Archive for the ‘Series and Books’ Category

Concentric 5

Tuesday, May 7th, 2019

Concentric 5 by Amy Crook, abstract watercolor of blue fog with bursts of metallic concentric circles

Concentric 5, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper

Blues are bursting on the scene! From a shimmering emerald to a rich sapphire to a soft barely-there hint of lapis, this painting is filled with bejeweled beauty.

These are very meditative, and there’s a tiny spiral at the heart of each burst this time around to help draw in the eye and start the journey through the mandala-like shapes.

Where do you need a bit of of a calming influence in your space?

Concentric 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Concentric 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the bursts of color shift and shine in the light. Below, this painting looks lovely in a small black frame, just waiting to bring joy to someone’s home. Maybe yours!

Concentric 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Concentric 5, framed art by Amy Crook

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

Monday, May 6th, 2019

Morning After by Amy Crook, a watercolor pastel sunrise against a panoramic foreground of smoking ruins

Morning After, 8″x4″ watercolor on paper

The sky holds the softness of spring, the delicacy of an Easter egg, the gentlest of sunrises. In front of these lovely colors, there are smoking ruins, the aftermath of some mystery calamity. Carrion birds wheel and turn on the thermals, looking for a choice meal among the destruction. The pall of smoke hanging over the burnt-out husks is no deterrent to the scavengers.

There’s a curious juxtaposition with the grey-green ruins backed by the seashell pink, baby-chick yellow, and robin’s egg blue of the sky.

Morning After, detail, by Amy Crook

Morning After, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the delicate, tiny brushstrokes that make up each hollow, destroyed building. Below, the carrion birds circle and swoop inside their temporary frame.

Morning After, framed art by Amy Crook

Morning After, 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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Let Me Dance

Saturday, May 4th, 2019

Let Me Dance by Amy Crook, a blue and purple abstract watercolor with a quote

Let Me Dance, 12″x12″ watercolor on paper

Aglow is a series of abstracts with a sense of light to them, each containing a quote of some kind.

Sometimes the quote comes first, but more often the palette arrives on a whim, the painting proceeds into swirling, swooping color, and then words are the last piece of the puzzle.

This one called for a quote from a Robert Plant & Jimmy Page song, “give me peace of mind and let me dance.”

Let Me Dance, detail, by Amy Crook

Let Me Dance, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the hand-painted lettering in all its spiky glory. Below, you can see it waiting in a frame, ready to be sent off to live on someone’s wall.

Let Me Dance, framed art by Amy Crook

Let Me Dance, framed art by Amy Crook

PS – May the Fourth be with you!

…and also with you.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Bees 5

Friday, May 3rd, 2019

Bees 5 by Amy Crook, acrylic ink painting of busy bees on a semi-abstract honeycomb pattern

Bees 5, 7″x5″ acrylic ink on paper

Experimental bees! Acrylic ink is lightfast and dries waterproof, and these bees were the perfect test subject for a new medium.

The loose honeycomb make a gorgeous background for the painterly scribble of a busy hive of bees. They’re mostly concentrated in the corner where all the honey is, with the rest of the comb slowly floating off and away into the aether, adding a surrealist quality to the piece.

Bees 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Bees 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above you can see these cheerful little bees against the soft cream paper and golden hexes. Below, these fellows are buzzing around in their own frame, just like in a proper hive.

Bees 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Bees 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Shiny Magikarp

Thursday, March 28th, 2019

a golden shiny magikarp leaping upward above a tiny pond far below, by Amy Crook

Shiny Magikarp, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper

Magikarp Jump is the most ridiculous game ever, and of course I had to celebrate the warm golden shiny with another commission from my Pokemon patron. This guy has a great height up above his tiny pond, so let’s hope he gets the best leap and doesn’t end up in a sad little pit.

Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Swablus

Tuesday, March 26th, 2019

blue and gold Swablus cuddling on a branch, by Amy Crook

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

My Pokemon commission patron has refreshed his list with a new batch of shiny goodness, and we’re starting with this adorable pair of Swablu, They look nice together in the non-shiny blue and shiny gold, hanging out and snuggling up in the chill spring night.

These two will make an adorable Valentine when the time comes, don’t you think?

Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Collard Greens

Thursday, March 21st, 2019

Collard Greens, an illustrated recipe by Amy Crook

Collard Greens, 5″x8.25″ pen & ink and watercolor in a watercolor Moleskine

Another addition to the cookbook project — you can see that I did the inks back in 2017, before the universe entirely fell apart around me, and am finally getting the scan edited and ready to share with you.

I get collard greens in my produce box sometimes, and since I don’t like pork we had to google around to find a way to cook them. I discovered that 2 turkey legs is a lot of meat, so we end up doubling up the collards with something else from the box a lot. Rainbow chard is a favorite!

I’m entirely certain that my red beans & rice recipe is Very White so I haven’t included it, as is this one, really, so take it with a grain of salt.

The advantage of this is that all the ingredients are pretty inexpensive, even out here in California. I can usually get a pair of turkey legs for around $5 and make a lot of meals out of this when the turkey meat is chopped up and added back into the mix.

Enjoy!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Pretty Words, Series and Books
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