Marble Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the green sparkle and hints of pearly grey beneath it as the pathways shine in the sunlight. Below, a black frame gives just the right accent to this beautiful abstract art.
Marble Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black tourmaline, duochrome, for sale, pathways, primatek, watercolor
Inlets
Thursday, June 2nd, 2016
Inlets, 9″x12″ watercolor, Primatek watercolor, and pen & ink on Strathmore watercolor paper
The newest Map is a lovely warm one, reminiscent of a pirate’s treasure map that’s been tossed onto and then rescued from a fire.
Delicate walnut linework traces each little inlet and fjord. The textured paper with its blackened edges speaks of lifetimes of use, parchment worn and damaged and fingers run over the roughened surface.
It makes you wonder what treasure might lie at the heart of this map.
Inlets, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the walnut ink tracing the ins and outs of these imaginary coastlines. Below, this larger piece is in a nice big frame, just waiting to add a dash of adventure to your life.
Inlets, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, map, pen and ink, primatek, watercolor
Rust
Friday, May 6th, 2016
Rust, 6″x6″ Primatek and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
A lovely paint made of real iron oxide adds a rich, rusty yellow ochre to the other natural earth tones from last month’s Storm, and the result is a painting that feels not like clouds but the encroaching entropy of some white metal left to the elements.
This abstract explores the idea of beauty in decay, and there’s just a touch of secret shine hiding in some of the darker areas that adds a hint of green. Growth as the next step in decay.
Rust, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can just see the shine of green in the lower left, contrasting with the gorgeous earthy reds and ochres. Below, the painting sits in a frame, like a tiny piece of some post-apocalyptic future.
Rust, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: duochrome, for sale, primatek, watercolor
Pond Diptych
Wednesday, May 4th, 2016
Pond Diptych, two 6″x4″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Click here to get a bigger view of these two paired paintings!
Beautifully abstract, this diptych reminds me of algae blooming in a sunlit pond, mysterious clouds of green moving in the clear water.
These would be perfect for adding a splash of brilliant color to one of those awkward spaces in your home. You could hang them above a doorway to help give you reasons to look up more.
Pond Diptych, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautiful movement and gorgeous green color up close. Below, these two paired paintings are together in frames, waiting for just the right wall or shelf.
Pond Diptych, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: diptych, for sale, green, watercolor
Storm
Sunday, April 3rd, 2016
Storm, 6″x4″ Primatek watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Like stormclouds rising up, or perhaps another view of the sky in my next painting, these earthy mineral paints make a storm I wouldn’t want to be stuck out in. Despite the beautiful bright spot breaking through, there’s something ominous about the colors and the gathering clouds looming in from all sides.
You could stare for hours, picking out the shapes the same way you can in the real sky. Melancholy meditations on the meaning of precipitation, perhaps.
Or just waiting for the rain to come and clear the air.
Storm, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the detail in the lower left, the rich deep bloodstone and swathes of purpurite, with just a hint of Minnesota pipestone all adding earthy, stormy notes to the roiling paint. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, waiting to go to its new home.
Storm, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: primatek, sold, watercolor
Bloodstone Falls
Saturday, April 2nd, 2016
Bloodstone Falls, 12″x9″ Primatek and iridescent watercolor on Bristol
Beautiful bloodstone mineral pigment is mixed in with iridescent scarab red to create an earthy blend with a secret shimmer. The green sparkle shows up in strong light, like emeralds caught in the flow of river silt.
Even though the Bristol is a very smooth surface, the bloodstone still granulated gorgeously, adding a subtle texture to the image.
This Pathways painting would be perfect for an earth witch, with its half-seen shapes and magical secrets hiding in the abstract neutral tones.
Bloodstone Falls, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the iridescent green pigment catching the light, surrounded by the reddish brown of the bloodstone mineral. Below, the piece is in a frame, all ready to find its place on a wall, desk, or in a secret niche.
Bloodstone Falls, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: bloodstone, for sale, interference, pathways, primatek, watercolor
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
