Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Moon Dark
Friday, January 6th, 2012
Moon Dark by Amy Crook
I really love how stark and simple this piece is. I was tempted to add more color to it, but in the end I think the copper moon and golden, salt-haoled stars are best on their own. In a simple black frame, it’s really striking, a slice of night for a desk, wall or bedside table.
Moon Dark, 5″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper, nfs.
Moon Dark, detail, by Amy Crook
Here you can see how the salt picked up a tiny bit of the iridescence from the paint, though mostly it sparkles all on its own.
Moon Dark, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: black, copper, gold, moon, nfs, salt, spirals, stars, watercolor
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By Starlight
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
By Starlight by Amy Crook
Another piece inspired by the iconic blue-gold-white of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, there’s a different textural feel to this one on every level, despite being similar in many ways to Midnight Blue. The paper is thicker and of a much softer texture, the salt pools are saturated with bright yellow paint but the spirals are still visible, and the ‘starlight’ is sharp-edged and fragmented instead of a soft glowing circle.
I really just like the feel of it, the swoop of bright stars across the deep blue sky, each one surrounded by its own halo of color.
By Starlight, 5.25″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper.
By Starlight, detail 1, by Amy Crook
There hasn’t been a proper sunny day for photographing these salt pieces in a while, at least not one that’s warm enough to open the back door for the extra light that always makes them shine. Still, you can see the far pool catching a bit of light, as well as the rich texture the paint makes on the paper.
By Starlight, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Here you can see the tiny bit of spreading the salt did on the paper this time, not full snowflakes like some of the pieces I’ve done with this paper, but softened, creeping edges trying to expand beyond the water droplets’ original boundaries.
If you’re interested in this piece and would like to talk, you can comment here or email me, my inbox is always open.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: blue, for sale, salt, stars, watercolor, yellow
Autumn Breeze
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
Autumn Breeze by Amy Crook
I wanted to revisit the autumnal color palette of Autumn Winds, so I created this piece with different materials. The paper is a thick, soft cream-coloured printing paper, and the little spirals use quinacridone burnt orange paint instead of the less lightfast pen ink, though the pigment doesn’t infuse as well into the salt. Instead of tea there’s all watercolor paints for the rest, breezy spirals gathered around each salt pool like strange seeds tossed on a light fall breeze.
Autumn Breeze, 8″x6″ watercolor and salt on Arches cover white paper.
Below you can see how the salt crystals spread a little into the textured paper without going too far outside their original pool. The actual color of the piece is somewhere in between the two images, more saturated than the scan but less so than the detail photo.
Autumn Breeze, detail, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: brown, for sale, gold, orange, salt, watercolor
Rhymes With Orange
Thursday, December 8th, 2011
Rhymes With Orange by Amy Crook
Another orange piece! Two in one week! It’s madness!
Or, perhaps I did them on the same day? Well, I suppose it could be so.
The salt pools on this one are colored by salt that was used previously to create texture in other watercolor pieces — I chose a range of warm colors from orange to yellow, and then put in the swirls and spirals to match.
Rhymes With Orange, 7″x5″ salt and watercolor on paper.
Rhymes With Orange, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Reusing “dirty” salt is always a risk, because sometimes the paint doesn’t distribute very well in the salt, as on the left, and sometimes it gets so diluted you can’t see it at all, as on the right. But either way, the salt always seems to retain its sparkle.
Rhymes With Orange, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I thought the black frame really brought out the brightness of the orange. I might try it in a warm brown, too, just for variety.
Rhymes With Orange, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: for sale, orange, salt, watercolor
Orange Paisley
Monday, December 5th, 2011
Orange Paisley by Amy Crook
I was experimenting twice over with this piece, first by using different paints in each set of 7 paisleys (for 21 total), and then by drawing the salt pools out into shapes. Finally the background seemed to need a good, strong orange, giving the whole thing a wacky ’70s feel.
Orange Paisley, 7″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper.
Orange Paisley, detail 1, by Amy Crook
In the above detail, you can see the sparkle of the subtle duochrome paint and the way it interacts with the salt. Below, a simpler gold color that’s densest where the salt, too, gathered as they dried together.
Orange Paisley, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally you can see the piece in a simple black frame, letting the pattern really shine through.
Orange Paisley, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: for sale, orange, paisley, salt, watercolor
7 Spirals
Thursday, December 1st, 2011
7 Spirals by Amy Crook
I’ve noticed that the dye-based inks I use on some of the salt pieces will fade in strong sunlight, so I’ve been experimenting with using watercolors to dye the salt instead, with mixed results. The color I used in this painting came out clear and strong, making sparkling fuchsia salt crystals.
Even though there’s 15 salt pools, I chose to name it after the purple spirals that fill the white space in loose, haphazard shapes. The spirals are actually made by mixing the pink pigment in the inner ring with the teal pigment in the outer rings, giving surprising violets with unusual tones and highlights where the pigments separated.
7 Spirals, 5″x7″ pen & ink, salt, and watercolor on paper.
7 Spirals, detail, by Amy Crook
You can really see the rich colors in this detail shot, above, and the subtle sparkle of the salt in the waning autumn light in my apartment. Below, the paint seems almost to glow in its matte black frame.
7 Spirals, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: for sale, pink, purple, salt, teal, watercolor
Genuine Pink
Monday, November 28th, 2011
Genuine Pink by Amy Crook, $222
It’s quite hard to capture the rich mineral color of the Rhodonite Pink watercolor, which isn’t quite as bright as it shows in the detail image below, but has a dusky quality that’s overly pronounced in the scan above. The salt is fancy pink Himalayan salt, and the orange-pink minerals in it tended to sink and gather at the center of each pool.
Pink isn’t my favorite color, but I have to admit I’m fascinated by all of the genuine mineral paints from this company, which have complex and subtle undertones, and I think this one goes well with the unusual tint from the pink salt.
Genuine Pink, 5″x7″ mixed media on paper, $222, framed, with free shipping.
Genuine Pink, detail, by Amy Crook
I think the framed image gets the best feel for the paint colour, but the salt looks quite like it does in the detail photo, above.
Genuine Pink, framed, by Amy Crook, $222
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: pink, salt, watercolor
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