Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Morpheus
Thursday, October 8th, 2015
Morpheus by Amy Crook
This is the Morpheus that knew Nada in the time before, that loved and wronged her and sent her to Hell for refusing him. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you clearly need to get to a comic shop or library and start reading The Sandman.
This didn’t start out as a Sandman piece, but the face was hiding among the abstract shapes like a dream that only needs a little prodding to take proper shape in your mind. Minimal alteration brought out the eye and added in the glimmer, highlighted the nose and crying mouth, the sharp jaw, and the delicate curl of an ear. The mad curls and shocked expression were there already, just waiting to be found.
Morpheus, 10″x8″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper, $349.
Morpheus, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautiful, organic shapes hiding in the larger face of the painting. Below, Morpheus is trapped in his frame, waiting to be freed.
Morpheus, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: duochrome, for sale, sandman, watercolor
Peninsula
Tuesday, October 6th, 2015
Peninsula by Amy Crook
The penultimate piece in this month’s Gallery is another in my Map series. The delicate changes from paper to watercolor become stark with black ink outlining each little eddy and fjord.
Although the paint is entirely non-shiny in this one, the nature of the sharp lines makes the land mass appear limned in a pale blue light. The granulating paint has settled into mountain ridges and smaller hills, forests and plains, creating a topography that exists only between the imagination and the page.
Where will this map take you?
Peninsula, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Peninsula, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the exquisite detail created by the texture of paper and paint, and the fine lines of pen and ink creating borders around each little shape. Below, the map sits in a frame, awaiting a new adventurer.
Peninsula, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, map, pen and ink, watercolor
Zombie Heart
Saturday, October 3rd, 2015
Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook
Although Zombie Heart is in keeping with the Halloween theme, there’s a gorgeous complexity to it that could live in the right home year round. The greens range from the darkest shadow around the main shape to the iridescence that floats above, shining like radioactivity.
The way the metallic greens bloom on the dark green core shape is like mold blossoming against decaying zombie flesh. The organic layers of shape and shade show an eerily beautiful side to this particular undead myth.
Are your favorite zombies created by magic, radioactivity, a virus, or some mad scientist?
Zombie Heart, 8″x10″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the mysterious swirls and shimmers giving depth and texture to the painting. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, waiting to find a permanent home, lab, or specimen shelf.
Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: anatomical heart, black paper, duochrome, for sale, green, iridescent, watercolor, zombie
Ferns
Saturday, September 5th, 2015
Ferns, abstract art by Amy Crook
A snail’s-eye view of ferns unfolding above you like a forest, full of strange detail and secret sparkle.
The green is a mix of deep Jadeite, mysterious Duochrome Tropic Sunrise, and two different yellows, bringing a bright, new-leaf quality to the foliage. The paint lies thickly on the paper, runnels carved into it like veins in the long leaves, the green settling out to let the sunny yellow undertones shine through.
The sparkle is only really visible in strong light, a secret bit of magic like pollen dusting the leaves.
I’ve done a lot of greens and blues in my Pathways series, perhaps next time I’ll go boldly into the warm end of the spectrum.
Ferns, 8″x8″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Ferns, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the delicate veins running through the ferns, and the tiniest sparkle of the paint. Below, the ferns are overrunning their terrarium, er, frame.
Ferns, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: duochrome, green, nfs, pathways, sold, watercolor
Rainforest
Tuesday, August 4th, 2015
Rainforest, abstract art by Amy Crook
As an antidote to Monday, I give you another contribution to my Pathways series. This one is a vibrant turquoise softened by cool blue and granular black, with the tiniest hint of shimmer hiding in the highlights.
It makes me think of the Amazon jungle rising up to the sky, taking over wherever it can.
There’s a glow of life at the core of each growth, especially along the bottom where they stretch up out of a mound of colour, reaching upward and spreading outward like plants seeking the sun.
Rainforest, 8″x8″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Rainforest, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the intricate, organic shapes of the runnels and fronds. Below, the piece is nestled in a frame, already growing upward out of sight.
Rainforest, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: green, iridescent, nfs, pathways, watercolor
Winter 2
Tuesday, July 7th, 2015
Winter 2 by Amy Crook
The original Winter has some very soft greenish undertones that play beautifully off the cream of the page. This sequel has violet undertones instead from genuine Amethyst pigment, making it seem icier than its counterpart.
There’s a real, physical sparkle to this painting with the inclusion of salt crystals, but it’s very subtle and mostly evident in the way it interacts with the paint.
The winter also has another feature, a burst of color where it deliberately breaks the invisible border and reaches up toward the sky in its exuberance. Even in the coldness of winter you can find nature’s enthusiasm.
Winter 2, 9″x12″ salt and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Winter 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can just see the subtle sparkle of the salt and the beautiful way it interacts with the watercolor mix. Below, you can see the painting with my old glasses for scale.
Winter 2, abstract art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, pathways, salt, watercolor
Orange Lily
Saturday, July 4th, 2015
Orange Lily by Amy Crook
It’s been a very blue month, so let’s celebrate today with some gorgeous orange!
I’ve been wanting to experiment with some more splash-y flowers, and I decided to brighten up this month’s palette with some orange, red, and gold.
The scanner flattened out a lot of the beautiful layering that you can see in the framed and detail photos (which means there won’t be any reprints, so if you want it, get it now!). There’s a cool pinkish red mixed in with the deep and bright oranges and the warm gold, which really gives the impression of peering into an opening flower.
The splash of green brings the image into focus, and the gold in the very middle makes beautiful stamen for this lovely lily.
Orange Lily, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Orange Lily, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautifully layered oranges, reds, and golds that make this lovely lily so exquisite. Below, it’s been planted in a frame, ready to brighten your home or office.
Orange Lily, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: flower, for sale, orange, watercolor
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