Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category
Winter Sun
Wednesday, April 8th, 2015
Winter Sun by Amy Crook
It’s really hard to photograph and reproduce a blue this light, but I did give a better view to my darling patrons, who got to see how the painting grew its dormant winter trees a few weeks ago.
The pale blue skies of winter hold an equally wan sun shining above these barren boughs. Five trees stand together with branches like lacework, intricate fractals silhouetted against the afternoon sky. A few little birds have braved the cold, can you find all three?
Winter Sun, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Winter Sun, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see all the tiny detail in one little tree. Below, the painting waits in a frame for a spring that will never quite arrive.
Winter Sun, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: horizons, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tree, watercolor
Big Stars Little Stars
Tuesday, April 7th, 2015
Big Stars Little Stars, art by Amy Crook
I admit it, I love this painting. The stars are painted in interference blue, which shimmers with a pearlescent blue light when it’s in the sun, and the background has been given a subtle wash of dark purple over the black paper that adds a depth to the page that greatly pleases me. Despite the fact that they aren’t really part of a series, the painting this most reminds me of is Red Sky Firefly.
Every star, little or big, has a wobbly hand-painted halo of light around it, dozens of points of light twinkling in their tiny patch of void.
Where in your life could you use a shimmer of delight?
Big Stars Little Stars, 5″x5″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Big Stars Little Stars, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see just a hint of the deep reddish purple permeating the paper, adding interesting shadows to the glow of the interference blue that floats atop like stars in the void. Below, I’ve tucked it in a frame, a hint of alien sky just waiting to come live wherever you need it most.
Big Stars Little Stars, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, interference, nfs, sold, stars, watercolor
City of Lights
Monday, April 6th, 2015
City of Lights by Amy Crook
I found this bigger-than-a-bookmark scrap of paper among my things and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it.
This fantastical city glows with periwinkle starlight, the buildings limned in white from an unseen moon. The stars floating above have just the tiniest bit of shimmer to them, enhancing the buildings below rather than stealing their spotlight.
It’s a perfect little slice of urban night life, if you love cities, dark skies, and tiny things.
City of Lights, 8.5″x2.5″ Japanese and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
City of Lights, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the tiny buildings along this strange skyline, some of them echoing real places and some of them far more alien. Below, you can see the piece tucked into a temporary frame, small but quite the wide panoramic view.
City of Lights, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, interference, japanese watercolor, stars, watercolor
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon by Amy Crook
This painting is inspired by a line in a Teddy Geiger song, “The sun had fallen for the moon.” I brought it into the present tense to go with the sun’s adoring eyes, and the moon’s sweet blush. The sky is quite pale, the very end of sunset on a day without too many clouds, night just starting to lower its curtain and snuff out the glow of day.
The wobbly white brush calligraphy along the dark horizon adds to the sweetness of the scene, making it feel even more like a fairy tale. The sense of magic and romance fits well with the soft colors of the sky, blues and purples, oranges and golds.
Bring this little start of a story into your life, and spend as long as you like figuring out how their tale ends. The sun has fallen for the moon… but what happens next?
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the moon’s shining face, her soft features and the most delicate of blue blushes on her round cheeks. Below, the piece is in a temporary frame, but I think would look best with a custom mat to set off the colors.
The Sun Has Fallen for the Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: moon, nfs, sold, sunset, watercolor
Core Freedom
Monday, February 23rd, 2015
Core Freedom by Amy Crook for Jo Van Every
Another commission done, this one a new addition to my Horizons series. This one is entirely watercolour, even the raptor circling above in the clear blue sky. Jo had this to say about her newest acquisition:
Since moving out to a rural area and acquiring dogs, I walk through woods and fields daily. I’ve been paying attention to subtle differences in colour as the seasons change. I can identify several tree species by shape in winter. I am more aware of the subtle differences in bark colour and leaf colour, especially in spring. I also notice the change in the colour of the sky depending on season and humidity. Amy’s paintings of bare trees and crows resonate with this landscape that I observe daily. She painted another painting of autumn trees with a moodier, cloudy sky. While I liked that one, the orange leaves against a blue sky speaks to me much more clearly and Amy was happy to paint one just for me.
Core Freedom, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: all rights reserved, bird, commission, horizons, raptor, tree, watercolor
Windswept 2
Thursday, February 5th, 2015
Windswept 2 by Amy Crook
Stormy skies give the color scheme of Autumn to this second Windswept watercolor. There’s a lone figure at the bottom trudging past the trees, leaning into the wind, just trying to get where they’re going.
If only they’d look up, they might see the color all around them, but sometimes we get so focused on our journey we forget to see the world we’re traveling through.
On the other hand, windblown leaf bits in your eyes suck, so I don’t really blame them.
Sometimes, life is like that.
Windswept 2, 8″x4″ watercolor and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Windswept 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the tiny grey figure struggling against the wind with the storm-tossed trees all around. Below, you can see the painting in a temporary frame, just waiting to bring its vibrant colors into your home.
Windswept 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: horizons, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
Dreamlands 2
Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
Dreamlands 2 by Amy Crook
I’ve gone in a different, much more Seussian direction in my second Dreamlands painting. Bright colors and strange, off-kilter shapes give this painting a whimsy that feels like it’s straight out of a child’s dream of the big city.
There’s a tree full of apartments, a house made of houses, and a shining beacon atop a cross between a cactus and the Gherkin building. I can’t decide what I like best, the cheerful yellow windows, the shimmering stars above, or the overall feeling of warmth and welcome.
When I look at this painting, I think of Gonzo singing, “I’ve never been there, but I know the way. I’m going to go back there someday.”
Dreamlands 2, 7″X5″ Japanese and metallic watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Dreamlands 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see some of the buildings up close, including the tower of houses and the looming dome behind it. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting to bring its strange, whimsical dreams into your life.
Dreamlands 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: city, Dr. Seuss, dreamlands, for sale, japanese watercolor, metallic, moon
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