Posts Tagged ‘for sale’

Headbanging Hair

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2014

Headbanging Hair, Daron's Guitar Chronicles art by Amy Crook

Headbanging Hair,
Daron’s Guitar Chronicles art by Amy Crook

I’ve been reading Daron’s Guitar Chronicles for years now, and finally this year for Cecilia Tan’s birthday, Daron got into my head and convinced me to draw a picture of him.  It’s not entirely canon-accurate — the shirt with Ziggy’s handprint is supposed to be a different color, with the handprint in black hair dye, but I liked the red. And the guitar has about as much in common with Daron’s actual guitar as stick figures to humans, so, you know. Although, next time I draw a stringed instrument, I’m going to pull out my tiny Micron pens for the strings, brush pens are just not suited, at least in my wobbly fingers.

DGC is a story about being gay and in the closet in the late ’80s and early ’90s – and a rock star. The second big fat omnibus book is coming out via Kickstarter pretty soon, so if that sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can get both books or just go read it online for free.

Headbanging Hair, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Headbanging Hair, framed art by Amy Crook

Headbanging Hair, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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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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Quilted

Monday, April 7th, 2014

Quilted, abstract art by Amy Crook

Quilted, abstract art by Amy Crook

This piece started out life as a test for my new Zebra brush pens (in three sizes, woo!), something to doodle while I was on a conference call. I liked the progression of patterns so much I pulled out my travel kit of watercolors and played around long after the call was over, giving each section its own distinct color and texture, but letting them blend a little where they bordered each other.

It reminds me of a quilt, with the bright patterned sections that don’t match, but somehow go together. Thus, the name!

Quilted, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Quilted, detail, by Amy Crook

Quilted, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of the middle section, the two shades of red in a big swath bordered by orange fading to white on one side, and white fading to blue on the other. Below, I’ve temporarily put it in a frame — for these little odd-sized pieces, I think it looks nice to put it on a mat with transparent photo corners in a slightly larger frame.

Quilted, framed art by Amy Crook

Quilted, framed art by Amy Crook

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Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
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Lurker in the Depths

Sunday, April 6th, 2014

Lurker in the Depths by Amy Crook

Lurker in the Depths by Amy Crook

Most of this seahorse is pale, like a creature evolved in a place where there’s little to no light, but his fin is decorated with a rather morbid splash of red. His eye swirls with yellow and white, making him look blind. He lurks in the swirling waters next to a barnacle-bedecked skull.

Despite all these rather ghoulish details, there’s an adorable sort of whimsy to him. Go figure.

Lurker in the Depths, 5″x7″ pen & ink and Copic marker on paper.

Lurker in the Depths, detail, by Amy Crook

Lurker in the Depths, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the subtle detail in the seahorse, his creepy yellow-tinged eye and the blue shadows on his pale body. Below, you can see him in a frame, hanging out with a squid.

Lurker in the Depths, framed art by Amy Crook

Lurker in the Depths, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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Yearning

Friday, April 4th, 2014

Yearning, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Yearning, abstract watercolor by Amy Crook

Yearning might actually be my favorite piece out of April’s Floating Gallery. Everything about it is subtle, delicate, and incredibly hard to convey with photos and pixels, but I love it anyway. There’s just something about the two shapes and the way they strain to cross the void, sending out waves of yearning like a corona surrounding the core.

What are you longing for, in your silent, secret heart?

Yearning, 10″x8″ duochrome watercolor on watercolor paper.

Yearning, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Yearning, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the upper left corner, turned to catch the sunlight and reveal the hidden treasures of color and light in its depths. Below, we have the lower right, cooler and more congruent but still sending those secret tendrils outward.

Yearning, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Yearning, detail 2, by Amy Crook

And finally, the piece in a frame, showing off the depth of texture in the paper, and hanging out with my iPhone for size comparison.

Yearning, framed art by Amy Crook

Yearning, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Telltale Heart

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

Telltale Heart by Amy Crook

Telltale Heart by Amy Crook

This painting is awfully bright and whimsical to be a reference to Poe’s famous short story, but the name somehow fit anyway with the way the heart is just barely defined by a few telltale strokes of the brush.

I really like the non-rainbow progression of colors, and the rich textures trapped in the transition. I imagine this piece brightening up someone’s work space, providing inspiration and a grounding in kindness.

Telltale Heart, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.

Telltale Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Telltale Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a bit of the texture on the painting, a mix of granulation, brush strokes, and subtle color shifts. Below, you can see it in a frame, just waiting to go to its new home.

Telltale Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Telltale Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
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New Growth

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

New Growth by Amy Crook

New Growth by Amy Crook

Spring is creeping out into the US despite the weather, with daffodils here and brave buds there. Here in California we’ve got lots of flowers and new leaves, though there’s a yellow edge to some of them with the drought.

This painting echoes those delicate new leaves and water-drenched old growth, unfurling after a life-giving rain shower.

Art can symbolize something you want in life, and be a talisman for your own movement in that direction. Is there somewhere you could use a breath of spring and a burst of new growth?

New Growth, 7″5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

New Growth, detail, by Amy Crook

New Growth, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see how there’s a ghost of yellow even beyond the spray of new growth, like the mists of pollen floating on the page. Below, you can see the painting in a frame, washed bright in the spring sunshine.

New Growth, framed art by Amy Crook

New Growth, framed art by Amy Crook

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