Archive for the ‘Flowers, Trees and Landscapes’ Category
Thistledown
Thursday, May 31st, 2012
Thistledown, watercolor by Amy Crook, $169
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with this once I painted in the sky and the grass, but then the idea of thistles came into my head. I like the way the little sneaky bubbles in the grass echo the centers on the flowers, and of course these are the sort of thistles that stare at you. But don’t worry, I’m sure they’re thinking totally harmless flower-thoughts while they do. They’re not thinking about how they outnumber you at all.
Really.
Thistledown, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper, $169 with free shipping.
I slipped the piece into an 8″x10″ frame so you could get a sense of the scale, and of course I’d be happy to more permanently frame it for you for a small additional fee. Just drop me a line!
Thistledown, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: flowers, for sale, things that stare at you, watercolor
Galaxies
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Galaxies, abstract art by Amy Crook
From some angles the background of this piece looks as black as the space between galaxies, or at least as black as the paper it’s painted on. Shift it just a little though, and a liberal dusting of silver stars sparkles up in the blackness, making the whole piece shimmer. The iridescent green paint, opaque blue and glittering salt form mysterious shapes floating in the black, broken spirals and strange pools of color.
I was just playing when I made the spirals, wanting some different shapes and enjoying the bigger page, which was more forgiving of the lack of precision from the salt water solution. It sat around for a few weeks after it dried while I decided what to do with it, and in the end I decided a subtle dusting of silver paint would best set off the shapes. I ended up brushing most of the silver particles back off the page, which makes the whole effect much more subtly supporting instead of overwhelming.
Galaxies, 10″x8″ salt and watercolor on paper.
Galaxies, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the golden afternoon light reflecting off the salt and paint in this particular spiral formation. Below, the strange little frost that formed where the water flowed off the edge and then soaked into the corner of the paper.
Galaxies, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And of course I’ve taken a photo with frame, desk and iPhone, to give you an idea of how big it is in real life.
Galaxies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, blue, iridescent, nfs, salt, silver, watercolor
Silver Moon
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Silver Moon, watercolor by Amy Crook
It’s been a while since I gave you a new moon for Monday, so I thought it was about time. I did the salt pools for this one in a variety of sizes, using the clear salt water I made so even the smallest droplet left some salt behind when it dried. I used some powdered silver watercolor I have on hand to create a lovely colorless sky this time, with halos around the biggest star and an outward-fading spiral for the moon.
The reason I talk about the process so much is that’s what I’m mostly thinking about as I work, trying to get the effect I want out of the materials I’m using. I thinned out the silver paint to a specific thickness for the outer two circles on the moon, wanting there to be a delineation between the moon itself and the light that shines from it the way there is with the stars. I went for one big spiral this time because it seemed to fit with the rest, even though the star field is more complicated than in some similar pieces.
I try not to overthink these decisions as I’m making them, because the pieces work best when they’re not too fussy, with swooping paint strokes and not-quite-random scatterings of salt.
Silver Moon, 6″x4″ salt and watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Silver Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the light reflecting off the silver paint where it’s most opaque, as well as highlighting the smaller, un-haloed stars in the black. Below, the piece is framed and sitting next to my trusty iPhone for scale.
Silver Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, for sale, moon, salt, silver, watercolor
Baker Street Tinies: B is for Baker Street, exterior
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
Baker Street Tinies: B is for Baker Street, exterior, drawing by Amy Crook
Today’s and tomorrow’s art are the newest in my Baker Street Tinies series, which combines the world of the recent Sherlock series from the BBC with the worlds and aesthetics of Edward Gorey.
Like the previous four, these were commissioned, so the originals are already sold and mailed off to their new owners. Nicole and Mo wanted to celebrate their own love and their love of Sherlock Holmes with tattoos, and so we created a unique Gorey-ish vision of 221b Baker Street for each of them. You can’t have the originals, but you can get the designs on greeting cards at Etsy!
This exterior shot is only somewhat faithful to the series — 221b itself has many of the features of Baker Street in the tv show, but the rest of the buildings are fanciful re-imaginings. You can see a shadow of a certain detective in the window of 221b, talking to the skull sitting atop a pile of books in the other window. Someone seems to have left their umbrella outside, but they can catch one of London’s famous black cabs if it rains. There’s even a binary joke hiding in the windows of the middle building.
My personal favorite is the fourth building, which just looks so very sad and shocked at what goes on in its neighborhood.
“Amy was an absolute pleasure to work with. She asked great questions to get at what we wanted out of the artwork, sent us drafts along the way, and worked with us to shape a final product that is absolutely stunning. She went above and beyond to see that the final product fit our needs, and we had a great experience all around.”
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 221b baker street, baker street tinies, edward gorey, etsy, nfs, pen and ink, sherlock, sold
Horton’s Field
Monday, April 16th, 2012
Horton's Field, watercolor by Amy Crook
When I first created this background, there were these water spots of yellow in the midst of the zoisite green fog that reminded me of a cluster of Seussian flowers. I went back in with diluted white to highlight those little spots, and then put in ground and stems and a tree that all stuck to that original Dr. Seuss aesthetic. I actually put the tree in last, because the big open golden sky above the flowers seemed to dwarf them, where the tree shelters without taking over.
Horton’s Field, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Horton's Field, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see a detail photo of some of the flowers, and the grey-green fog of zoisite they’re trying so very hard to cheerfully peek through. Below, you can see the way it looks framed, adding some bright sunshine yellow to my desk.
Horton's Field, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: Dr. Seuss, green, nfs, sold, watercolor, yellow
Blue Moon 2
Monday, April 2nd, 2012
Blue Moon 2, abstract art by Amy Crook
Even though this piece shares a name and some materials with my first Blue Moon, that’s about all they have in common. The blues in this are all muted except for the vivid French Ultramarine moon itself, and even the little halos of iridescent paint became quite subtle painted wet-in-wet.
I made the 7 stars the usual way with paint and salt and water, but the moon was part of my newest experiment where I put paint into some water I had already saturated with as much salt as I could boil into it. Pretty much all of this week’s art was made with this technique, for some fascinating results. Sparkly ones!
Blue Moon 2, 5″x5.25″ salt and watercolor on watercolor paper.
Blue Moon 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook
You can see little particles of the iridescent paint around the borders of the halo, and I thought the shot of the moon itself came out so well I made a wallpaper for you. Yes, you.
Below, you can see the lightning-like formations around the edges of some of the pools, and the way I brushed the outer rim of the salt pools with the blue-black paint, which sinks into the crevices and gives it deep shadows.
Blue Moon 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Since this one isn’t quite square, I haven’t framed it yet, but it’ll get its lovely black frame before it goes to live in its new home.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books
Tags: black, blue, blue moon, for sale, moon, salt, watercolor
Forest Dragon
Monday, March 26th, 2012
Forest Dragon by Amy Crook, all rights reserved
I swear, this commission took all the time in the world, but I will admit I’m happy with the results. I was pretty sure I would be once I got it past the ass point, but you never really know until it’s all done. Molly is very happy indeed, and I hope she gets well soon so she can come collect it!
“All I had was the idea of a dragon in a forest and I was so lucky to have Amy bring what I really had in mind to life. And with the snap shots of the progress along the way I got to be more and more excited by the final result. The details of the scales are my favorite part.”
Forest Dragon, 24″x18″ oil paint on canvas, nfs (commission).
I’ve taken a bunch of detail shots for you, just so you can appreciate the awesomeness.
Forest Dragon, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the sun shining through the Dragon’s spines and onto the texture, iridescent scales. Below, another shot of sunlight, this time streaming through the trees and making the leaves appear translucent.
Forest Dragon, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Sunlight and shiny things are a bit of a theme, which is apropos for a dragon, I think.
Forest Dragon, detail 3, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the wings, which are translucent and let the trees behind them show faintly through, as well as the dragon’s ridges. Below, an oblique close-up of the tail so you can see the physical texture of the scales, and the more visual texture on the hoard of gold.
Forest Dragon, detail 4, by Amy Crook
If you’re considering a commission of your own, email me! I’ve got a few things in the queue already, but I’d be happy to talk about putting your painting next in line.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: all rights reserved, commission, dragon, iridescent, nfs, oil paint, oil painting, tree
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