Red Irony

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

Red Irony, front cover, by Amy Crook

I have a few of these little folded over pieces of thick, stiff watercolor paper just waiting for me to find something to do with them. This first one had its front painted weeks before the last of its inside panels got their decorations.

When you unfold the first panel of the little square, you get a different Zen circle and surprise tentacles:

Red Irony, detail, by Amy Crook

The inner circle is smaller and a little more broken, and the tentacles seem to be reaching for it, toward some mysterious end.

When you open it further you find that the tentacles are now reaching for a mysterious blue-black circle of paint, accompanied by an appropriate Lovecraft quote.

Red Irony, inside panels, by Amy Crook

From even the greatest of horrors, irony is seldom absent.
-H.P. Lovecraft

The starting F has been decorated with twining red tentacles, this panel done with pen and ink in matching shades of blue-black and blood red, rather than watercolor like the rest of the piece.

Red Irony, 10″x4.25″ watercolor and pen and ink on watercolor paper.

This piece is unframed, and really is more suited to standing snuggled up with old books where it can surprise the unwary, and hopefully make them smile at its odd message. The paper is quite stiff and the materials archival, so it should be able to withstand a bit of wear and tear, though I’d still keep it out of reach of little fingers.

For completion, here’s what the back of the piece looks like, though I may add a signature to the blank back panel before it gets slipped away into storage with the rest of my watercolor pieces.

Red Irony, outside panels, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, lovecraft, pen and ink, red, tentacles, watercolor, zen circle