Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category
Three
Friday, February 18th, 2011
Three by Amy Crook
This piece I actually painted upside-down, wasn’t thrilled with it, and then as soon as I flipped it over to get the background wash finished up I was suddenly oddly pleased. I can’t really explain what I like about it, but I really do like it.
It’s another piece that’s mostly ink & watercolor experiments, but I think the result has a nice graphical feel to it. I have the urge to frame this piece a specific way with the postcard floated on a black mat, perhaps one day I’ll make the effort. I have one other postcard framed that way, and I think this one would benefit from that.
Three, 6.5″x4″ watercolor on handmade postcard, $99 with free shipping.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: for sale, swooshy, watercolor
Moleskine Volant: Clusters
Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Clusters Volant by Amy Crook
This is the second of the pair of blue Volant notebooks, in a lighter blue. This one I drew with a more abstract design in just two colors of oil paint marker, blue and black. I wanted to explore the idea of clusters of objects, and interconnectedness, without getting too obsessive about the details. The first clusters I drew at the top were close-fitting and made me think of blackberries, so as I moved downward I tried to add a little more space and looseness to their structure.
Clusters, 5″x8.25″ Sharpie oil markers on a 96-page blank Moleskine Volant. $29 with free shipping.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Moleskines
Tags: for sale, moleskine, oil markers, sharpie, volant
Texture Experiment 1
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011
Texture Experiment 1 by Amy Crook
A while ago I was working on some watercolors, and I played around making some shapes to use as a base for future drawings. I have a lot of small pieces of this thick, soft buff-coloured paper torn out from my printmaking days, and so I used one of those for this. You can see below a few in-progress shots that give you a better idea of what’s hiding under all that texture.
I was inspired by three things for this, first by Kirsty M. Hall’s tendency to draw abstract shapes and textures over already-done drawings and photographs, especially evident looking at some of the great pieces in her 365 Jars project. The second thing was a Jack Skellington drawing I saw earlier this week on Tumblr of all places, and while I love the image out of pure fangirl joy, I was fascinated by the rich textures in the background. On top of that, of course, I had found the process of doing my crosshatched hatbox quite meditative, so I tried to incorporate elements of all three things.
I’ve just bought a set of Micron pens, so I used the second-largest of those to do the black swirl, and then I used a turquoise Pilot fountain pen from Japan, whose ink bled gorgeously into the pale turquoise of the watercolor, adding an extra dimension of contrast between the two sections. Expect to see more of the Micron pens, which I’m a little bit in love with, though I don’t plan to give up my favorite brush pen — I can have pens on the side, it’s an open relationship.
Texture Experiment 1, 5″x5″ pen and ink and watercolor on Arches cover white paper.
Below are some progress shots I took with my iPhone. Sorry about the quality, I was txting a friend for encouragement, and I decided to share!
Texture Experiment 1, progress shot 1, by Amy Crook
Texture Experiment 1, progress shot 2, by Amy Crook
Texture Experiment 1, progress shot 3, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: crosshatching, for sale, pen and ink, spiral, watercolor
6 Comments »
Blue Square
Saturday, February 5th, 2011
Blue Square by Amy Crook
I have never managed to successfully take a photograph that captures the color and texture of this painting. It’s a sad sort of blue-grey, but with a gentle glow of hope in the upper left that keeps it from being depressing. There’s a lot of subtle color changes and textures, and I’ve finished the edges with Payne’s Gray, which has helped to set off the small details and changes in colour.
This painting’s story isn’t so much the story of it being painted one day in a fit of melancholy and creatitivty, as it is the way it’s travelled with me through the years. Right now it’s hanging on the wall above my antique secretary, with smudges on the wall from where I painted the sides last month (my poor landlords, I console myself that I don’t plan to move for several years yet). It’s lived in many apartments, sometimes hanging, sometimes not, but it’s always held a special place for me as an abstract that, while having no discernible figures or features, still manages to convey something to the viewer.
Blue Square, 20″x20″ oil on canvas, $699 with free shipping.
The edges of this canvas have been finished in deep blue-grey, making it suitable for hanging as is. I’m always happy to help you by framing it for a wee little fee, if that’s your preference.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, blue, for sale, oil painting
2 Comments »
In and In and In
Monday, January 17th, 2011
In and In and In by Amy Crook
I’m so pleased to finally be back painting again, after a long winter of no sunlight, no energy, and no time. This is a tiny painting, mostly in shades of blue, and it looks to me like some sort of well or tunnel with a light beckoning at the end, luring one to explore what’s beyond the buff frame.
I’m actually very happy with this painting, as well. I love doing abstracts like this, I always have, but I’ve been drowning in weebles lately trying to get my Valentine’s Day projects done for my Etsy shop. I love doing the weebles, but like anything, sometimes variety is better.
I have a sort of a show next month! The Book Shop in Hayward, CA, has artists in their shop window every month, and I’m to be Miss February. This piece is among the ones slated to go in the window, provided it dries in time. Like all the other tiny paintings, this one comes with a wooden easel for display, which can tuck into a bookcase, sit on top of a computer monitor or mantelpiece, and bring a bit of mystery into your space.
In and In and In, 2.75″x2.75″ oil paint on canvas with 5″ wooden easel.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: for sale, oil painting, tiny painting
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