Posts Tagged ‘black paper’
Halloween Pathways
Thursday, May 4th, 2017
Halloween Pathways, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches Cover black paper
Deep charcoal supports and subdues the bright Halloween orange in this latest Pathways painting.
The image suggests bold autumn trees, lit by the last orange rays of sunlight slanting towards them. Or is it a bright potion bubbling over the sides of an iron cauldron? Perhaps you see the stripes on some deadly orange monster instead.
The simple-seeming monochrome hides a depth of color and detail that will give you hours of peaceful contemplation while you sit and sip cider and think of Halloweens to come.
Halloween Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the the way the charcoal blackness of the paper draws the orange into itself, lending a base of deep gloom to the holiday brightness of it. Below, the painting is tucked into a frame, just waiting to haunt your home.
Halloween Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, for sale, halloween, interference, orange, pathways, watercolor
Diverge
Saturday, October 8th, 2016
Diverge, 10″x8″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper
The watery, shimmery blue Pathways are diverging in this layered abstract painting.
A subtle, mottled pattern of dark blues and black voids hides behind the turquoise waterfalls spilling to either side of the central path. The texture of the top layer is softened by the paint beneath it, but the sparkle shines through in the right light.
These pathways diverge, but for once you can have it both ways.
Diverge, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see one set of divergent pathways running over the soft, textured background in dark blue and darker black. Below, the pathways are contained in a frame, reminding us to look both ways.
Diverge, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: black paper, blue, for sale, interference, more cowbell, pathways, water, watercolor
Painted Ladies 2
Monday, October 3rd, 2016
Painted Ladies 2, 10″x8″ gansai watercolor on Arches cover black paper
It’s inevitable, living near San Francisco as I do, that I would revisit the Painted Ladies theme.
This time a soft, seafoam green permeates the beautiful Victorian row houses, each with a unique facade that nonetheless echoes its neighbors. The clouds above look like cotton puffs, fluffily floating along among the shining stars in the velvety black sky.
This paper is unique because it gets its color from a chemical process, so the black is lightfast. Though of course it’s never a good idea to put artwork in a sunny spot, it’s good to know it won’t become grey over the years.
Painted Ladies 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of a few of the charming faces on the painted ladies. Below, they’re tucked into a simple frame, just waiting to add charm and elegance to your home.
Painted Ladies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, green, horizons, japanese watercolor, painted ladies, row houses, stars, watercolor
Purple Pathways
Thursday, February 4th, 2016
Purple Pathways, 6″x4″ duochrome watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper
Silvery blue becomes iridescent lavender, a trick of the light, a visual mirage. The black is an endless sky behind it, a void, a road not taken as the paint makes its own pathways and claims its space with sparkle and color.
It’s always hard to capture the qualities of metallic and duochrome paints with a still photo, but you can see two of the angles and imagine the rest, the changes that happen in daylight or lamplight, at this vantage or that.
It would fit perfectly on a desk or a bit of wall that you pass often, somewhere where it can catch the light, and your eye, and bring a smile to your face and some beauty to your day.
Purple Pathways, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight picking out a plethora of glittery colors against the velvety black paper. Below, the piece is in a frame, showcasing its small size.
Purple Pathways, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, duochrome, for sale, interference, pathways, watercolor
Jack Frost
Friday, January 8th, 2016
Jack Frost, 10″x8″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper
Most of the paint on this lovely black paper is white, but mixed in there’s just a little bit of interference blue. When it’s in normal light, the blue just looks white like the rest, but in sunlight or strong indoor light it adds a sparkle to this piece that makes it really magical.
Just like winter, it’s something lovely and stark that holds hidden depths of color and light.
And with the weather we’ve got out here in SF, Jack Frost might even pay me a visit this year — brr!
Jack Frost, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a little bit of the sparkle peeking out of the chilly frost. Below, you can see the painting in a temporary frame, like a window on a cold winter’s night.
Jack frost, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, interference, nfs, pathways, sold, watercolor
Hummingbird at Night
Sunday, October 4th, 2015
Hummingbird at Night by Amy Crook
This time of year there’s hummingbirds all over my neighborhood, and even showing up on my social media feeds. These inspirational little tiny jewels just beg to be captured, not in a cage, but on the page.
This painting features iridescent and duochrome paints on the black paper so everything shimmers and shines the way a real hummingbird does. The duochrome paints are really something, they change color depending on the angle of the light. Despite being a night scene, this piece sparkles charmingly in sunlight.
Hummingbird at Night, 6″x4″ duochrome and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Hummingbird at Night, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sparkle in the Hummingbird’s breast and the loose brushstrokes that shape the leaves. Below, this tiny gem is nestled into a frame, waiting to brighten up your life.
Hummingbird at Night, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, hummingbird, iridescent, nfs, sold, watercolor
Zombie Heart
Saturday, October 3rd, 2015
Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook
Although Zombie Heart is in keeping with the Halloween theme, there’s a gorgeous complexity to it that could live in the right home year round. The greens range from the darkest shadow around the main shape to the iridescence that floats above, shining like radioactivity.
The way the metallic greens bloom on the dark green core shape is like mold blossoming against decaying zombie flesh. The organic layers of shape and shade show an eerily beautiful side to this particular undead myth.
Are your favorite zombies created by magic, radioactivity, a virus, or some mad scientist?
Zombie Heart, 8″x10″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the mysterious swirls and shimmers giving depth and texture to the painting. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, waiting to find a permanent home, lab, or specimen shelf.
Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: anatomical heart, black paper, duochrome, for sale, green, iridescent, watercolor, zombie
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
