Archive for the ‘Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths’ Category

The Stars Are Right 3

Friday, August 3rd, 2012

The Stars Are Right 3 by Amy Crook

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

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

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

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

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
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Tentacle Deeps 40

Tuesday, July 31st, 2012

Tentacle Deeps 40 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 40 by Amy Crook

These oil paint tentacles were dry brushed onto their canvas so they’d look smokey and insubstantial, the curls deliberately imitating smoke near the tips as they fade into nothingness. The one on the right that’s all curled around makes me think of smoke rings!

Tentacle Deeps 40, 12″x12″ oil paint on gallery-wrapped canvas.

Tentacle Deeps 40, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 40, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see the tentacles at a different angle, catching more of the clear blue afternoon sunlight. I don’t have a framed shot because this piece is finished on the edges and ready to hang without one, and it’s not dry enough yet to set up with my iPhone.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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The Stars Are Right 2

Monday, July 30th, 2012

The Stars Are Right 2 by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2 by Amy Crook

I went to a whole bunch of galleries a while ago, and one of them had these great pieces in them that looked like decaying pages of ancient texts, written in incomprehensible languages. My brain, of course, immediately went to the Cthulhu Mythos, and I thought how cool would it be to put the strange text in the stars instead. I put lines around my salt constellation to show how right the stars have become, and wended the alien language through and around both the planet and constellation. I think perhaps this is how the world would look if Cthulhu did rise above the waves, a single mass of green-slimed water dotted with the cities of the dead.

The Stars Are Right 2, 7″x5″ salt, Japanese watercolor and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above you can see a close-up of the salt crystals on the planet, their quieter glimmer outshone by the silver glitter of the strange ancient language. Below, the fateful constellation nestles among the incomprehensible words, spelling out doom for those who know how to read the stars.

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally you can see the piece in its frame. Although it’s very different than the original The Stars Are Right from last year, I felt like the name was just too obvious to ignore.

The Stars Are Right 2, framed art by Amy Crook

The Stars Are Right 2, 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
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Tentacle Deeps 39

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Tentacle Deeps 39 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 39 by Amy Crook

Golden sunlight filters into the murky deeps, while iridescent, ghostly green tentacles slither upward, reaching for the surface. The tentacles nearly vanish from some angles, but they’re bright as gilt when they catch the light, in a cool, shining green.

Tentacle Deeps 39, 6″x6″ Japanese watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper with pen & ink signature.

Tentacle Deeps 39, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 39, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the light shining off the tentacles against the velvety green-black of the background. Below, you can see it temporarily tucked into an 8″x10″ frame, waiting its final destination.

Tentacle Deeps 39, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 39, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Lone Tentacle

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012

Lone Tentacle by Amy Crook

Lone Tentacle by Amy Crook

This dark, intense bluish-violet wash was just asking for tentacles, but after I’d scribbled in the first one it seemed like that was really enough. I just really like something about the way the single, lone tentacle reaches upward toward the light, silhouetted against the violet depths.

Lone Tentacle, 6″x6″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Lone Tentacle, detail, by Amy Crook

Lone Tentacle, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shading detail on the tentacle, the textures of paper and paint that give the piece a murky, atmospheric feel. I liked this shot so much, I’m using it as a wallpaper, in fact. Below, you can see it temporarily tucked into a 8″x10″ frame, hanging out with my iPhone for scale.

Lone Tentacle, framed, by Amy Crook

Lone Tentacle, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Tentacles
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Tentacle Deeps 38

Tuesday, July 10th, 2012

Tentacle Deeps 38 by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 38 by Amy Crook

This is another of those paintings that started as an idle wash with my water brush and grew tentacles. I’m so in love with those, though I haven’t given up the normal brushes entirely. Like any new technique, I’ll use it a while and then go back to using a wider variety of stuff — or go on to the next shiny new thing.

This painting has a graceful hand of tentacles, five long tendrils like the fingers of some under-bed monster reaching up to get you tonight.

Sleep well.

Tentacle Deeps 38, 5″x7″ Japanese watercolor on Strathmore paper.

Tentacle Deeps 38, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 38, detail, by Amy Crook

There’s a certain range of blue-green colors that give my monitor a hissyfit trying to reproduce, and this painting is right in the middle of it. The scan is probably the most color accurate, though I enjoy the blue cast the tentacles get in the above detail photo. Below you can see it framed and ready to find its way into your house. Though possibly not the bedroom, just to be safe.

Tentacle Deeps 38, framed art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Deeps 38, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
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Tentacle Spiral 3

Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012

Tentacle Spiral 3, original art by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 3, original art by Amy Crook

I used red-brown at one corner and yellow ochre at the other to make an earthy, warm wash, and then it sat around for a while while I wasn’t sure what to do with it. But when in doubt, I always turn to tentacles, and so I’ve added a third painting to the series. I rather like the effect of the lunar black tentacles on the powdery-matte Japanese watercolor background, with the warm glow coming through them.

Tentacle Spiral 3, watercolor on paper.

Tentacle Spiral 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see a close-up of the tentacles, and the textures of paper and paint together. I’ve made the detail photo into a computer wallpaper, this one’s less widescreen than yesterday’s for those of you with more square monitors. Below, I’ve put the painting in a frame so you can see how it might look, tucked in a frame on a shelf or perhaps a little piece of wall somewhere, adding tentacles to your home or office.

Tentacle Spiral 3, framed, by Amy Crook

Tentacle Spiral 3, framed, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers, Series and Books
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