Archive for the ‘Floating Gallery’ Category
Fire Season
Wednesday, November 6th, 2019
Fire Season, 6″x4″ ink on paper
It’s fire season here in California, and it’s been a month for ruins all around.
The beautiful golden-peach glow of the smoldering sky is hard to capture on a monitor, but the inks give a magnificently clear color in person. The charcoal grey of ink wash swoops in fluid lines to suggest some kind of burnt-out ruins, close or distant, large or small.
Birds circle above and around, giving them a sense of scale — unless it’s the birds themselves that are distant.
Fire Season, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shadow of a bird, the soft texture of paper and glow of the sky, and the stark jut of burnt ruins wreathed in their own smoky residue. Below, this dramatic scene is contained safely in a frame, just waiting to grace your wall.
Fire Season, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: brush and ink, for sale, horizons, ink wash, ruins
The Things in the Mirror
Tuesday, November 5th, 2019
The Things in the Mirror, 5″x7″ ink and watercolor on paper
Every year, we reread A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, and I’m always inspired by the story and its amazing illustrations.
This year we have the Things in the Mirror, the slitherers whose main property is, apparently, to be sticky. The grey-on-grey ink wash background suggests an otherworldly space, while the mirror itself is bright with color and shining with gold.
It begs the question, what exactly is the most real space, in or outside of the mirror, and who is actually occupying it?
The Things in the Mirror, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the metallic sheen of gold watercolor and the loose curl of a couple of tentacles up close and personal. Below, the slitherers have been further contained by a picture frame.
The Things in the Mirror, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: for sale, ink wash, pen and ink, tentacles, watercolor, zelazny
Ash Ghost series
Monday, November 4th, 2019
Ash, Overgrown, Legend, and Ancient, ink wash art in the Ash Ghost series by Amy Crook,
4 works, 5″x7″ ink wash on paper
This series was painted, and named, after prompts from Inktober 2019.
The upper left’s eerie ghost is the first of the Ash Ghost series: 4 ink wash paintings featuring the same mysterious and yet-unwritten legend. They get progressively more complex, filling up the space, drawing you into their story, but Ash is stark and simple.
The upper right, Overgrown, has the footsteps but no ghost that you can see. They lead up to a series of steps between two overgrown pieces of wall, vines obscuring even that hint of what used to be there. A few bits of charred wood stick up in memory of a doorframe, but the rest of the structure is lost to the mists of time.
There’s a tale waiting to be told in these images. Small details waiting to be teased out and put down, more pictures yet to come. It keeps pulling us in, luring us closer.
In Legend, the graveyard is full of mist, trees vanishing in the distance and yet, somehow, the ghost is as vivid as ever. Nothing can hide him from you, neither space nor fog, but then again, perhaps nothing can hide you from him, either.
The lower right, Ancient, is the end of our ghost story so far. It features a single ash-blackened handprint obscuring the details on a cracked headstone.
There are more questions than answers left, of course. Who is the ghost? How long has he wandered and where is he going? The headstone is there, but where is his head?
And most importantly: what does he want with you, dear reader?
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: ash ghost, for sale, ink wash, inktober, sold
Night Snow
Saturday, November 2nd, 2019
Night Snow, 6″x4″ ink on Arches cover black paper
The last time I saw snow was a freak storm when I was visiting family last year, but the flakes were just like this, fat and fluffy and white against the darkening sky. There’s a very specific kind of snow that looks this way when it’s falling, and is perfect for snowball fights, snowmen, and going inside afterward to drink cocoa.
The white here is ink rather than paint, and its random-seeming spatter has just enough of a direction to it that you can imagine the wind softly blowing the flakes off their course.
Perfect for a winter soul all year round, or as an elegant decoration that’s more seasonal than holiday-related.
Night Snow, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the soft-edged layers of snowflakes, a few so close and big you could almost catch them on a mitten. Below, I’ve trapped this moment in a frame, just waiting to bring a bit of winter wonderland to you!
Night Snow, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black and white, black paper, ink wash, nfs, snow, sold
Concentric 7
Tuesday, September 17th, 2019
Concentric 7, 12″x9″ watercolor on paper
It was an especially difficult month for photography, with black paper, strange colors, and all kinds of shinies.
This addition to my Concentric series is a beautiful mix of greens and golds, with the dots themselves a special effects paint that switches from pale green to bright gold depending on the angle of the light and the exact mix of ingredients.
The slightly-raised dots feel like fireflies, galaxies, eyes, or petals floating on a green pond. It would make a peaceful addition to any room, adding a touch of sparkle.
Concentric 7, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see those golden dots catching the light, turning different colors depending on the mix of the unusual interference paint. Below, this large piece is in a temporary frame, soon to fly to its new home.
Concentric 7, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: concentric, interference, nfs, sold, watercolor
The Most Venomous Feminist
Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
The Most Venomous Feminist, 5″x7″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper
The title for Black Widow’s abstract comes from an Ice T song, “Big Gun,” which in turn is from Tank Girl. Badass superheroes all around!
The background on this one has some very subtle texture and sparkle to it, much like the weave of Natasha’s uniform. The iconic logo has been splattered in with a rather bloody red, a little messy but still the unmistakeable warning of the red hourglass.
This piece would make an excellent statement that your favorite Avenger takes no crap from anyone, and neither do you.
The Most Venomous Feminist, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the slightly glossy blood red in all is layered, drippy glory. Below, the painting is in a frame, ready to creep into its new home.
The Most Venomous Feminist, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: black widow, japanese watercolor, mcu, mcu abstracts, nfs, sold, watercolor
Hammer of the Gods
Sunday, September 8th, 2019
Hammer of the Gods, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper
Thor’s third movie really changed things for him as a character, and this art calls up the cinematic moment when he and his lightning come crashing down on his enemies to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” — which is also the source of the title.
The spreading tendrils of lightning at the bottom all but vanish until you tilt the page to the sun, and then it all lights up just like crashing down from the heavens.
Thunder not included.
Hammer of the Gods, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the bright shine of abstract lightning against the low-hanging clouds, forking out before it strikes the ground. Below, the power is contained in a frame, but for how long?
Hammer of the Gods, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: for sale, interference, iridescent, lightning, mcu, mcu abstracts, thor, watercolor
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