Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category

Red

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Red by Amy Crook

Red by Amy Crook

As promised, this is my other piece that’s simply called Red. Like last week’s piece, the reds are dark and intense, though this time they’re offset not by white paper but by the yellow ochre painted border. The different shades of red are also different textures, you can see some of the flash glare on the painting where the paint’s glossy, compared to the deep matte color of the bottom section.

This is actually quite a large painting, two feet by three feet, and although the edges are unfinished, I think it hangs just fine as is.

Red, 24″x36″ oil painting on canvas, $1299 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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Red Death

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Red Death by Amy Crook

Red Death by Amy Crook

This piece has a bit of a story to it. It’s a large monoprint, with a very small etching plate near the center of the paper. The two more random images were created by mixing up the blood-red ink and then smushing it between two plates, and then printing the result. I love the way the bottom image looks a bit like a heart (of the anatomical sort), while the left image seems to hold a whole world of secrets, a landscape of crimson mystery.

The etching plate is part of a series I started and never finished, depicting Neil Gaiman’s Endless from his Sandman comic series — but not the people, the ideas they represented. This plate was, I think, the most successful, the image for Death. I did print a single edition of the plates by themselves, and I’ll post those next month sometime (very Halloween appropriate).

Together the 3 images seem to tell a story, or to invite the viewer to tell their own story. I think every piece of art has something to say to the viewer, but not every person gets the same message. I’m always curious what a piece says to other people — what does this one say to you?

Red Death, 22.5″x16″ etching and monoprint on watercolor paper, $699 with free shipping.

Red Death, detail, by Amy Crook

Red Death, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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The Texture of Faith

Monday, September 6th, 2010

The Texture of Faith by Amy Crook

The Texture of Faith by Amy Crook

This print uses 3 of my little etching plates, two of which have been double-inked so that there’s a primary color in the actual etching, and a secondary red on the surface of the plate. The top two plates are both found objects of a sort, the smaller one is actually part of a larger plate that I cut up and kept pieces of to use in other prints. The paper has a beautiful texture of its own, lending an extra dimension to the abstract images, and giving a rich desert for the tiny cruciform figure to wander in.

The Texture of Faith, detail, by Amy Crook

The Texture of Faith, detail, by Amy Crook

There’s a lot of meaning that could be inferred here, but this is one of those pieces that’s hard to quantify for me — I can talk about this technical aspect or that process, but the end result was something unexpected. There’s hints of stories and ideas hiding in the abstract, brought out by the smallest image at the bottom.

The Texture of Faith, 15.5″x23″ intaglio and monoprint on imported Mexican bark paper, $499 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art
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Torn

Monday, August 30th, 2010

Torn by Amy Crook

Torn by Amy Crook

This is another large monoprint that involves many layers of paper and ink. I had originally done the face as part of a larger figure, but wasn’t happy with the result, so I tore up the sheet of paper to make more interesting shapes and re-used parts of it in the top layer of this print. The red is actually all ink rather than another sheet of paper, a large printing plate covered in it. The bottom shape was layered with the torn paper under the ink, and then on top another layer of paper and ink was laid down, this time with large sheets of acetate for the medium rather than a plate.

These prints are all one of a kind, and I no longer have access to the press I did them on, so they’re not something I can make again. Each one involves a unique process of things coming together, ink and ideas, paper stock and plates, to create an individual work of art.

Torn, 22.5″x31″ monoprint and chine collé on imported handmade and watercolor paper, $499 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, People, Figures and Faces
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Sea

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Sea by Amy Crook

Sea by Amy Crook

I finally got a better photo of this print that showcases the muted, subtle colors. The paper is such a pale blue, and the other colors so muted, it can be quite difficult to photograph, and even worse to try to work with in Photoshop.

I love the teal-grey waves with their scribbled-in echo of the etching plate, and slow fade from dark to light. It’s nearly two feet tall and over two and a half wide, and would look gorgeous floated on a piece of matte board in a simple frame.

You can see where I also used one of my etching plates, the same one that shows up in very different contexts in Ogdred Weary and Elements. Instead of inking into the deep grooves of the plate, I used the same brayer (ink roller) that I used to make the larger patterns, to roll ink only onto the surface of the plate, leaving the actual etching free of ink. (Click any image to see it larger.)

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

You can see here how there’s echoing linework hiding in the main part of the image. First ink was laid down on the main plate using the brayer, and then the back of a paintbrush was used to scrape away the ink to add texture.

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The whole pattern of waves and seaweed, or tentacles, or just more eddies and currents, is topped off with a shining sun rubber stamp in silver ink.

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

The print itself is quite large, the imported paper soft with beautiful natural edges. It really needs to be matted and framed for proper display, perhaps floated on a white or black background.

Sea, 31″x23″ monoprint, etching and rubber stamp on paper.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Chasing Amy

Monday, August 16th, 2010

Chasing Amy, detail, by Amy Crook

Chasing Amy, detail, by Amy Crook

Some days I can resist the pop culture reference in the titles, and some days I can’t. I’ve always really liked this monoprint for no reason that I can articulate, something about the colors and the way it all came out just works for me. I was especially pleased with the way the image expanded out of its borders to give a sense of movement, making the whole page more a part of the image.

Chasing Amy by Amy Crook

Chasing Amy by Amy Crook

Like my other prints, this one of a kind piece will need to be framed or matted before it’s ready to display. I’m happy to help you out with that if you like, for the cost of materials.

Chasing Amy, 3″x3″ monoprint on 11″x11″ watercolor paper, $499 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
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What You See

Monday, August 9th, 2010

What You See by Amy Crook

What You See by Amy Crook

This etching plate was cut from a larger “found” plate. When I found the abandoned piece, this particular image jumped out at me, so when I cut the plate into smaller pieces, I saved this one out. It’s printed onto a piece of handmade paper with little strands of human hair (a lock cut from a classmate, iirc). The paper has gorgeous natural edges, and would look great floated on a black matte and framed, though right now it’s just loose.

I feel like it would be giving something away to tell you what I see when I look at the piece, instead of letting you find your own images. I will say that there’s an element of anima, of the manitou, in it for me. What do you see?

What You See, detail, by Amy Crook

What You See, detail, by Amy Crook

What You See, 2″x2″ etching on 6″x9″ handmade paper, $349 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art
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