Posts Tagged ‘duochrome’

Concentric 15

Monday, June 6th, 2022

Concentric 15, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

The joy of experimenting with chaos in art is that sometimes you get happy accidents, and sometimes you get gibbous moons that stare at you like a creeper.

Despite that, the matte black makes a beautiful backdrop for these shimmering bursts of color, each one fading from one thing to another as it echoes out onto the page. Gold and violet, lavender and blue-green, each one is a unique combination that changes as you look at it.

Which is your favorite part of this painting, the spooky, the pretty, or the contrast between the two?

Concentric 15, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, the dots sparkle with tiny flecks of iridescent paint. Below, you can see this moody, colorful piece in a frame, waiting to add some strangeness to your life.

Concentric 15, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Concentric 13

Wednesday, April 6th, 2022

Concentric 13, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

A gorgeous deep violet wash hides hints of teal spirals beneath it, while the concentric dot patterns bring in a shine of purple, blue-green, and silver. The light makes the firework bursts shine, while a change of angle lets all but the silver fade into the paper. The colors all have a dark base with the bright sparkles to better help it shine!

There’s a little hint of the Growth series around the edges as the silver circles break up and float off, waiting to see their own bright bursts further out in the galaxy. The shapes are like dandelions going to seed, explosions of life ready to find somewhere new to take root.

Concentric 13, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the bright purple centers on each burst and how they fade first to blue then soft green and finally silver. Below, the painting is in a frame, just bursting to belong to someone — maybe you!

Concentric 13, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Deep in the Middle Twilight

Tuesday, April 5th, 2022

Deep in the Middle Twilight, 12″x6″ watercolor on paper

This fanciful painting is also a foot wide, but a mere six inches tall! Thick, textured watercolor gives us a deep ocean current on which floats a plethora sea life. Well, and a ghost.

The watery backdrop is a deep matte teal, while the sea life all sparkles and shines, much like the actual creatures that live in the Twilight Zone (not the tv show). The giant squid waves hello from off to the left, our little ghost meditates on the right, and both tropical fish and jellyfish dance through the rest of the space.

This art would be a fun addition to any room, a little spark of whimsy to brighten up any space.

Deep in the Middle Twilight, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see our little green ghostie shining brightly from the strength of its own spirit. Below, I’ve badly stuck this in a temporary frame to show how big it is — a larger frame will do it better justice once you’ve got it home!

Deep in the Middle Twilight, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Tentacles, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Concentric 11

Saturday, April 2nd, 2022

Concentric 11, 5″x5″ watercolor on black paper by Amy Crook

The soft black Arches paper, originally created for printmaking, makes a gorgeous charcoal surface to use with metallic watercolor.

Blue and gold spirals made a soft layer on which to build the concentric shapes, which stick to the palette and come in many shades of blue, gold, and silver. There’s even a few that mix the blue and gold to make soft greens, and one that fades into warm coppery golds from a nearly-silver center.

This shining painting is just the right size to bring some beauty to a little corner of of your desk, a tiny hidden bit of wall, or to nestle among some books on a shelf.

Concentric 11, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can really see the colors of the dot pattern as they flow one into another, and the hints of spirals hiding beneath the bursts of metallic shine. Below, this small painting is in a temporary frame, just waiting to come live on your desk and give you some good good dopamine throughout the day.

Concentric 11, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Concentric 12

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021

abstract art by Amy Crook in yellow, orange, and metallic turquoise

Concentric 12, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

Looking into the white-yellow-orange glare of this highly saturated painting, I was compelled to add some lens flare in an oceanic blue iridescent paint. It’s less chaotic than the usual bursts of Concentric color, but has the same feeling of circles around circles that gives the series its name.

I used a smoother watercolor paper on this one so that all the texture is from the paint itself, brush strokes adding depth to the white-hot glow of the center.

Concentric 12, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the brush-stroke face to the white-hot center, and the sparkle of concentric dots forming an offset lens flare shape. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to be shipped off to its new owner.

Concentric 12, framed art by Amy Crook

It’s new! It’s orange.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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May 2021 Patreon Sketch Cards

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

Another day, another bunch of Patreon sketch cards! I got some nifty black mixed media ones in, and tried that out with my shiny paints for the cocktails on the bottom left. I try to have fun with my sketches whenever I can, y’know?

7 small sketch cards by Amy Crook

From the top left:

  • Amber’s April showers/May flowers
  • a summer bat for The Other Amy
  • Nott the Brave for Eric
  • Wally the Nonbinary Welsh Walrus for Booskerdu
  • Cocktails for Jefferson
  • Kim’s new job ft. books
  • and 40s music for Roxanne B, with my personal favorite song from the era, “Swingin’ on a Star.”

Carry some moonbeams off in a jar, darlings!

Categories: Completed Commissions, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
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Concentric 10

Sunday, July 18th, 2021

Abstract purple art with bursts of concentric rings of dots over the words 'be kind'

Concentric 10, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

This last half-year has had a lot of taking one thing and making it into another. A purple-washed background waiting to become art got the words “be kind” added in soft, subtle periwinkle. After another delay, bursts of shining dots finally blossomed into another addition to my Concentric series.

This tiny artwork has soothing shades of blue and purple and lovely lavender, hints of green and gold waiting to shine at the right angles.

This series is very meditative to paint, following my inner promptings to start a burst here, and then one there in that color, building up from the first dot to the last.

Concentric 10, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the three shades of color bursts, green-gold, dark purple, and ocean blue. Below, this small painting is framed and waiting to bring delight to some small nook or larger display of art.

Concentric 10, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Pretty Words, Series and Books
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