Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category

Sunset Haze

Monday, July 8th, 2019

Sunset Haze by Amy Crook, a watercolor painting of trees and a flight of birds silhouetted against the sun

Sunset Haze, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

It wouldn’t be me if there wasn’t some kind of horizons painting with a fading sunset, flying birds, and silhouetted trees.

I went for a different sort of tree this time, though I couldn’t tell you what kind, and some sea birds for variety as well. The sun is a red haze just vanishing below the horizon, ruddy against the warm buff color of the paper itself.

A tiny bit of exotic warmth for those days the AC is turned to 11 and one is missing the summers of old.

Sunset Haze, detail, by Amy Crook

Sunset Haze, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some smudgy foliage and tiny birds against the buff-orange sunset sky. Below, the painting is in a frame, like a window into some other, more tropical reality.

Sunset Haze, framed art by Amy Crook

Sunset Haze, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Growth 12

Sunday, July 7th, 2019

Growth 12 by Amy Crook, abstract circles in an earthy green

Growth 12, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper

From tiny, dark seeds to translucent floating bubbles, the Growth here is easy to see. Whether it’s a planet sending life out into the void, or a tiny organism sending eggs into the ocean, there’s a feeling of possibility, of moving toward a hopeful future.

The zoisite paint — made from a lovely greenish-grey mineral — is the perfect minimal palette for earth and life. The granules clump like moss or algae when they’re allowed to float in water, adding chaotic texture to the very deliberate details sprouting up all around it.

Growth 12, detail, by Amy Crook

Growth 12, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the subtle granulations and slowly growing and moving away from their fertile ground. Below, the frame puts boundaries on the growth but it appears to go on forever.

Growth 12, framed art by Amy Crook

Growth 12, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Near and Far

Friday, July 5th, 2019

Near and Far by Amy Crook, abstract art of interference violet and blue stars on black paper

Near and Far, 7″x5″ watercolor on black paper

It’s been a month for revisiting old ideas in new ways, and this bit of Arches cover black paper just asked to be an abstract sky. The near stars bloom with nebula-like shapes, blue-hot centers limned in shining lilac. Or perhaps it’s snowflakes in someone’s too-bright halogen headlights, fat and fluffy in the near sky and smaller specks of light in the far. Night-blooming flowers might also seem to glow in the right light, petals moving in the wind and centers fragrant with nectar and dew.

Whatever you see in this painting, it’s floating through the darkness of the everyday to light up your imagination.

Near and Far, detail, by Amy Crook

Near and Far, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the blue-hot center of each near ‘star’ just barely visible with its violet halo. Below, you can see it in its frame, like a window into another galaxy.

Near and Far, framed art by Amy Crook

Near and Far, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
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Floating Above the Ashes

Thursday, July 4th, 2019

Floating Above the Ashes by Amy Crook, delicate ruins smoking in front of a ruddy sunset sky, birds flying above

Floating Above the Ashes, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper

Dark carrion birds float on the rising heat from burnt-out fires, ash and smoke and soot smudging what’s left of the city beneath.

The newest in my Ruins series, this painting has a sense that the birds are almost more real than the buildings, which have a ghostly quality to them. Orange glows through the grey of cinder and ash, painting even the few intact buildings with an unreal glow.

I guess if the world’s gonna be on fire, it’s nice if it’s pretty.

Floating Above the Ashes, detail, by Amy Crook

Floating Above the Ashes, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see my favorite building in this scene, and some of the black birds rising above on the warm air. Below, the painting is temporarily in a frame, waiting for a new space to occupy.

Floating Above the Ashes, framed art by Amy Crook

Floating Above the Ashes, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Be Curious

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019

Be Curious by Amy Crook, an abstract watercolor of blue and white with the words be curious in iridescent purple

Be Curious, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

I’m always on the lookout for short, interesting quotes to add to an Aglow painting. Sometimes the quote comes first, and sometimes the painting happens and the words wander in later, after some thought and possibly googling.

In this case, the shifting blue glows of pixies or stars or will-o-the-wisps floating up through the painting brought me to a very simple thought: be curious.

The perfect sentiment for a painting that invites exploration, with its odd details, here-and-gone glow, and a shining message in pink-purple-blue at the edge of a whirlwind of blue.

Be Curious, detail, by Amy Crook

Be Curious, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of iridescent paint on top of the soft, complex matte of natural mineral paint. Below, the painting sits in its frame, inviting one closer, inviting curiosity.

Be Curious, framed art by Amy Crook

Be Curious, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Adventure Awaits

Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019

Adventure Awaits by Amy Crook, an abstract painting with maplike markings

Adventure Awaits, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper

It’s another map to imaginary lands!

This one’s both more complex and less abstract than its predecessors. There are rivers and lakes and a lovely big bay, mountains and forests and some mysterious hills, and a whole winding mess of roads and cities as well.

I’m not sure where this is, but it’s ripe for an adventure.

Where would you start your journey?

Adventure Awaits, detail, by Amy Crook

Adventure Awaits, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of a little town near a lake, and the roads going from river to lake to bay. Below, the map has been framed, a souvenir for a journey no one’s yet taken.

Adventure Awaits, framed art by Amy Crook

Adventure Awaits, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Destiel

Tuesday, June 11th, 2019

Destiel by Amy Crook, chibi Dean and Castiel with giant loving eyes and chinhands

Destiel, 7″x5″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

The same patient patron who got the last commission snuck in for a second spot and got her dream pairing drawn! Castiel and Dean Winchester from Supernatural gaze with giant, loving eyes at each other, blushes in full force and their traditional costumes from the show in place. Dean’s even got his necklace, and Cas his wings.

Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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