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

What You See

Monday, August 9th, 2010

What You See by Amy Crook

What You See by Amy Crook

This etching plate was cut from a larger “found” plate. When I found the abandoned piece, this particular image jumped out at me, so when I cut the plate into smaller pieces, I saved this one out. It’s printed onto a piece of handmade paper with little strands of human hair (a lock cut from a classmate, iirc). The paper has gorgeous natural edges, and would look great floated on a black matte and framed, though right now it’s just loose.

I feel like it would be giving something away to tell you what I see when I look at the piece, instead of letting you find your own images. I will say that there’s an element of anima, of the manitou, in it for me. What do you see?

What You See, detail, by Amy Crook

What You See, detail, by Amy Crook

What You See, 2″x2″ etching on 6″x9″ handmade paper, $349 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art
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Crux Ansata

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Crux Ansata by Amy Crook

Crux Ansata by Amy Crook - click for larger view

Crux Ansata means ‘handled cross’ and is another name for the Egyptian Ankh. There are a lot of pop culture meanings assigned to the ankh, and this particular version with the more standard cross buried inside is one often associated with the Goth subculture and vampires in particular.

This print was created by layering print after print, running the paper through the press several times and then finally painting with ink directly onto the page. First a sheet of handmade paper was used to create the swirling blue-green background texture. Then the ankh itself was applied as a monoprint but using the thicker oil-based etching inks, which were also used to ink the red found-object etching plate with its deeply etched random splatters. The other field of red is also a monoprint, which means this page went through the printing press 4 times total. Finally, the gold etching ink that glows in the lower right-hand corner and limns the ankh itself was applied by hand directly to the paper with a paintbrush.

The whole piece is quite large, on a thick sheet of watercolor paper. It’s 30″x22″, or 2.5 feet wide and nearly 2 feet tall. The first layer of blue-green-grey swirls always reminds me of some sort of spirit, and the glow of golden yellow in the corner and around the ankh the life-energy that the ankh is often thought to symbolize. Blood red anchors the piece in the flesh and gives the whole thing a Gothic edge, though the overall effect is hopeful.

Crux Ansata, 30″x22″ monoprint on watercolor paper, $699 with free shipping.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Weeble Cthulhu

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Weeble Cthulhu by Amy Crook

Weeble Cthulhu by Amy Crook

As promised, I’m reposting Weeble Cthulhu from earlier this year so he’s hiding in amongst my daily art for those seeking out my (so far rather small) series of Lovecraftian weebles. He’s got his pet Shoggoth with him with his bowl of cultist snacks and everything.

I made a greeting card out of him for Valentine’s Day that said, “Cthulhu wanted to give you a heart, but they were all too small and squishy.” They sold so well I took off the “Happy Valentine’s Day” and have left them up on the shop ever since.

Weeble Cthulhu, 4″x6″ pen and ink and Copic markers on a watercolor postcard.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Weeble Wednesday: The Innsmouth Look

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

The Innsmouth Look by Amy Crook

The Innsmouth Look by Amy Crook

It’s beginning to look a lot like Fishmen! I’ve decided to do a whole series of Weeble Mythos creatures, to go with Weeble Cthulhu with his Shoggoth — who apparently I posted as a wallpaper but never gave their own post, oops. Sunday, maybe!

Lovecraft’s classic story Shadows Over Innsmouth has inspired a lot of art, writing and video since, and this is my interpretation of the creepy Deep One who’s nearly through with his transformation. I’ve been thinking of putting him on a card or print (he’s currently trapped in a sketchbook so his original isn’t for sale), what do you think?

I’m thinking perhaps Father Dagon & Mother Hydra next, or perhaps Hastur.

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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7 Chakras

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

7 Chakras by Amy Crook

7 Chakras by Amy Crook

This is a much larger piece than the monoprints I’ve been posting up until now, and my terrible photography is unfortunately one of the reasons I’ve been putting off posting them. The page comes out much more buff-colored than the reality, which is the soft cream of heavy watercolor paper.

This is the third of my monoprints featuring chakras, and by far the largest. When I printed it the colors ran, so that the top image came out clear, and the lower chakras were blurred into each other and their colored backgrounds. You can see them more clearly in the detail images below, and you can always click on any image to see the larger version.

7 Chakras, 11″x30″ monoprint on watercolor paper, $399 with free shipping.

This one-of-a-kind print is on a single sheet of thick, archival watercolor paper, and will need to be framed or matted to be suitable for display. I’m happy to help you out with that for a small additional fee.

Want a payment plan? You can do 4 automatic monthly payments of $100 if you’d like — I’ll ship your art as soon as I get the last payment.

7 Chakras, detail 1, by Amy Crook

7 Chakras, detail 1, by Amy Crook

The plates on this page are all 3″ wide, while the page itself is 11″, and the whole piece is 30″ long (2.5 feet!). I’ll probably ship it rolled, unless you choose to have it framed.

7 Chakras, detail 2, by Amy Crook

7 Chakras, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books
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Second and Seventh

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Second and Seventh, detail, by Amy Crook

Second and Seventh, detail, by Amy Crook

This monoprint is another one in a series I did featuring the chakras, in this case showing a man reaching up for the Seventh chakra, enlightenment, while being held down by his very active Second chakra. He strives to rise above while his base physical being keeps him down to earth, so his goal seems to him to be out of reach, as if on another plane entirely. On the other hand, his connection to the ground is also very fuzzy, his feet lost in the fog as he puts all his energy toward his goal and none of it toward his real life.

There’s something compelling to me about the pull between physical and spiritual for many of us, and the disconnect that forms as a result.

Second and Seventh, 8″x11″ monoprint on watercolor paper.

Second and Seventh by Amy Crook

Second and Seventh by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces
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Fallen

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Fallen, top view, by Amy Crook

Fallen, approx. 11″x4″x1.25″ bronze sculpture

I have a whole series of little nude people in singles and pairs, several of which I’ve already sold over the years. Unfortunately this is one instance where my terrible photography skills come into play, since it’s hard for me to capture the nuances of texture and color in these pieces. They were all created in a soft, malleable wax and then cast in bronze using a method that destroys the original, so they’re one of a kind. The color comes from a chemical patina that has slowly developed with age. All of the figures in this series are in the same scale, though many of them have a rather more adult theme — I’m starting tame.

This particular figure always reminded me of a fallen angel, and though I had several ideas for adding wings over the years, I ended up liking him as is. He’s designed to lay on his face on a flat surface, but you can see the front of the figure is fully detailed, below, except for the actual faces, which I left eerily blank. I keep him displayed on a black surface under my glass coffee table, a subtle surprise for anyone who notices it. Not that I have a lot of people over, heh.

Fallen, bottom view, by Amy Crook

Fallen, bottom view, by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Nudes and Other Sexy Things, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books
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