Posts Tagged ‘clouds’
Striking Out
Sunday, October 7th, 2018
Striking Out, 10″x8″ watercolor on watercolor paper
‘Striking out’ is a phrase with many connotations, from violence to adventure to failure.
It seemed fitting for this brooding violet storm with its lightning that lands three times and flashes twice more, the paint translucent white from one angle and vibrantly purple in the light.
Even the clouds hold some secret sparkle in their depths, the promise of rain or perhaps a portent of yet more sparks waiting to emerge.
Striking Out, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, sunshine limns the lightning in shimmering purple. Below, the storm is safely contained in a frame, waiting to strike out for its new home.
Striking Out, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: clouds, interference, nfs, primatek, watercolor
Rising Spirit
Monday, April 2nd, 2018
Rising Spirit, 24″x12″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
It’s so big!
Rising Spirit defies the scanner, being two feet in width (over half a meter for you sensible measurers) and one foot high. This one’s for everyone who asked for something larger, suitable for your mantel or above the bed.
For all its sizable ambitions, it’s soft and inviting, with a rosy spread of clouds and the ghost of past prominence rising up with the sun to celebrate the day.
The building itself is a much gentler turquoise than the images want to portray, though still greener than the arching dome of blue sky.
Rising Spirit, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the ghostly architecture up close, piercing through the clouds and haloed with sunlight. Below, the piece on my little writing desk for size reference — it’s a bit larger than the usual!
Rising Spirit, watercolor by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: city, clouds, horizons, nfs, sold, sunrise, watercolor
Storm Dragon
Wednesday, February 7th, 2018
Storm Dragon, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Fans of Spirited Away will recognize the dragon flying off in the distance, though he’s color-shifted slightly bluer to match the gathering storm clouds.
The clouds are a celebration of filigree and fluffiness, looking heavy enough to squeeze rain out of and down onto the distant, unseen lands below. The sunrise is staining everything with the last of its bright mineral pink, and it sparkles off the hidden shine in the painting when seen from just the right angle.
Spirals small and large give the clouds their beautiful texture, adding dimension to the highlights as well as the shadows.
Storm Dragon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up on the far-away dragon, and the sun glinting off the iridescent paint like individual scales. Below, you can see it in a frame, just waiting to bring some gorgeous dreaminess to your home.
Storm Dragon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, dragon, for sale, interference, iridescent, spirals, watercolor
Cloud City
Friday, July 7th, 2017
Cloud City, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Rough-textured clouds and rough-sketched buildings make up a surprisingly sublime scene in this newest city.
Clouds dot the landscape, even making a fog from which the city emerges, a mist around which the buildings cluster. The time of day provides the palette, the golden glow of a sun just gone and violet dusk falling down from above, with a brilliant turquoise in between to hold the fluffy white.
What do you see in the sky?
Cloud City, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautiful shifts of turquoise and purple, blue and a touch of gold, and of course the fluffy clouds at their whitest. Below, you can see it in a temporary frame, just waiting to float into your home.
Cloud City, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: city, clouds, horizons, japanese watercolor, nfs, primatek, sold, watercolor
Fairytale Cottage
Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
Fairytale Cottage, 6″x6″ watercolor and gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper
Calling to mind the darker side of fairytales, this shadowy cottage lurks against a rainy sky. The brightness of white clouds and gingerbread detailing is almost unsettling in it sweetness, with everything around it muted and grey.
In a strange reversal, only the frothy white curlicues look solid, while the house and sky seem like mere shadows behind the spirals.
What’s your favorite fairytale, and which ending do you prefer?
Fairytale Cottage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see up close the slightly raised spirals on the buildings and the softly receding spirals of the clouds, decorating the shadowy secrets held by this confectionary cottage. Below, the frame becomes a window into a dark fairy tale world.
Fairytale Cottage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, for sale, gel pen, spirals, watercolor
Cloud Sea
Wednesday, October 8th, 2014
Cloud Sea, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook
Clouds skitter across a night sky, moonlight washing them with cool silver and grey. Below, waves stir up the dark water, clouds caught in reflection and distorted into strange new shapes. White foam flecks the sea and silvery clouds float, tinted midnight blue and deepest purple, and strange shapes seem to rise up out of the depths.
Two separate people described the layering effect here as the reflection of moonlit clouds on rough water, foam and form mixing to make a beautifully abstract visual delight. For once, there’s no actual metallic or iridescent shine in the paint, just the sense of glowing and glittering given by the way the paint floats on the page.
Cloud Sea, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor on paper.
Cloud Sea, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a detail of one of my favorite parts of the painting. Below, it’s framed like a glimpse through glass at some intriguing seascape.
Cloud Sea, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: clouds, for sale, japanese watercolor, watercolor
Stormriders
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
Stormriders by Amy Crook
Three small crows brave the stormy skies, suspended between the upward-reaching branches of the tree and the downward-reaching fork of lightning. The clouds are limned in violet light all around the silver bolt, adding an extra touch of mystery.
Stormriders, 6″x4″ pen & ink, watercolor, and metallic and interference watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Stormriders, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the light shines off the silver and interference violet paints in the lightning and clouds. Below, you can see the piece in a frame. It’s small, but it’s fierce!
Stormriders, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: clouds, crow, horizons, interference, lightning, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, spirals, storm, tree, watercolor
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