Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Atmosphere
Tuesday, November 4th, 2014
Atmosphere by Amy Crook
This makes me think of a strange, swirling planet flinging its atmosphere off into the void, or perhaps stealing the blue-violet outer ring of gases from somewhere else. The thin middle ring of blue is hard to spot in the scan, but you can see it in the detail photo quite well, and it’s very obvious in person. The color reminded me very distinctly of photos of the earth’s atmosphere, that thin layer that keeps us all alive, which is where the piece gets its title. The spiralling planet itself is a color-changing paint that goes from reddish copper to a warm golden bronze, while the outside runs through blues and purples depending on the angle of the light.
Atmosphere, 5″x5″ duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Atmosphere, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the thin blue shining out from between lavender and copper. Below, it’s in a frame, hanging out with my old glasses for scale.
Atmosphere, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: black paper, duochrome, for sale, iridescent watercolor, watercolor
Splash 3
Thursday, October 9th, 2014
Splash 3, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
At first you see mostly shades of green, like a splash of sea water backlit by bright sunshine. Then you move, and the green turns to gold and blue and deeper, stranger greens. The layers and overlappings take on new significance, building complex color on top of one another in the seemingly monochrome expanse.
This is a perfect painting for someone who loves water, the ocean, and the light, and who wants to keep a little of each as a part of all of their days.
Splash 3, 7″x5″ duochrome watercolor on paper.
Splash 3, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the blues and golds and greens blending and layering in this beautiful painting. Below, it’s tucked into a frame, the greens practically glowing in the afternoon sun.
Splash 3, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: duochrome, for sale, iridescent, splash, watercolor
Cloud Sea
Wednesday, October 8th, 2014
Cloud Sea, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Clouds skitter across a night sky, moonlight washing them with cool silver and grey. Below, waves stir up the dark water, clouds caught in reflection and distorted into strange new shapes. White foam flecks the sea and silvery clouds float, tinted midnight blue and deepest purple, and strange shapes seem to rise up out of the depths.
Two separate people described the layering effect here as the reflection of moonlit clouds on rough water, foam and form mixing to make a beautifully abstract visual delight. For once, there’s no actual metallic or iridescent shine in the paint, just the sense of glowing and glittering given by the way the paint floats on the page.
Cloud Sea, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on paper.
Cloud Sea, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a detail of one of my favorite parts of the painting. Below, it’s framed like a glimpse through glass at some intriguing seascape.
Cloud Sea, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: clouds, for sale, japanese watercolor, watercolor
Step Into the Light
Monday, September 8th, 2014
Step Into the Light by Amy Crook
I challenged myself with this piece to start with pink instead of blue, and still make something that spoke to me visually the same way Invent the Universe does. The light ended up in the center, more of a tunnel than a pathway, inviting you to step through and see what it’s like out in the light.
Step Into the Light, 8″x8″ Japanese, traditional, and metallic watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Step Into the Light, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the gold lettering catching the sunlight and putting the white of the paper to shame. Below, you can see the painting in its frame, waiting for the right wall.
Step Into the Light, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of, Words Words Words
Tags: aglow, calligraphy, gold, metallic, nfs, sold, watercolor
Midnight
Saturday, September 6th, 2014
Midnight by Amy Crook
This piece is a sequel of sorts to Winter, but it’s black instead of white, iridescent and shiny instead of softly matte, complexly layered instead of simple. This painting holds the layered mystery of the midnight hour, velvety darkness cradling the shining blues, reminding us that there’s always another layer, another path, another point of view.
Midnight, 5″x7″ iridescent, interference, and traditional watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Midnight, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of blue partially obscured by the black that runs over and through it, but can’t completely obscure the bright metallics. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, sun lighting up the highlights and shadows drawing you into the depths.
Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: black paper, blue, for sale, interference, iridescent, iridescent watercolor, pathways, watercolor
Drowned and Dreamt
Thursday, September 4th, 2014
Drowned and Dreamt by Amy Crook
This gorgeously morbid piece of abstract art was inspired by the opening credits to Skyfall, and the colors and textures of the blood in the water. I used several washes to give the background its grainy fade of blue-green, and then two colors of opaque Japanese watercolors for the reds, and I’m quite pleased with the final effect.
Drowned and Dreamt, 4″x8″ watercolor and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Drowned and Dreamt, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the brightest reds and the way they interact with the green background where they’re thinner and more translucent. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, an eerie tribute to a visually stunning film.
Drowned and Dreamt, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 007, bloodstone, for sale, james bond, japanese watercolor, skyfall, watercolor
Glacial Melt
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014
Glacial Melt by Amy Crook
The snowy white paper melts into a beautifully subtle array of blues, like a glacier giving way to summer, sending water and debris out to join the ocean. I really love the way the two different paints reacted to one another, giving a broad range of color and texture in the simple shapes.
Glacial Melt, 5″x5″ watercolor on watercolor paper.
Glacial Melt, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the texture of the paper like snowdrifts with the barest blue shadows in the hollows like sunlight on snow. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, bringing a breath of coolness to the end-of-summer heat.
Glacial Melt, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: blue, for sale, watercolor
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