Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Cthonian Skies
Monday, December 2nd, 2013
Cthonian Skies by Amy Crook
The Floating Gallery has touched down for December, and I thought I’d start your Monday off strangely.
The swampy greens in this strange sky are laced with shimmering iridescence. The moon shimmers darkly beneath spirals of gold, and strange salt-formation stars radiate yet more gold into the gloomy mists of night. Perhaps this is what Cthulhu saw in his native skies, or what he sees now in the slice of reality he occupies as he slumbers deep beneath the waves — beautiful, maddening dreams of a night that never was.
Cthonian Skies, 5.5″x8.5″ pen & ink, salt, watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on acid-free embossed paper.
Cthonian Skies, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight making long shadows from the salt crystal stars, and the textures of paper and paint interacting. Below, it’s loosely attached to a frame for size. The final product will be properly matted and framed for shipping, to protect the nifty salty bits.
Cthonian Skies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, gold, green, iridescent watercolor, lovecraft, moon, more cowbell, pen and ink, salt, spirals, watercolor
Beacon
Sunday, November 3rd, 2013
Beacon, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Swirls of purples, blues and greens both opaque and iridescent move above a vague, abstract shape that might be a tower or a web or something stranger. The night is void beyond, with no stars to be seen, just deeper violet and hints of shimmering blue.
Beacon, 5″x7″ watercolor and iridescent watercolor on paper.
Beacon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shimmer of blue and violet against the more matte green background. Below, you can see the piece in its frame, sitting in the sun.
Beacon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: for sale, iridescent, secret fan art, watercolor
Map to an Undiscovered Country
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
Map to an Undiscovered Country by Amy Crook
I’m going to post a bit more about some of the pieces in October’s Floating Gallery for the next couple of weeks, starting with this one! If there’s a piece you’re curious about, feel free to ask.
This painting was directly inspired by a patron’s reaction to one of last month’s pieces. You know who you are, and thank you! It’s been a month of being fascinated with maps, for me, so this was a good way to explore that.
There’s two kinds of pen and ink on here, my teeny tiny Micron pen outlining the fjords and inlets around this strange country, and the thicker Japanese Pilot fountain pens in deep green and dark brown forming the inner details.
The line across the middle feels like a river and lake to me, but what if it’s a border, a fault, a plateau or crater? I love the mystery created by the map, making you wonder if the yellow is beaches or deserts or something else. Are those deep green spaces forests or mountains? If the brown aren’t roads, what are they? Are there even people in this undiscovered land, or are you the first to gaze upon it?
Map to an Undiscovered Country, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover white paper.
Map to an Undiscovered Country, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the paper texture interacting with the media to create detail, the tiny hand-drawn borders making strange borders, the thicker lines intersecting and the edge of the shape in the center. Below, you can see it in the frame I got especially for this piece, though of course once it finds a new home I’ll be able to re-purpose this, should the frame not go with it.
Map to an Undiscovered Country, framed art by Amy Crook
I’ll end on a note about works in pen and ink. Most colored inks are made with dyes and are less lightfast than the pigments in paint. If you put your art somewhere that gets direct sunlight, it will fade like an old map despite the high quality art paper. So don’t do that.
Actually, don’t do that to any art, because even the most lightfast pigments degrade over time. Also, it’s just not nice.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, map, pen and ink, watercolor
Red Sky Firefly
Friday, September 6th, 2013
Red Sky Firefly by Amy Crook
Strings of glowing fireflies flit in the distance through red-tinted dusk in this abstract piece. The night is slowly banishing the last hints of color, but for now the fireflies still eclipse the stars. There’s a dreamy, gorgeous feeling to this painting, with its metallic-bright firefly spots and softly textured ruddy end-of-sunset background.
Red Sky Firefly, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and metallic watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Red Sky Firefly, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the texture of paper and paint, and the soft glow of golden light that seems to float above the surface. Below, I’ve put the piece in a frame so you can imagine it like staring out a window into some fairy world where it’s always dusk, and sailors always delight in the red sky at night.
Red Sky Firefly, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, fireflies, for sale, gold, metallic watercolor, red, watercolor
Edges
Monday, September 2nd, 2013
Edges, abstract art by Amy Crook
Something bright and cheerful for your Monday, whether you’re working or have a day off like many Americans. I’m putting a selection of the new pieces on the blog this week, but there’s even more art at the Floating Gallery and it’s only available until next Sunday!
I had a piece of 10″x8″ watercolor paper that I made a background on in bright yellow, green and darker green, using a spray bottle to make the fascinating layered shapes with their fractal borders like fjords. I used pen & ink on this piece a bit haphazardly at first, and what I ended up with was a work of art that just wasn’t working with itself. So, I girded my loins and got out my tear bar and tore it in half, then took a bit off each piece to end up with two 5″x7″ works of art, and a couple of bookmarks. All of the pieces then got some more work, and Edges is one of the results, the right half of the original.
Edges, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Edges, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little critter I doodled in one corner where the edges seemed to suggest him. He’s smaller than a dime, and says pbth on your size issues. Below, speaking of size issues, you can see the piece in a frame with my iPhone, so you can appreciate the size it ended up.
Edges, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, green, monster, pen and ink, watercolor
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Foreign Object Debris
Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Foreign Object Debris by Amy Crook, $450
I showed this to a friend of mine when it was still a work in progress, and he said it reminded him of a piece of lost metal plating from a spaceship, made of some exotic, slightly damaged metal. I liked the idea so much I used it for the title. This piece started out with a layer of textured, dark purple acrylic, including the spot in one corner where it looks as though something horrible has happened to it. I added iridescent purple to give the whole thing a metallic look, and then went in later with a darker purple to add the sort of dirt that one expects on a much-handled object. The paint wraps around to the edges of the canvas, giving the whole thing the feeling of being one single strange object.
Foreign Object Debris, 12″x12″ acrylic and oil paint on canvas, $450 with free shipping.
Foreign Object Debris, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the light hits the violet paint, bringing up the sheen in the grooves of the original paint and canvas. Below, you can see the ‘damaged’ portion of heavily applied paint, gleaming in the sunlight.
Foreign Object Debris, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I took a photo of it still on my easel, because of reasons. The painting is a foot square, and will be wired and ready to hang when it finds itself a forever home.
Foreign Object Debris, painting by Amy Crook
- Title: Foreign Object Debris
- 12 in. x 12 in. acrylic paint, oil paint and silver Sharpie signature on gallery-wrapped canvas
- $450 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
- Frame is not included, but the piece will be wired for hanging
- Shipping is free anywhere in the world
- Payment plans are available, just email me
- The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: acrylic paint, canvas, for sale, metallic, oil paint, purple, silver sharpie
Growth 2
Monday, July 29th, 2013
Growth 2 by Amy Crook
I was playing around with my watercolors, and the deep green circle reminded me of the blue-black center of Growth. Before I knew it, I’d grabbed my dark green fountain pen and started making two rows of circles this time, inside and out, and then filling in the inner set while the watercolor was still slightly damp, before moving to the outside. This paper is very absorbent, which gives a softness to the pen lines even on the white.
I had to resist the urge to try to create randomness, and instead just stick with something that was interestingly varied to me. Humans do randomness terribly, and I always have to remember that. I found it interesting that the growths came out differently shaped than the original, more towers and less floaters, no long strands of growth reaching out or in.
Growth 2, 5″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper.
Growth 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the paired-up circles of growth going in and outward from the double row at the border. Below, you can see both pieces together in their frames, making a diptych with endless visual interest.
Growth and Growth 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, green, growth, pen and ink, planet, watercolor
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