Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category

Ruination

Thursday, October 4th, 2018

Ruination by Amy Crook, a muted watercolor painting of smoking ruins against a pale sky full of carrion birds

Ruination, 12″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Delicate smoke rises up from these ruins, buildings ranging from whole to merely rubble but all showing evidence of some cataclysm.

Each structure has its own unique character, from the delicately cracked tower to the leaning high-rise with its side shattered by whatever disaster came to call.

Painted with a limited palette of just three colors, the subtle mix of blue, rust, and grey make a gorgeous, atmospheric homage to ruination.

Ruination, detail, by Amy Crook

Ruination, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the tiny details of windows and doors, smoke and rubble and ruins. Below, the painting is floating in its temporary frame, waiting for its final resting place.

Ruination, framed art by Amy Crook

Ruination, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Whimsical Doldrums 2

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018

Whimsical Doldrums 2 by Amy Crook, loose ink-brushed buildings smudged with color under a grey-blue rain

Whimsical Doldrums 2, 10″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

These particular doldrums have a bit more color and less stormy skies than the last set, but never fear, there’s still a secret cat.

The heavens rain down on this strange city full of everything from crystal towers to wobbling skyscrapers, a motley of unusual architecture just waiting to bring a smile to your space.

Where would you hang this to turn someone’s frown upside down?

Whimsical Doldrums 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Whimsical Doldrums 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a few of the buildings up close, their loose ink and soft washes of color bringing delight to the gloom. Below, the painting waits in a frame, hoping for a forever home to grace with its fanciful ways.

Whimsical Doldrums 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Whimsical Doldrums 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Harvest Moon 6

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

Harvest Moon 6 by Amy Crook, 3 sandhill cranes in silhouette against a golden full moon

Harvest Moon 6, 5″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Three sandhill cranes are flying across this minuscule moon, golden-yellow and full like a proper autumn moon should be.

After June’s Harvest Moon painting, a patron suggested I try another on black paper instead of white. It’s a very different process, and the results have a darker, more solid quality.

The stars have a little shine to them, a hint of gold to add sparkle. The cranes have a little complexity in their color, both from the Payne’s grey and the way the thick, opaque Japanese paints mix into the top layer.

Harvest Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the cranes and the textural surface of the moon. Below, the painting is in a frame, waiting to fly to its new home.

Harvest Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Cloud Cover

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018

Cloud Cover by Amy Crook, an ink-painted winter tree against a cloudy blue-grey sky with two crows

Cloud Cover, 8″x10″ ink and watercolor on artboard

A sky filled with clouds, covered from horizon to infinity with smudging swirls of blue-grey in an endless cover. A skeletal tree rises up against it, the details fine as lace. Branches tangle and twist, while a black bird comes to rest, wings a blur of motion, and another flies close.

A lot of this month’s paintings are dichromatic, ink on paint, a mix of a beautiful, nearly abstract background with a black-painted foreground. This one is made of a dark, opaque ink that holds texture and gives a sense of dimension as well as the simplicity of silhouette.

Cloud Cover, detail, by Amy Crook

Cloud Cover, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the textures of ink, board, and paint weaving together to make a beautiful tree. Below, the painting is in its temporary frame, like a window into a piece of autumn.

Cloud Cover, framed art by Amy Crook

Cloud Cover, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Invisible Sun

Monday, August 6th, 2018

Invisible Sun by Amy Crook, a futuristic city skyline in ruins

Invisible Sun, 6″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Through the haze of smoke and destruction, a sun faintly glows with the softest sheen of gold. Below, fantastic buildings are shattered, battered, burnt, and broken.

Another set of painted ruins joins the series of apocalyptic visions. This one is small, the size of a postcard. The sky is the color of sunset on a day full of pollution in the city, smog that dulls vision and steals the color and life from the landscape.

The title is, of course, from a song by The Police.

Invisible Sun, detail, by Amy Crook

Invisible Sun, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the smoking city up close, its futuristic shapes shattered and ruined. Below, the piece is in its frame, small in size but powerful in scope.

Invisible Sun, framed art by Amy Crook

Invisible Sun, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Blood Moon 9

Friday, August 3rd, 2018

Blood Moon 9 by Amy Crook, 3 bats flying against a red full moon on a violet sky with gold stars

Blood Moon 9, 10″x8″ watercolor on Arches cover white paper

Friday, July 27th was a blood moon for parts of the world that could see the eclipse, so this painting is in honor of that momentous occasion.

The sky is a gorgeous red-violet, deep but not dull, with rich gold stars glittering out of the page. The moon glows with subtle shimmers as well, and three bats fly across, the ruddy light shining through their wing membranes.

The framed photo perhaps best captures the warmth of the colors in this mercurial painting, the layered paint making it different from every angle. Far from being cold, the night is alive with magic and mystery, just waiting for you to join in.

Blood Moon 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you an see the three tiny bats and the delicate transparency of their wing membranes. Below, the bats are in a frame, fluttering in anticipation of their new home.

Blood Moon 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Whimsical Doldrums

Thursday, August 2nd, 2018

Whimsical Doldrums by Amy Crook, panorama of a bichromatic fantasy city under curlicue rainclouds, ink and watercolor on paper

Whimsical Doldrums, 18″x6″ ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

This particular city skyline has a very specific sort of aesthetic, grim yet filled with delight. From the curlicue clouds to the building that’s a cat, there’s whimsy to go along with the gloom.

The painting is a true panorama, covering a swathe of buildings huddled close against the rain, their outlines loose and details smudged with rainfall.

Where would this whimsical oddity fit into your life?

Whimsical Doldrums, detail, by Amy Crook

Whimsical Doldrums, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of some of the buildings in all their grimly delightful glory. Below, this panoramic piece spans the whole writing desk, even without a frame to contain it.

Whimsical Doldrums by Amy Crook

Whimsical Doldrums by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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