Posts Tagged ‘black paper’

I Won’t Be Your Winter

Thursday, August 16th, 2018

I Won’t Be Your Winter by Amy Crook, a bloody red grafitti star against a silver and black backdrop

I Won’t Be Your Winter, 5″x7″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Bucky Barnes has one of the most tragic backstories in a whole universe full of them. A very goth approach to his painting seemed in order.

Metal runs like rain along lines that echo the plates in the Winter Solider’s arm. Graffiti of a red star bleeds down the page, the image splotched like a splatter of blood.

The title is from another song, this one from an unrelated movie soundtrack, that seemed to fit. The next line is, “I won’t be anyone’s excuse to cry.”

It felt very fitting for a man who finally got away from HYDRA and the people who wanted to use him for destruction.

I Won’t Be Your Winter, detail, by Amy Crook

I Won’t Be Your Winter, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a closeup of the “grafitti” star on the background that echoes the silver plates in the Winter Soldier’s arm. Below, the painting waits behind glass to be given its final mission.

I Won’t Be Your Winter, framed art by Amy Crook

I Won’t Be Your Winter, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Harvest Moon 6

Tuesday, August 14th, 2018

Harvest Moon 6 by Amy Crook, 3 sandhill cranes in silhouette against a golden full moon

Harvest Moon 6, 5″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Three sandhill cranes are flying across this minuscule moon, golden-yellow and full like a proper autumn moon should be.

After June’s Harvest Moon painting, a patron suggested I try another on black paper instead of white. It’s a very different process, and the results have a darker, more solid quality.

The stars have a little shine to them, a hint of gold to add sparkle. The cranes have a little complexity in their color, both from the Payne’s grey and the way the thick, opaque Japanese paints mix into the top layer.

Harvest Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the cranes and the textural surface of the moon. Below, the painting is in a frame, waiting to fly to its new home.

Harvest Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Growth 11

Tuesday, August 7th, 2018

Growth 11 by Amy Crook, abstract art in green and metallic on black paper

Growth 11, 5″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Another Gallery, another Growth.

The theme continues to develop, the feeling of macroscopic or microscopic increasing with this eleventh addition to the series.

A bright green central circle is surrounded, edged and even intruded upon, by metallic dots that stand out from the page. Everything has texture and weight, a presence that makes it fascinating to move in the light, to run fingers over.

There are three layers of gold under the dots, from a deep gold near the center through nearly silver.

What do you need to support your growth?

Growth 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Growth 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the little pearls of green and gold up close and personal. Below, the piece is in its tiny frame, already trying to outgrow its confines.

Growth 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Growth 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Always Punch Nazis

Saturday, August 4th, 2018

Always Punch Nazis by Amy Crook, abstract art with metallic silver, red, and blue on black paper

Always Punch Nazis, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally wormed its way into your artist’s brain, and this is the first abstract of 3 to honor the early movies.

Captain America throws his shield in beautiful arcs, dim lights shining off it as he attacks Nazis and their HYDRA offshoots alike. This painting is meant to represent the swoosh of the shield flying past — or into — someone’s face.

A blur of motion and just a hint of patriotic color.

Happy 100th Birthday, Captain Rogers! #AlwaysPunchNazis

Always Punch Nazis, detail, by Amy Crook

Always Punch Nazis, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see up close the sparkling sense of violent motion in red, white, and blue. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, trying to contain the Captain’s determination.

Always Punch Nazis, framed art by Amy Crook

Always Punch Nazis, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Kelp 2

Sunday, April 8th, 2018

abstract art of turquoise blue cascading upwards on black paper, with occasional horizontal breaks in the flow, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Shining fronds in beautiful blue-green rise up through the charcoal depths of this lightfast paper, with the occasional horizontal detour into shelf-like protrusions.

Another installment in the Pathways series, this painting takes a simple monochrome palette and breaks it into glittering particles. Each little piece of color seems to shine with its own shade of blue, green, or silver, shifting oh-so-subtly as it moves through the light.

Where do you need something beautiful to catch the light in your life?

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the subtle sparkle of mica-laden paints and the beautiful rivulets of thick paint and dancing void. Below, the painting is sitting in a frame, a waving undersea frond trapped in its own little aquarium.

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books
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Hoarfrost

Saturday, February 3rd, 2018

Hoarfrost, abstract art by Amy Crook

Hoarfrost, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Frost forms in the dark and cold, climbing up unseen supports to turn the world into an alien landscape. This icy black-and-white beauty has a slight sheen of copper, the hint of sunrise glinting off its shapes and surfaces.

This latest Pathways painting is a small window into a world of chill beauty — perfect for those winter babies among us who love the idea of frost all year round.

These paintings have a kind of contemplative complexity to them, for all their simple palettes and design. A moment of meditation at your fingertips.

Hoarfrost, detail, by Amy Crook

Hoarfrost, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shine of copper mixed in with the white, like a sunrise just peeking over the horizon and reflecting off the night’s frost. Below, the painting rests in its small frame, waiting to add a little bite of winter to a bookshelf, niche, or hidden corner.

Hoarfrost, framed art by Amy Crook

Hoarfrost, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Hurtling Through the Void

Saturday, November 4th, 2017

Hurtling Through the Void, abstract art by Amy Crook

Hurtling Through the Void, 7″x5″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover black paper

A pockmarked planetoid hurtles through the nothingness of space in this subtle, fascinating mixed media work. Reds and golds ride on the velvety charcoal background, and a subtle debossing effect makes the corona and tail of this coment seem to disappear.

This painting is perfect for someone who likes to be surprised, to find the hidden details in a seemingly simple image, to imagine their own narrative in abstract art.

Who do you know like that in your life?

Hurtling Through the Void, detail, by Amy Crook

Hurtling Through the Void, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the divots left by the ink pen and the way the red ink catches the light in chameleon colors. Below, the frame makes a portal to some outer space where you can watch asteroids go by at your leisure.

Hurtling Through the Void, framed art by Amy Crook

Hurtling Through the Void, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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