Archive for the ‘Sea Creatures and Other Animals’ Category
Murder at Sunset
Friday, November 7th, 2014
Murder at Sunset by Amy Crook
A single tree hosts a murder of crows as the sun sinks below the horizon, painting the clouds in glorious golds, oranges, and reds. This latest installment in my Horizons series has a charming simplicity with the single, crooked tree, but a lovely complexity of layered clouds hiding behind it.
Murder at Sunset, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Murder at Sunset, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the seven crows coming to roost for their murder, whether in collusion or merely coincidence. Below, I’ve put the painting in a temporary frame, though I think this one would benefit from a mat cut to size for its final resting place.
Murder at Sunset, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crows, horizons, murder of crows, nfs, pen and ink, sold, sunset, tree, watercolor
Winter Lane
Wednesday, November 5th, 2014
Winter Lane by Amy Crook
I turned my trees on their side (pun intended) and did a vertical one this time, with those upward-sweeping branches tangling up in your vision as they reach for the sky above. You can practically feel the winter crispness of the day, and just spot a pair of crows (two for joy, two for luck) hiding in the branches.
Winter Lane, 4″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Winter Lane, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the purple in the shadows, the golden glow along the horizon, and the texture hiding in the silhouetted trees. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, waiting for its new forever home.
Winter Lane, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: crows, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tree, watercolor
Dreamlands
Monday, November 3rd, 2014
Dreamlands by Amy Crook
Pink jellyfish float serenely over a translucent city in shadowy greens, everything looking half-real against the sky of blue with hints of periwinkle and lavender. Deadly tendrils caress the tops of the buildings, or perhaps pass right through them, and the buildings tilt along with the horizon, like something in a dream.
I’m sure it surprises nobody that the Dreamlands are a Lovecraftian sort of thing, the alien worlds one travels to in the perilous hours of dreaming.
Dreamlands, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Dreamlands, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the jellyfish float past the city, unaffected by its strange towers and spires. Below, you can see the painting in a temporary frame, like a window into a dream.
Dreamlands, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: city, dreamlands, for sale, japanese watercolor, primatek, watercolor
Halloween Trees
Friday, October 10th, 2014
Halloween Trees by Amy Crook
I suppose I should think of something to call this series of paintings so I can make a tag for it, with the spooky winter trees against the various skies. These trees are so finely detailed it’s almost like lace against the brilliant orange sunset sky. I have to deliberately work against my desire to make things very regular and symmetrical, to put in broken branches and bare spots just like real trees.
Five black crows fly off into the sunset, riding the cool autumn winds. Everything about this piece feels like October, from the orange and black color scheme to the bare trees and exiting birds.
Next time, I’ll have to sneak in some extra bats, though.
Halloween Trees, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Halloween Trees, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, I’ve zoomed in on the fine lacework of branches, and a few crows flying into the intensely orange sunset. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, waiting to go to its new home.
Halloween Trees, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: crow, halloween trees, horizons, nfs, orange, pen and ink, sold, tree, watercolor
Jellyfish Bloom
Monday, October 6th, 2014
Jellyfish Bloom by Amy Crook
I went to Monterey Bay Aquarium recently, where they have two different exhibits full of jellyfish. I love the way the jellies just float serenely along, totally oblivious to the tug of gravity, going up or down or whichever way suits them at the moment. Their tentacles trail along behind like the tails of comets, following with the same slow, careless air.
The splash of sunlight at the top of this painting made me want to give them a bit of a gold sheen, so I used the palest gold paint I have (doesn’t everyone have 7 shades of gold paint?). There’s a tiny bit of salt hiding in this painting, and the background is shining and iridescent, giving everything an ethereal, underwater glow.
Jellyfish Bloom, 7″x5″ salt, metallic watercolor, and iridescent watercolor on paper.
Jellyfish Bloom, detail, by Amy Crook
It’s annoyingly difficult to photograph shiny things, because the white of the paper ends up looking grey by comparison, but you can get a little hint of the iridescent sheen that hides in the turquoise waters with the shiny gold jellies in the photo above. Below, the piece in a frame, looking rather more green from the bright sunlight.
Jellyfish Boom, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: iridescent watercolor, jellyfish, metallic, metallic watercolor, more cowbell, nfs, salt, sold, underwater
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Seven More
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014
Seven More by Amy Crook
The wonderful patron who owns Seven for a Secret wanted a similar painting to send as a gift for someone who needed cheering. I painted a lighter, bluer sky with greener, more summery trees for him. The whole painting has a much more cheery sort of sky than the original, with my new favorite flock of crows flying in the distance. I’m really starting to get the hang of the tiny crows, I think, which is why I’ve been painting bats and geese instead. Perhaps October’s trees will get some crows to go with them.
I have reports that it’s been well-received and the recipient was much cheered by it, so hooray.
Seven More, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: commission, crow, horizons, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
Flying V
Friday, September 5th, 2014
Flying V by Amy Crook
You can tell I really miss fall, because this is the second painting this month with the lovely dead trees. This time it’s a V of geese flying in the distance, taking the last breath of summer south with them so winter can finally come.
Last month, two patrons were interested in Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down, and the one who didn’t buy it told me she’d have preferred geese. Fortunately, I have that power, and now she’s happily bought her own spooky trees.
Flying V, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Flying V, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the geese making their way across the sky in their even formation. Below, you can see them in a frame, hanging out with my iPhone so you can see how tiny they really are.
Flying V, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: geese, horizons, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tree, watercolor
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