Posts Tagged ‘ankh’

Symbols

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Symbols by Amy Crook

Symbols by Amy Crook

This is another print that combines tiny etching plates with double-inking to make a unique print. The 3 images in the middle column were all inked once, wiped clean,a nd then inked carefully a second time to give them a duochrome look, while the two plates to the left and right were inked just once in the same pure colors that are used on the others. Really there’s four colors present: blue, yellow, red and black, very primary.

Each plate has its own symbolism that, when combined with the others, invites the viewer to construct their own narrative. Do your eyes start in the golden sand dunes, or up with the floating cruciform figure? Do you puzzle out the dancer on the left first, or the ankh on the right? The central image is completely abstract, drawing the imagination to fill in why it’s surrounded by these other, smaller satellite images.

Symbols, 10″x10″ etching and monoprint on watercolor paper, $399 with free shipping.

Symbols, detail, by Amy Crook

Symbols, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books
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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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