Posts Tagged ‘iridescent’

Phosphorescence

Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

Phosphorescence, 12″x24″ mixed media on paper

In the same vein as Time is Escaping, this larger-scale painting uses shimmering, textured paint to create a feeling of water and movement.

The spiral structure suggests a deep whirlpool or concentric waves, with something brightly phosphorescent bursting out, escaping with its darker-hued cousins. Despite the feeling of depth, the paint in the center is thickly layered in textural swashes, though some peeks of the first layer, an iridescent fluorite green wash, still show through.

The palette of black, purple, blue, and green is reminiscent of a peacock feather, as is the sheen of sparkle that covers the entire painting.

Phosphorescence, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see sunlight picking up the flecks of tourmaline in the black, and the varying shades of purple floating atop the central vortex. Below, the same purples drift down into the shimmering metallic greens at the bottom of the painting.

Phosphorescence, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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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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Time is Escaping

Monday, April 4th, 2022

Time is Escaping, 12″x24″ mixed media on paper

This piece has been through a number of transformations, starting with a very pink wash of rhodonite and ending with a spattering of metallic watercolor. There’s both mineral and synthetic pigments, watercolor and acrylic paints, and a variety of techniques in this big, beautiful work of art.

Larger than my usual (two feet tall — Trotsky for scale!), this painting would add shine and color to any space. It’s a gorgeous statement piece, a mix of intense blues and purples softened by sparkle and shine, and the pearly sheen of genuine black tourmaline.

Time is Escaping, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a close-up of all the gorgeous texture in the central spiral. Below, you can see the swirls and dots of the lower portion of the painting, as lit by actual spring sun!

Time is Escaping, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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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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November 2021 Patreon Sketches

Thursday, March 3rd, 2022

And here is November! As you can see, some of these got done in January, but I am, in fact, currently caught up, so go me! These days I need extras for my Snow Leopards and Voidcats that don’t make requests, so everyone gets some fun art in their swag mailings. We’ll see how long those quarterly packets last, but the first one was a success!

From the top left:

  • random night scene with Copics on Yupo
  • “spice coffee” for Jefferson
  • another random night scene with watercolor on black paper
  • a variation on concentrics with white gouache on sparkly watercolor
  • “autumn eeveeon” for Eric
  • blobcat ft Trotsky’s liquid bones
  • “tyrannical threes” for Rey & Amber

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, 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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