Posts Tagged ‘blue’

Glacial Melt

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014

Glacial Melt, abstract art by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt by Amy Crook

The snowy white paper melts into a beautifully subtle array of blues, like a glacier giving way to summer, sending water and debris out to join the ocean. I really love the way the two different paints reacted to one another, giving a broad range of color and texture in the simple shapes.

Glacial Melt, 5″x5″ watercolor on watercolor paper.

Glacial Melt, detail, by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the texture of the paper like snowdrifts with the barest blue shadows in the hollows like sunlight on snow. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, bringing a breath of coolness to the end-of-summer heat.

Glacial Melt, framed art by Amy Crook

Glacial Melt, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Uncertain Boundaries

Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

Uncertain Boundaries, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

I spend way too much time explaining how much better my artwork looks in real life, but it’s always true. This piece has much richer jewel tones of purple, teal, and green that have all sort of washed out into a vague blueness when converted to rgb.

There’s rich layers of color, with some of the boundaries outlined and some erased, and some only vaguely visible. It makes me think of a map of some strange world that has evolved along with the history of the place, borders drawing and redrawing themselves as alien politics shift and change.

Uncertain Boundaries, 6″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Uncertain Boundaries, detail, by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one of the places where new color obliterates the old, and the boundary lines stutter and fade. Below, you can see this small piece in a frame, small enough to add its bright color to any number of surprising spaces.

Uncertain Boundaries, framed art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Battle Scarred

Wednesday, June 18th, 2014

Battle Scarred, abstract art by Amy Crook

Battle Scarred, abstract art by Amy Crook

There are two distinct layers to this painting, both filled with shining metallics. The copper in the back is marked and scarred like armor that survived a great battle, with blue glittery enamel filigree over the top, decoration that either came after the battle, or survived unmarked by whatever damaged the surface below. Or perhaps it’s a tracery of some magic used to preserve this artifact of past battles, won or lost.

Battle Scarred, 5″x7″ watercolor, salt, metallic watercolor, and glitter gel pen on paper.

Battle Scarred, detail, by Amy Crook

Battle Scarred, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the copper paint catching the light, the sparkle of the glitter pen and the salt interacting. The blue pen has picked up a slight green tinge in places from the color beneath it, and the metal ranges from a blushing copper to more golden to the green of tarnish in places. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, sunlight giving it a brilliant sheen.

Battle Scarred, framed art by Amy Crook

Battle Scarred, framed art by Amy Crook

This one-of-a-kind piece will be available in the Floating Gallery for July; you can join my list to get an early chance to buy.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Blue Violet

Monday, May 5th, 2014

Blue Violet, abstract art by Amy Crook

Blue Violet, abstract art by Amy Crook

Beautiful, richly layered color and shine make this painting live up to its name. There’s really only 2 colors each of normal watercolor, shiny watercolor, and glitter gel pen, but their interactions create an amazing level of fractal detail and variety of shades from blue to violet.

This painting would bring a gorgeous pop of color to an otherwise drab office or wall.

Blue Violet, 8″x8″ watercolor, iridescent watercolor, and glitter gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper.

Blue Violet, detail, by Amy Crook

Blue Violet, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a hint of the glitter pen hiding in the paint, blue lines and purple spirals floating atop the color. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, bright and beautiful against the black.

Blue Violet, framed art by Amy Crook

Blue Violet, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Splash 2

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

Splash 2, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Splash 2, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

You may be wondering what happened to the first Splash, and the answer to that is that the artist didn’t take off the masking tape in time, oops. Still, I really love this second version — it’s got a lot of delightfully layered texture reminiscent of waves breaking over and over, plus if you turn it on its side you can kind of see Godzilla.

I was playing with implied boundaries here, and also testing the color gamut on my printer — I’m sad to say that this doesn’t reprint well at all, because the delicate shadings of blue and turquoise turn to cyan mush.

Splash 2, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Splash 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Splash 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up that shows the layers of color and texture that give this work its depth and beauty. Below, you can see it in a frame, brightly lit by the spring sunshine.

Splash 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Splash 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Dragonfly Trio

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

Dragonfly Trio by Amy Crook

Dragonfly Trio by Amy Crook

Three filigree-winged, iridescent dragonflies flit across the matte surface of this gorgeous blue-purple background. A deep pond edged with fuchsias, perhaps, or a midnight puddle lit by Chinese lanterns. Their bodies and wings are painted with a duochrome paint that catches the sunlight, changing color depending on the angle just like the real thing.

Dragonfly Trio, 6″x4″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Dragonfly Trio, detail, by Amy Crook

Dragonfly Trio, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can get a hint of the way the dragonfly seems to float above the surface of the other paint when it properly catches the light. Below, it’s in a frame, reflected darkly back at itself in my phone.

Dragonfly Trio, framed art by Amy Crook

Dragonfly Trio, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
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Island

Thursday, February 6th, 2014

Island, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Island, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

I think paintings are hardest to talk about when I really adore them. This one is such an exquisite combination of tiny details and subtle colors created both by deliberate artistic choice and by random chance that I’m ridiculously in love with it.

The paper is soft, both in texture and its creamy color, and the paints are all matte shades of real minerals, except for the places where there’s unexpected bursts of red or even sun-catching bits of green iridescence. The shape suggests an island without being any specific one, with its noodling coastlines and the surf creeping up all around it. The green is rich and deep and mysterious, inviting the viewer to look for hidden detail.

Island, 10″x8″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper.

Island, detail, by Amy Crook

Island, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a very close look at some of the detail, in an area with a subtle wash of red hiding under the green, and a tiny patch of shimmering brightness that only shows itself in sunlight, like a lake hidden in deep jungles. Below, the painting’s in a frame, looking even more like some forgotten map.

Island, framed art by Amy Crook

Island, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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