Posts Tagged ‘dreamlands’

Dreamlands 3

Monday, September 7th, 2020

Dreamlands 3, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

Another piece that’s been in my Work in Progress pile for an embarrassingly long time, I took this city away from reality immediately and never brought it back.

From Mondrian to fungus, the buildings and their washed-out colors spring from a number of sources, including the usual Gherkin-inspired glass edifice.

I couldn’t tell you who or what lives here, perhaps somewhere close to Ulthar or well beyond the cursed plains of Leng. But you could probably tell your own stories about it, if you tried.

Dreamlands 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the play of dim color on the buildings and in the sky. Below, it’s been framed, like a peek through a looking glass into another world.

Dreamlands, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , ,


Dreamlands 2

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

Dreamlands 2 by Amy Crook

Dreamlands 2 by Amy Crook

I’ve gone in a different, much more Seussian direction in my second Dreamlands painting. Bright colors and strange, off-kilter shapes give this painting a whimsy that feels like it’s straight out of a child’s dream of the big city.

There’s a tree full of apartments, a house made of houses, and a shining beacon atop a cross between a cactus and the Gherkin building. I can’t decide what I like best, the cheerful yellow windows, the shimmering stars above, or the overall feeling of warmth and welcome.

When I look at this painting, I think of Gonzo singing, “I’ve never been there, but I know the way. I’m going to go back there someday.”

Dreamlands 2, 7″X5″ Japanese and metallic watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Dreamlands 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Dreamlands 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the buildings up close, including the tower of houses and the looming dome behind it. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting to bring its strange, whimsical dreams into your life.

Dreamlands 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Dreamlands 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: , , , , , ,


Dreamlands

Monday, November 3rd, 2014

Dreamlands by Amy Crook

Dreamlands by Amy Crook

Pink jellyfish float serenely over a translucent city in shadowy greens, everything looking half-real against the sky of blue with hints of periwinkle and lavender. Deadly tendrils caress the tops of the buildings, or perhaps pass right through them, and the buildings tilt along with the horizon, like something in a dream.

I’m sure it surprises nobody that the Dreamlands are a Lovecraftian sort of thing, the alien worlds one travels to in the perilous hours of dreaming.

Dreamlands, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Dreamlands, detail, by Amy Crook

Dreamlands, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the way the jellyfish float past the city, unaffected by its strange towers and spires. Below, you can see the painting in a temporary frame, like a window into a dream.

Dreamlands, framed art by Amy Crook

Dreamlands, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: , , , , ,