Archive for the ‘Floating Gallery’ Category
Queen of Swords
Sunday, May 7th, 2017
Queen of Swords, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper
This bodaciously majestic Queen of Swords is a delightful take on the tarot card, with one hand raised up to greet her subjects and her sword held ready in the other.
She’s got little blue swords on her sleeves, and the green brocade of her underskirt is covered in arrows letting you know just where to kneel. At her feet. Where you belong. Everything about her expression tells you she’s completely confident in her ability to make you do what she says.
Truly royal.
Queen of Swords, detail, by Amy Crook
Above – look at that quirky, regal smile! Bow to that quirky, regal smile. Below, she’s majestically framed, just as she should be.
Queen of Swords, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books
Tags: copic marker, for sale, pen and ink, queen, tarot
Podovich
Saturday, May 6th, 2017
Podovich, 7″x5″ Copic marker on paper
It’s Caturday – a wild Pod appears! Only this time he’s been evolved into a Russian Blue instead of his usual sleek black, hence the name.
Podovich is curled up in a fuzzy ball with just one pink ear to break up the soft, inviting grays. The white pillowy surface he’s sleeping on carries just a hint of shadow, as of course he’s found himself someplace flooded with light for his nap.
That must be why he’s got his paw over his eyes.
Where in your life do you need a kitty to remind you of the value of catnaps?
Podovich, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little details of fur and ear and one closed eye not quite hidden completely. Below, Podovich is napping in a frame, safe and content.
Podovich, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: cat, catnap, cats, copic marker, nfs, pod, sold
Prague Rock
Friday, May 5th, 2017
Prague Rock, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper
Another city gilded in metallic shine, only this one has silver starlight instead of golden sunlight glinting off the roofs and towers. The night has washed the city in shades of blue-violet, stealing away whatever color it has in the daytime.
The architecture here riffs on Prague without really being accurate in any way to any part of it. Much like the Painted Ladies, it’s more the idea of a city than a portrait of it, the feeling of somewhere magical you could live, if only you could turn just the right corner.
Prague Rock, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the light glinting off the silver highlights on the stars and spires. Below, this smaller city is nestled in a frame, like a window to somewhere you wish you could go.
Prague Rock, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, horizons, japanese watercolor, metallic, stars, watercolor
Halloween Pathways
Thursday, May 4th, 2017
Halloween Pathways, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches Cover black paper
Deep charcoal supports and subdues the bright Halloween orange in this latest Pathways painting.
The image suggests bold autumn trees, lit by the last orange rays of sunlight slanting towards them. Or is it a bright potion bubbling over the sides of an iron cauldron? Perhaps you see the stripes on some deadly orange monster instead.
The simple-seeming monochrome hides a depth of color and detail that will give you hours of peaceful contemplation while you sit and sip cider and think of Halloweens to come.
Halloween Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the the way the charcoal blackness of the paper draws the orange into itself, lending a base of deep gloom to the holiday brightness of it. Below, the painting is tucked into a frame, just waiting to haunt your home.
Halloween Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, for sale, halloween, interference, orange, pathways, watercolor
Dream Well
Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017
Dream Well, 5″x5″ watercolor and brush pen on Arches Cover buff paper
May is here! I hope you had a good April, the cats and I missed seeing you terribly while I was convalescing.
Dusky lavender swirls like liquid, bounded by broken lines like a dream of an object, soft and subtle and strange.
Dip into the dream well and see what you pull up from its depths. The shallowness is only an illusion; the well of dreams goes down forever, full of endless possibilities and impossible futures.
This lovely mixed media piece is quite small at only five inches square, the soft buff of the paper making it perfect to warm up a space that needs a little imagination.
Dream Well, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the stuttering strokes of pen filling in the borders where the brush stuttered first, making waves in the soft, warm violet well. Below, this tiny artwork is resting peacefully in a frame, perfect for a small meditation nook, or even just your desk at work.
Dream Well, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: for sale, pen and ink, primatek, watercolor, zen circle
Mirage
Wednesday, March 8th, 2017
Mirage, 8″x10″ watercolor on Arches cover buff paper
Endless-seeming dunes give way near the top to the illusion of water. The warm buff paper breaks through the dull sparkle of yellow rust and copper. The caress of wind over sand exposes variations in shape, color and texture as a muted shine is revealed behind the amber waves.
The Pathways series is turned its side here, trading trees for earth and skies for an endless search for the horizon. The mirage adds a bright pop against the rich layers of sand and ochre and copper.
If you dream of sun and sand and sparkling water, this painting will bring a little piece of that into your everyday life.
Mirage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight catching the copper, which only appears at certain angles in amongst the sandy ochres and golds. Below, I’ve trapped the mirage behind glass, so you can safely contemplate eternity without losing yourself in the dunes.
Mirage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, gold, interference, pathways, primatek, watercolor
Fairytale Cottage
Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
Fairytale Cottage, 6″x6″ watercolor and gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper
Calling to mind the darker side of fairytales, this shadowy cottage lurks against a rainy sky. The brightness of white clouds and gingerbread detailing is almost unsettling in it sweetness, with everything around it muted and grey.
In a strange reversal, only the frothy white curlicues look solid, while the house and sky seem like mere shadows behind the spirals.
What’s your favorite fairytale, and which ending do you prefer?
Fairytale Cottage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see up close the slightly raised spirals on the buildings and the softly receding spirals of the clouds, decorating the shadowy secrets held by this confectionary cottage. Below, the frame becomes a window into a dark fairy tale world.
Fairytale Cottage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, for sale, gel pen, spirals, watercolor
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