Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category
Fairytale Sky 2
Monday, September 3rd, 2012

Fairytale Sky 2 by Amy Crook
I liked the larger Fairytale Sky from a couple of weeks ago so much that I decided to try a smaller version with a slightly different focus. This one’s got clouds made of mysterious iridescent blue, with stars in silver and purple, and the moon itself done in a mix of silver and white with the dark side painted in in a slightly deeper black than the paper. I really like how the whole thing came out, dreamy and welcoming with just a hint of otherworldly mystery and shine.
Fairytale Sky, 6″x4″ iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper, nfs.

Fairytale Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Above you can see the art piece with my phone, even smaller than my usual and fitting neatly into its frame like a tiny window peeking out onto the night sky of some fairytale.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, iridescent, moon, nfs, watercolor
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Hello City
Friday, August 31st, 2012
This one’s a bit of an amalgamation of Insomnia City and Seven for a Secret, with the seven crows spiralling up into the endless sky above the funky city. The seventh crow up at the top is dim and distant, barely seen against the vast blue. The city itself is a purplish grey-black with a soft warm yellow glow. This piece would fit nicely into an 8″x10″ frame on a desk, cubicle wall, or in amongst the other art and photos in your home, don’t you think?
Hello City, 4″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Hello City, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the crows fading upward into the bright blue sky, growing harder to see as they become more distant. Below, I’ve temporarily tucked this piece into a frame to show you scale.

Hello City, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: blue, city, crow, for sale, sky, watercolor
Cassiopeia
Monday, August 27th, 2012

Cassiopeia by Amy Crook
I have been thinking I might want to do some more ordered skies, rather than just the random dots I usually paint, but to be honest when I look up at the stars I mostly see… random dots. Thanks to the power of Google, however, I’ve brought you Cassiopeia done up like a prog rock album cover from the ’70s complete with groovy, glittery calligraphy. Fortunately, I know someone who loves the colors, the constellation and prog rock, so they know what they’re getting for Christmas.
The perks of hanging out with an artist, right?
Cassiopeia, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs.

Cassiopeia, detail, by Amy Crook
There’s actually a fine layer of sparkly salt crystals mixed in with the iridescent red paint and the whiter glow of the moon on this, which you can only see in the sun from certain angles. This whole piece blends minimalism with bling in a way that amuses me greatly, so I’m glad it’s going to someone that’s already making grabbyhands at it.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, calligraphy, constellation, glitter gel pen, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, salt
Blue Moon 4
Friday, August 24th, 2012

Blue Moon 4 by Amy Crook
This piece took forever! Twelve weeks of little spirals in the interstices of my day, fifteen minutes here and an hour there, until finally, finally it’s done.
I really liked the texture pattern on the couch in B is for Baker Street, interior, and so I thought, wouldn’t that make a cool pattern for the night sky around this mysterious blue moon? I really need to learn to think before I start spiraling sometimes, though, because the difference between that wee couch and this big piece of paper was a lot of hours. So many hours. @_@
I actually really love the result, though, and I’ve got the piece on display in my studio until someone takes it home to decorate their own life.
Blue Moon 4, 8″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Blue Moon 4, framed art by Amy Crook
I’ve framed this beautiful piece and hung it on the wall above my writing desk.
Why yes, that is a Jack in the Box holiday-themed antenna ball, why do you ask?
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: all the spirals, blue moon, crosshatching, for sale, moon, pen and ink, spirals, watercolor
Fairytale Sky
Monday, August 20th, 2012

Fairytale Sky watercolor by Amy Crook
This piece exists in the intersection of realism and whimsy. It started with a white crescent moon that fades mysteriously to its dark side with a pitted, rocky texture. Then the cheerful periwinkle clouds spiral through the field of silver stars that shine out in the dark black of the paper. It’s an image that brings to mind the magic of bedtime stories and fairy tales, even the ones with happy endings.
Fairytale Sky, 10″x8″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper, nfs (sold).

Fairytale Sky, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the silver stars catching the light against the paper – Arches makes this soft black paper for printmaking, but I like it because the black is chemical rather than dyed, so it never fades from its original velvety charcoal color. Below, you can see how this painting might look on your desk, well, if you’ve got the kind of desk I do, anyway. It’s bigger than a lot of my skies, so it would also work well on a bedroom wall or above someone’s bed to help assure sweet dreams.

Fairytale Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairytale sky, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, nfs, periwinkle, silver
1 Comment »
Glitter Sketch Bookmark
Sunday, August 19th, 2012

Glitter Sketch
Bookmark
by Amy Crook
The final bookmark for this week is a silly little doodle made while I was testing out my various colors of glitter gel pen. On the blue-to-white faded background, we’ve got gold filigree, red flame spirals, a purple half of a spiraled crescent moon, more sketchy blue filigree, and swooping green arabesques, plus of course my silver signature. The paper has one natural edge where it came out of the paper mold, called a deckle, and three cut edges to set it off.
Glitter Sketch Bookmark, 1″x6″ glitter gel pen and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the light shining off the various colors of glitter – the green got a bit too much sunlight there. Below, the bright white of the paper takes the stage when it’s on the dark blue of this week’s book.

Glitter Sketch Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: arabesque, bookmark, glitter gel pen, nfs, sold, spirals, watercolor
Seven for a Secret
Friday, August 10th, 2012

Seven for a Secret, watercolor landscape by Amy Crook
One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for a girl and four for a boy,
Five for silver, six for gold,
And seven for a secret never to be told.
Seven for a Secret, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).

Seven for a Secret, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, the seven crows flying in the gloaming. Below, I slipped them into a temporary frame for scale, where they got to hang out in my desk with my iPhone for a bit.

Seven for a Secret, framed art by Amy Crook
- Title: Seven for a Secret
- 8 in. x 4 in. Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
- sold
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: crow, horizons, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
2 Comments »
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