Posts Tagged ‘for sale’
Iridescence 3
Thursday, August 11th, 2011
Iridescence 3, abstract art by Amy Crook, $333
I admit, I wanted to post both of these in the same week because they feel like different sides of the same coin to me. They use similar color schemes and techniques, but where Iridescence 2 is all soft glowing colors and indistinct shapes, Iridescence 3 is all sharp-edged spirals and visible brush strokes.
Even the haloes of complementary color around each salt pool are sharper and more distinct than in the previous piece, with more areas of pure white paper peeking through as a result. I’m not sure which of the two I prefer, though this is the one I’ve got out on display right now.
Iridescence 3, 7″x5″ mixed media on watercolor paper, $333, framed, with free shipping.
This is a closeup of the green salt pool in the lower left, so you can really see how the paint is layered in distinct circles with watercolor’s characteristic dark, sharp edges.
Iridescence 3, detail, by Amy Crook
The bold black frame works really well with the blue-black and violet-black in the darkest, sharpest of the paint swirls, and protects the fragile salt crystals from damage.
Iridescence 3, framed, by Amy Crook, $333
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: blue, for sale, green, hibiscus, iridescence, pen and ink, purple, salt, tea, watercolor
Iridescence 2
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011
Iridescence 2, abstract art by Amy Crook, $333
Going in the opposite direction of yesterday’s art, this one expands the color palette along the entire cool end of the spectrum. I used green, aqua, blue and violet pens for my salt circles. Then I supplemented it with a layer of hibiscus tea in its low-saturation periwinkle shades. After that I used watercolors in matching hues, the dark indigo-black and violet softened by swirls of complementary colors around each salt pool. Finally, I used a little bit of salt to add texture to a few of the darkest places, giving the whole piece a layered complexity.
I decided to continue naming them as a series after one of my favorite of the salt pieces, Iridescence, because they had the same quality of seeming as though they were reflective without anything shiny, other than the sparkling salt crystals.
Iridescence 2, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, $333, framed, with free shipping.
You can see one of the wonderfully complex salt structures here, a little lopsided ziggurat of crystal formations saturated with ink and ever overdyed with paint. If you click on the image you can see it even bigger and really get a sense of the detail, though of course the actual circle is barely the size of a dime.
Iridescence 2, detail, by Amy Crook
The piece looks beautiful safely tucked into its frame, the soft lines and cool colors offset by the simple black wood.
Iridescence 2, framed, by Amy Crook, $333
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: blue, for sale, green, hibiscus, iridescence, pen and ink, purple, salt, tea, watercolor
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Hibiscus Blue 5
Monday, August 8th, 2011
Hibiscus Blue 5, abstract art by Amy Crook, $323
In this installment of my Hibiscus Blue series, I decided to go fully monochromatic by using the hibiscus tea rather than water to create my salt pools. Other than the signature, there’s no ink or watercolor in this it all, only the various shades of indigo created by the tea and its chemical reaction to the paper.
When I added the tea to the salt, it was fascinating to watch the droplets of liquid turn from a clear pinkish ruby, to a dark red, then almost an opaque black before drying the deep indigo you see here. It took a long time for both the chemical reaction and for the tea to fully evaporate, but the product is completely unique.
One random thing I discovered when I was working on these pieces — mosquitoes apparently find hibiscus tea quite tasty. I had one that kept circling and landing on the art, drinking from the shallow pool of tea (rather than me, thankfully). Since I didn’t want a bug-print in the middle of my painting, I had to let it go, though I think it fell prey to one of my cats shortly after.
Hibiscus Blue 5, 5″x7″ salt and hibiscus tea on paper, $323, framed, with free shipping.
Something about the way the salt and tea reacted caused the salt pools to form as circles of low, flat crystals with no large central formation, which then tended to dissolve easily when further tea was added to the page, creating irregular shapes of iridescent sparkle on the page.
Hibiscus Blue 5, detail, by Amy Crook
I think the simple black frame really sets off the organic, monochromatic shapes, giving structure to the abstract swirls of color. The color seems a bit more accurate here, too; my scanner tends to pick up the least bit of remaining pink in the tea that isn’t as visible to the naked eye — or at least not to my eyes.
Hibiscus Blue 5, framed, by Amy Crook, $323
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, hibiscus blue, salt, tea
Green to Blue
Friday, August 5th, 2011
Green to Blue, abstract art by Amy Crook, $299
This abstract work uses the same soft celadon green Crane & Co. cardstock as Hibiscus Green, but is a much more complex piece. I used a green pen for the salt pools, which ended up with a much less uniform color to them than most of mine, the ink staying more firmly soaked into the paper so that the salt rises pale and shining above the darker green centers. I used watercolor for the surroundings, trying to expand the palette without covering up the gorgeous, subtle hue of the paper completely.
Green to Blue, 6.375″x4.25″ mixed media on paper, $299 with free shipping.
Here you can see a view of one of the formations at the center of the piece, with light shining on the fine line of redistributed salt in the blue paint.
Green to Blue, detail, by Amy Crook, $299
I don’t have a frame for this piece yet, but I’ve made a computer wallpaper and iPhone wallpaper of this piece for you to enjoy.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers
Tags: blue, crane and co, for sale, green, pen and ink, salt, watercolor
Vine Glory
Thursday, August 4th, 2011
Vine Glory by Amy Crook, $333
I wasn’t sure what to do with these glowing green florets after I’d created them on the page, but after looking again at Goth Vines I decided to take a different tack with the same idea. The hibiscus tea I used for the flowers blurred out into softer shapes than I’d originally expected, but it went with the softness of the green florets. I used a the green pen on the vines as inhabits the salt circles, and then signed the piece with the same orange that decorates each blossom with a hint of pollen.
The pink trumpet-like flowers look a bit like morning glories to me, and so I couldn’t resist punning a bit with the title. Since this piece is so decorative, I also made an iPhone wallpaper and computer wallpaper out of it for you.
Vine Glory, 5″x7″ mixed media on watercolor paper, $333, framed, with free shipping.
I used the other side of this paper, which has a different texture, and the result was much softer salt formations, though I still got the haloing effect the crystals aren’t nearly so defined as in Snowflakes or Aglow.
Vine Glory, detail, by Amy Crook
I ended up having to remove the very bottom of this piece in order to make it fit in a frame, just the last, translucent 1/8″ or so where the ink was blurring anyway.
Vine Glory, framed, by Amy Crook, $333
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Free Wallpapers
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, pen and ink, salt, tea
Hibiscus Blue 4
Monday, August 1st, 2011
Hibiscus Blue 4, abstract art by Amy Crook, $444
This fourth installment of my Hibiscus Blue series is even simpler than #2, with thin, sharp-edged indigo spirals swirling around the lighter blue salt circles. The cool, subdued colors let the lines themselves set the tone. The rhythm of this piece is quite playful, like raindrops in a puddle at the very start of a warm summer storm when only a dozen or so drops have hit.
Hibiscus Blue 4, 7″x5″ mixed media on watercolor paper, $444, framed, with free shipping.
Hibiscus Blue 4, detail, by Amy Crook
The salt circles are very simple this time, no fancy formations, just a soft hint of blue with an echo of the original spiral at the center of each one. When it’s tucked into its simple black frame, you can really get a sense of the motion of the brush in every stroke and swirl.
Hibiscus Blue 4, framed art by Amy Crook, $444
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: for sale, hibiscus, hibiscus blue, pen and ink, salt, tea
The Eyes Have It
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
The Eyes Have It, abstract art by Amy Crook, $59
This little piece is practically a sketch with its rough lines and simple structure. I made the salt pools using paint instead of ink, and the salt-infused paint grew brittle and flaked away at the centers, as you can see. Then I added halos of color to give it a feeling like the eyes on a peacock’s tail, first scribbling with the watercolor crayons and then going in with the water brush to soften the lines and blend the colors.
The scribbly lines make for a fun computer wallpaper or iPhone wallpaper, too, so I made up free ones for you. Okay, mostly for me, but a little bit for you.
The resulting little drawing is unframed, but the stiff card would sit easily on a bookshelf or little cubby, or I could even include one of my tiny wooden easels for display if you’d like.
The Eyes Have It, 5.5″x4.25″ mixed media on paper, $59 with free shipping.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Free Wallpapers
Tags: for sale, salt, watercolor, watercolor crayons
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