Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category
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
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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 »
Green Cheese Moon
Monday, August 6th, 2012
Green Cheese Moon watercolor by Amy Crook
I imagine the three groups of colored stars are constellations of some sort, clustered near the mysterious moon. The color and texture reminds me of the veining in good cheese, and so obviously this moon is made of green cheese.
I’d intended to add in some extra decorative elements, but it was so lovely the way it is I decided to stop there. Knowing when you’re done can be the hard part, some days.
Green Cheese Moon, 10″x8″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Green Cheese Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see one of the constellations curving in a periwinkle line around the edge of the green planet. Below, you can see the whole thing tucked into a glassless frame.
Green Cheese Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, for sale, green, japanese watercolor, moon, salt
The Stars Are Right 3
Friday, August 3rd, 2012
The Stars Are Right 3 by Amy Crook
This time the connection to Monday’s art is, I hope, very clear indeed. This piece is larger, with the space around the unfortunately doomed planet littered with stars in mysterious configurations. Some of the groups are brilliantly yellow or green in hue to suggest constellations, what do you see in the stars?
I had fun repeating my mad alphabet in a much more subtle manner on the planet’s surface, running shimmering green runes over and around the shapes beneath.
The Stars Are Right 3, 10″x8″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
The Stars Are Right 3, work in progress by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sun shining off the future constellations and the swirls of toxic green in each little bubble of salt water, as well as the pool of color that will dry into the mysterious texture of the planet’s surface. Below, a view of the same constellation after everything, including a close-up of some of the runes. I like to think of this little succession of green dots as “The Tentacle,” personally.
The Stars Are Right 3, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Next, I’ve photographed the planet in the sunlight so you can see how the runes flare to life when they’re properly lit. The Tentacle lurks in the shot once again, ominous and ever-present.
The Stars Are Right 3, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I’ve taken a photo with my iPhone so you can see how much bigger this piece is, a fitting decoration for any office wall or living room. Perhaps not the bedroom, though, I make no promises about what dreams it might bring.
The Stars Are Right 3, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, cthulhu, for sale, glitter gel pen, japanese watercolor, planet, salt, stars, stars are right
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