Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Big Stars Little Stars
Tuesday, April 7th, 2015
Big Stars Little Stars, art by Amy Crook
I admit it, I love this painting. The stars are painted in interference blue, which shimmers with a pearlescent blue light when it’s in the sun, and the background has been given a subtle wash of dark purple over the black paper that adds a depth to the page that greatly pleases me. Despite the fact that they aren’t really part of a series, the painting this most reminds me of is Red Sky Firefly.
Every star, little or big, has a wobbly hand-painted halo of light around it, dozens of points of light twinkling in their tiny patch of void.
Where in your life could you use a shimmer of delight?
Big Stars Little Stars, 5″x5″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Big Stars Little Stars, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see just a hint of the deep reddish purple permeating the paper, adding interesting shadows to the glow of the interference blue that floats atop like stars in the void. Below, I’ve tucked it in a frame, a hint of alien sky just waiting to come live wherever you need it most.
Big Stars Little Stars, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, interference, nfs, sold, stars, watercolor
Loom
Friday, April 3rd, 2015
Loom, abstract art by Amy Crook
Light shines through the dark columns, but something dark looms among them, here and there a shape, almost a whole shape, eerie and mysterious and growing ever closer.
Or, there is warp on the loom, fuzzed and soft and waiting for its weft, waiting to be woven into something more.
Or, the dusk outside makes strange shapes of the rain running down the window, spattered into dark drops that refract and reflect the word behind them.
Whether you love this as a window into darkness or light, this beautiful abstract watercolor – the latest in my Pathways series – will add a rich shot of purple and creamy white to anywhere you choose to hang it. The larger size allows for more detail, more tiny subtle changes in colour and texture that will draw the eye and give you something new to find among the lines for years to come.
Loom, 12″x9″ watercolor on Strathmore watercolor paper.
Loom, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the paint granulated and separated, adding subtle variations in color and texture. Below, although I haven’t actually got a frame this big (oops!), you can see the painting with my (old) glasses for size.
Loom, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, pathways, purple, watercolor
Smoke 2
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
Smoke 2, abstract art by Amy Crook
An obvious sequel to the painting above, Smoke 2 has more variation in both line and colour. I used a different paint, one that’s a mix of greens, and varied the technique as well.
Where the first painting is full of roiling clouds, this smoke drifts up in lazy lines. It reminds me more of an altar with thin sticks of incense burning at different rates, each one sending up its own cloud of colour and scent.
I don’t smoke myself*, but I always did love incense and candles, and the different strange shapes that occur when two insubstantial elements interact, air and smoke dancing together to create something ephemeral and beautiful.
*no, not that, either
Smoke 2, 4″x6″ watercolor on paper.
Smoke 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the variation in colour from blue-green to forest green to olive, dissolving in wisps that are just barely visible on the thick, creamy paper. Below, the piece is in a frame, small and unassuming, but perfect to bring a little beauty and peace into an otherwise drab space.
Smoke 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, green, smoke, watercolor
Smoke 1
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015
Smoke 1, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Thick black smoke dissipates into fanciful curls and clouds, diffused by the draughts of invisible air.
This abstract painting is an exploration of subtle detail, a mix of the deliberate and random. The paint is blue-black, and little hints of blue show up here and there among the shades of grey.
As peaceful as watching incense burn, this frozen moment won’t make anyone sneeze or set off the fire alarm. It would make a wonderful meditation focus, each tiny facet a point of consideration.
Smoke 1, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper.
Smoke 1, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the drifts and swirls up close, showing variations in the grey from blue to violet. Below, you can see the smoke trapped in a frame, forever frozen to the eye.
Smoke 1, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, smoke, watercolor
Stardust
Friday, February 6th, 2015
Stardust, abstract art by Amy Crook
Another painting in my Aglow series, this one hearkening back to Carl Sagan again.
The space is black and blue and violet, lit with the big glow of some celestial body and scattered with the smaller glow of stars, or possibly stardust. The firefly-dots are in interference blue, so they catch the light to twinkle and shimmer.
There are hidden stars in the white, too, which shine only at the right angle.
We are all amazing.
We are all worthwhile.
We are all stardust.
Stardust, 8″x8″ pen & ink, watercolor, and interference watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Stardust, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the quote and just a hint of the sneaky extra stars hanging out in the white paper. Below, the painting is in a frame, stars glowing in the sunlight.
Stardust, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: aglow, blue, calligraphy, interference, nfs, purple, sold, stars, violet, watercolor
Ocean Waves
Monday, February 2nd, 2015
Ocean Waves, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Although it’s not named in series, this painting is definitely a relative of my previous Splash watercolors.
I asked my list whether this painting ought to be waves or a beach, and the overwhelming vote was for waves.
There’s a splash and sploosh, the blue on top of the endless deep aqua, the white above it all like foam. There’s also just a hint of shine hiding here and there that only shows up when the sun hits it just right.
If you want the warm memory of the ocean there on your desk or your wall, this is the perfect painting for you.
Ocean Waves, 8″x8″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Ocean Waves, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the waters looking darker with the shine of interference blue peeking out in subtle brightness. Below, the painting is in a frame in the sun, just waiting to go to its new home.
Ocean Waves, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: blue, interference, nfs, sold, splash, water, watercolor
Better is Better
Thursday, January 8th, 2015
Better is Better by Amy Crook
“Better is Better,” is one of the philosophies that got me through 2014, as well as its corollary, “Enough is Enough.”
Any improvement, no matter how small, is still better. Even if it’s not perfect, it can be enough.
You are enough.
This globe-like circle is surrounded by those words, cradled in the idea of appreciating our own milestones and achievements. The colors show up best in the main scan, bright blues and subtle greens, earth and water indistinct and yet evoking the feeling of a living world.
Better is Better, 5″x5″ watercolor on watercolor paper.
Better is Better, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the brush-drawn calligraphy and a bit of the lovely, watery world. Below, it’s tucked into a frame just the size for an everyday reminder.
Better is Better, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Words Words Words
Tags: better, calligraphy, circle, for sale, watercolor
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