Archive for the ‘Abstract and Just Plain Weird’ Category

Kawaii Dead Yet (with Treasure Hull)

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021

Kawaii Dead Yet by Amy Crook and Treasure Hull

In the Before Times, I gave the central postcard to Treasure Hull with some of the art you see already done on it, and asked if they’d be interested in continuing it as a collaboration. It’s taken a long time, but they finally mailed it back to me, and it’s amazing!

They pasted the smaller postcard onto a larger piece of paper and turned it into this surrealist kitty, mixing my soft, dreamy watercolors with their bright, trippy pen-and-ink details. There’s even stars cut out of the paper and taken from elsewhere and stuck onto this piece!

The original’s going in my personal collection, but I thought I’d share it here for you all to enjoy.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Concentric 8

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

abstract art of concentric dotted circles on a purple background

Concentric 8 by Amy Crook, 9″x12″ watercolor on paper, sold

It’s art that I finished in 2021! I’m very happy to be back at it finally, now that all the stress and extra tasks of moving have been largely dealt with (unpacking is eternal).

I’ve had this purple background for a while now, and I finally got the motivation over a few days of work to get this lovely, fireworks-like addition to the Concentric series done. I put it up on my Patreon while it was in progress, and one of my wonderful supporters claimed it before it was even done!

Below, you can see a zoomed-in angle view of some of the lovely metallic and iridescent paints that I used for this meditative work. I tried to stick to a certain palette, but I couldn’t resist sneaking in a little gold for the very middle burst. Which set of circles is your favorite?

close-up of abstract art with metallic dotted circles on a purple background

Concentric 8, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books
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End of 2020 Patreon Sketches, part 1

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021

I’ve been very slowly getting caught up with my Patreon sketch tier art since the move, so here’s the first part of the whatever-whenever-time-is-meaningless sketches from Q3-4!

“Autumn Feelings” for Kim, and the crest of Riegan from Fire Emblem for Eric (both sold)

Purple abstract for funsies, and some tentacles for Rebecca (both sold)

“Calvin, STOP!” for Rey, “Halloween & Autumn” for Andria, bookmark for funsies, some kissing princes for Nick, and “I can stop anytime” for Amber (most sold)

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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String Theory

Thursday, September 17th, 2020

String Theory, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper

This weird little abstract sold to one of my Patreon supporters when it previewed, and got to skip the gallery experience entirely. It’s definitely a painting in which different people see different things, but the swirling layers of color and texture are certainly mesmerising.

It started as so many things of mine do as a background painted and left to sit on a shelf, while the back of my brain processed ideas for what to do with it. Eventually I went to pick texture out of the color and then add color back in to the texture with shades of purple and a hint of blue. There’s even a touch of shimmer along the right side, which will subtly shine in the right light.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird
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April Patreon Sketches

Wednesday, June 10th, 2020

I continue to be not dead yet! Things are a bit mad here, and somehow I’ve managed to go over my commissions limit again without meaning to, which means the queue is firmly closed with two people on the waiting list right now. That said, Patreon supporters continue to get their sketches! And someday I’ll have three seconds to put together a sale of all these little ACEOs I have lying around that were either for someone who doesn’t get to keep their card, or just random doodles I did while avoiding the actual requests.

ACEO sketch cards by Amy Crook

  • Mal modeled “frolic” for Andria but apparently disapproved of the result
  • Deinvati asked for Cavill and got a leonine Geralt
  • the silver and black abstract was just my inner goth playing around
  • and Rebecca asked for “space” and got a whole galaxy

ACEO sketch cards by Amy Crook

  • Kim asked for an itchy hedgehog and got this silly thing
  • Jeff wanted Captain Christopher Pike and I liked his giant grey bouffant
  • Grace asked for a rainbow & is a Virgo, so she got the constellation hiding in this textured rainbow-flag-ish bit of canvas paper
  • sekrit patron Rey asked for FREEDOM! in reference to finally leaving his terrible contract job, and I was late but it’s very shiny
  • sekrit patron Amber asked for Goosfraba and then had to explain it, lol

ACEO sketch cards by Amy Crook

  • Eric asked for “not so sekrit” now that he’s an official patron, and got spideybutt
  • Corinne asked for Raccoon (her cat), and after sending me 17 pics I ended up using one out of my txts from 2 months ago heh

Jealous? Get your own next month!

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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The Skies of Unknown Kadath

Thursday, March 5th, 2020

dreamy abstract art featuring clouds of iridescent color on black paper, by Amy Crook

The Skies of Unknown Kadath, 6″x8″ watercolor on black paper

In this month’s lone abstract painting, shiny paints layer over black paper to get this dreamlike effect.

“The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath” is a novella by horror writer HP Lovecraft, best known for creating Cthulhu and also being hugely bigoted (even for 100 years ago). It’s a fascinating trip into dreams and obsession and madness, like so many of his works, and the painting’s title is a nod to the surreal descriptions that keep his work in our collective memory.

There’s a lot hiding in this painting, full of pigments that shine at different angles, in different colors, that peek through the less-glittery mineral paints and stand out against the black background.

The Skies of Unknown Kadath, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the shining paints at a close up and oblique angle, the pigments catching sunlight and showing the layers of texture and detail. Below, it’s in a temporary frame, just waiting for the right dreamer.

The Skies of Unknown Kadath, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Growth 13

Friday, November 8th, 2019

an abstract watercolor in oranges and golds by Amy Crook

Growth 13, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

A bright and cheerful change of pace brings us the almost-too-saturated colors of this newest Growth painting.

It owes a lot of its aesthetic to another series, Concentric, but the final image still follows the reaching-out visual language of its quieter predecessors. There’s a sense of light, of motion through space that only a few of its fellow pieces reflect.

The warmth suggests combustion, sparks from a fire, from a meteorite falling and burning on its way to earth. And yet, there’s something solid about the droplets raining down and radiating away from it, so perhaps it will leave an impression after all.

Growth 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Growth 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine and texture of the golden beads of paint floating atop the orange glow. Below, this bright painting is framed in black to set off its gorgeous colors.

Growth 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Growth 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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