Archive for the ‘Whimsical and Strange’ Category
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
Fairytale Sky 9
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
Fairytale Sky 9 by Amy Crook
A lovely, shadowed full moon hangs in a sky full of stars, but the real shine is from the mysterious spiraling clouds. They gleam subtly in blues and purples, stately shapes with just a hint of soft brushwork about the edges. This addition to the Fairytale Sky series is very reminiscent of the first, but refined by the iterations in between.
Sometimes I think it’s good to treat life like you’re in your very own fairytale. Do good deeds when you can, and you’ll find them returned when you least expect it. Don’t cause harm through inattention or ignorance. And always wear good walking shoes.
Fairytale Sky 9, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Fairytale Sky 9, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the subtle shimmer of the paint together with the soft shine of the stars and the bright gleam of the moon. Below, I’ve put this sky in a frame, like a window to another world, one full of magic and fairytale logic.
Fairytale Sky 9, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, fairytale sky, for sale, moon, periwinkle, spirals, watercolor
Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down
Monday, August 4th, 2014
Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down by Amy Crook
I’ve painted lots of skies full of crows, but today I decided to go a different way with my dark Halloween heart and paint bats. Because bats!
There’s a tiny hint of nighttime violet in the upper left, but it’s being chased away by the sunrise glowing at bottom of the painting, where seven winter-barren trees peek up into the frame. There’s 13 flying bats (of course) and 3 already sleeping in the lightning-split tree they call their home.
Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the bats coming in for a landing, and the three sleepers at the very top of the tree. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, just waiting for the right wall to hold it.
Sleep Until the Sun Goes Down, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: baaaaaaaats, bats, horizons, nfs, pen and ink, sold, tree, watercolor
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That Thing You Love
Saturday, August 2nd, 2014
That Thing You Love, calligraphy by Amy Crook
“Don’t let anyone tell you that the thing you love is a thing you can’t love.”
-Wil Wheaton
I created this piece as part of a gift for my awesome email list people, but I wanted to make the actual artwork available, too. Like any watercolor, there’s detail that gets lost in the print, plus it’s just awesome to know that yours is the one and only original.
This quote is from an impromptu, impassioned diatribe on “why it’s awesome to be a nerd” that Wil Wheaton gave when asked at a con for some advice for their baby girl to grow up geek, and it’s really good advice. The whole speech is pretty awesome, actually.
That Thing You Love, 9″x12″ pen & ink and watercolor on watercolor paper.
That Thing You Love, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the little cheesy ’70s sunrise face in the middle of the word ‘anyone,’ and below you can see the piece laying on my desk with my iPhone for size, because it turns out I don’t actually own a frame the right size. Oops.
That Thing You Love, calligraphic art by Amy Crook,
quote by Wil Wheaton
Categories: Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange, Words Words Words
Tags: calligraphy, for sale, pen and ink, watercolor, wil wheaton, word art
Two Fish
Saturday, June 7th, 2014
Two Fish, watercolor by Amy Crook
Two fish, different, but still swimming together in the vibrant purple depths. The bottom fish flashes between purple and blue, and the top fish has gold-to-green duochrome paint on one half, and gold-to-orange on the other.
To me, this painting is about support. The bottom fish is always there, just on the edge of awareness, ready to rise up when he’s needed.
Two Fish, 4″x8″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Two Fish, detail, by Amy Crook
You can really see the blue, gold, and orange catching the sunlight above, turning the purple water to a muted, matte background for the fishes’ brilliance. Below, the fish are swimming in a temporary frame, bright in the middle of darkness.
Two Fish, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: duochrome, fish, for sale, japanese watercolor
Palaloolali!
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2014
Palaloolali!
Despicable Me parody art by Amy Crook
In my continued quest to get ridiculous birthday cards in all my favorite fandoms, I have a Minion for you! He’s either giving you a gift and a banana, or stealing the banana out of your gift — what do you think, sweet or despicable?
For the record, the Minion “translation” is from ye olde googles, so I have no idea if it’s correct or not, but it’s cute so I went with it.
Palaloolali! 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper. The original will be in May’s Floating Gallery, or you can get a card at any time from my Etsy shop.
Minion birthday card by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: copic marker, despicable me, etsy, for sale, minions, pen and ink
Quilted
Monday, April 7th, 2014
Quilted, abstract art by Amy Crook
This piece started out life as a test for my new Zebra brush pens (in three sizes, woo!), something to doodle while I was on a conference call. I liked the progression of patterns so much I pulled out my travel kit of watercolors and played around long after the call was over, giving each section its own distinct color and texture, but letting them blend a little where they bordered each other.
It reminds me of a quilt, with the bright patterned sections that don’t match, but somehow go together. Thus, the name!
Quilted, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Quilted, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the middle section, the two shades of red in a big swath bordered by orange fading to white on one side, and white fading to blue on the other. Below, I’ve temporarily put it in a frame — for these little odd-sized pieces, I think it looks nice to put it on a mat with transparent photo corners in a slightly larger frame.
Quilted, framed art by Amy Crook
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Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: doodles, for sale, pen and ink, watercolor
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