Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category

Spring Dusk

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Spring Dusk, original art by Amy Crook

Spring Dusk, 6″x6″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Bright orange butterflies dance through the spring like living blossoms, going past a tree just starting to bud. New leaves shine bright green against the violet of falling dusk, and the last vestiges of sunset glow golden at the horizon.

Winter trees, autumn trees, and now a lovely spring tree helps to round out the seasons in my Horizons series.

Which season is your favorite?

Spring Dusk, detail, by Amy Crook

Spring Dusk, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the new leaf green against the black branches and violet dusk, with a single butterfly fluttering into the frame. Below, the tree stands proud in its frame, ready to bring a touch of spring to any room.

Spring Dusk, framed art by Amy Crook

Spring Dusk, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Never to Be Told

Friday, July 8th, 2016

Never to Be Told by Amy Crook

Never to Be Told, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

The dull orange glow coming off this rusted, smoking ruin is a lovely, warm color that somehow still embodies the apocalyptic feel of it. It’s a color you only see in the sky when things have not gone according to plan.

The crows circling above the city are the final harbingers of doom, that sign that civilization has left and there’s nothing left but whatever the crows can pick over.

It sounds like the start of a fascinating story, doesn’t it?

Never to Be Told, detail, by Amy Crook

Never to Be Told, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a single bird circling above the ruins, blackened beams and smoke-smudged skies. Below, this mournful scene is framed for posterity, waiting to spark new tales and inspire post-apocalyptic ideas.

Never to Be Told, framed art by Amy Crook

Never to Be Told, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Twisted Maple

Wednesday, July 6th, 2016

Twisted Maple by Amy Crook

Twisted Maple, 8″x4″ pen & ink and Primatek watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Have a dose of the rain that California is still terribly in need of!

This tree has the twists and turns of a maze, the fat, short trunk splitting off into pathways and branches full of gnarls and bends.

The black seems dense at first but at second look there are subtle textures of bark adding dimension and shape, contrasting beautifully with the rainy sky behind it.

Twisted Maple, detail, by Amy Crook

Twisted Maple, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the hints of bark texture hiding in the black ink silhouette. Below, the painting rests in a temporary frame, just waiting to bring a breath of crisp autumn into your hot summer days.

Twisted Maple, framed art by Amy Crook

Twisted Maple, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Goldilocks

Thursday, June 23rd, 2016

Goldilocks, watercolor by Amy Crook

Goldilocks, 8″x10″ watercolor on watercolor paper

The collector that bought Mercy House thought it had a Three Bears feel to it, and asked for a Goldilocks commission to go with it. It has the same feeling of abstract greenery, but shot through this time with light instead of darkness, the gold of the girl’s hair bouncing around her in sunlight among the leaves as she strolls through the forest. Everything has a soft, surreal feeling to it, suitable to this classic fairy tale.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
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Palimpsest

Tuesday, June 14th, 2016

Palimpsest, word art by Amy Crook

Palimpsest: something reused or altered but still bearing traces of its earlier form,
7″x5″ pen & ink and Sharpie marker on recycled artwork

This week’s word art is a request from Kim, one of my lovely Patreon supporters. As soon as I saw her request, I actually went and washed an old piece of art I wasn’t happy with, getting most of the paint off but leaving the ghostly blue world behind. Paper doesn’t recycle quite as well as parchment, but there wasn’t too much blurring with the strong Sharpie marker, though you can see some in the green vines on the upper left there.

If you’d like to see your own favourite word reinterpreted, consider becoming a patron! For a mere $5 you could get your request fulfilled.

Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Pretty Words, Series and Books
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Cloud Skimming 2

Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

Cloud Skimming 2 by Amy Crook

Cloud Skimming 2, 6″x6″ Primatek and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Believe it or not, the beautiful blue-to-gold shimmering paint in these clouds is the same one that provides the gorgeous green in Marble Pathways. The angle and quality of light combines with the paint below to give it a range of beautiful shining colors.

The three crows skim the clouds above and below with their dark wings, stirring the pale mist with their black feathers. The sun glows in the sky behind them, bringing violet dusk as it leaves in a fiery display of light.

Cloud Skimming 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Cloud Skimming 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the gold-to-blue color shift in the shimmering clouds. Below, those same shining spirals have almost vanished as the frame is angled away from the sun.

Cloud Skimming 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Cloud Skimming 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Mineral City

Monday, June 6th, 2016

Mineral City by Amy Crook

Mineral City, 8″x4″ Primatek watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

This deep green City exists in the liminal space between the orange sky and the golden glow along the horizon. The contrast of earthy warm orange and deep teal is one we see a lot in movies these days, presented in its simplest form.

This would make a fascinating tattoo, wrapping a green city around a bicep or ankle, with buildings that move and flex and sway with the movements of the wearer.

Where in your life do you need a city of strange, organic buildings against the warm glow of a new day?

Mineral City, detail, by Amy Crook

Mineral City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the delicate brushwork and fantastic shapes that make up this strange city. Below, the city is in a temporary frame, waiting to find its perfect niche.

Mineral City, framed art by Amy Crook

Mineral City, framed art by Amy Crook

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