Posts Tagged ‘iridescent’

Uncertain Boundaries 2

Monday, May 8th, 2017

Uncertain Boundaries 2, abstract map art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, 10″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

Layers of boundaries obscured but not always obliterated by the shapes that form atop them. A world that is always shifting, changing, adapting to the forces that make and move borders. A history hiding in the blend of color, the sparkle of truths that won’t stay buried.

Uncertain Boundaries 2 is another Map piece, mixed media artworks that create imaginary places and invite the viewer to explore them.

What history do you think has happened here?

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the half-obliterated history of these strange countries, lines still there in memory but outweighed by the present. Below, this piece is in a frame, waiting to add some mystery to your walls.

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Uncertain Boundaries 2, framed art by Amy Crook

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

Saturday, May 7th, 2016

Calcifer, Howl's Moving Castle art by Amy Crook

Calcifer, 6″x4″ ink wash and various watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Studio Ghibli has made some of the most amazing films, and one of my favorites is the adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle. If you’ve seen it, the title will make perfect sense!

A glow-haloed, shadowy figure dances over the water through a rain of color and light, like a shining star in a fall of them, experiencing a few bright moments of joy before snuffing out.

This painting has several kinds of sparkle to it against a soft grey ink rain, and its real beauty shines through in person.

Calcifer, detail, by Amy Crook

Calcifer, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the iridescent, duochrome, and interference watercolors sparkle through the inky haze of rain. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting for its chance to shine for you.

Calcifer, framed art by Amy Crook

Calcifer, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
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Blacks Don’t Match

Sunday, February 7th, 2016

Blacks Don't Match, abstract art by Amy Crook

Blacks Don’t Match, 10″x8″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper

Two lovely, granulating off-blacks float on top of a sea of colour, red and gold, turquoise and lavender, and just a bit of secret shine that comes through at just the right angle.

The textures in this abstract are reminiscent of an oil painting, the rough scrape of palette knife and layered color hinting at what lies beneath.

In the upper left, cool colours are hidden beneath a ruddy black, the texture flirting around the idea of a pattern both above and below. The lower right has a different texture, a fiery orange peeking through a blue-black like branches, ruffles, shingles.

What do you see?

Blacks Don't Match, detail, by Amy Crook

Blacks Don’t Match, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can really see the shining spirals masked beneath the black. Below, there’s a third shade of black in the frame, showing off this lovely larger piece.

Blacks Don't Match, framed art by Amy Crook

Blacks Don’t Match, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Rainy City

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016

Rainy City, watercolor skyline by Amy Crook

Rainy City, 10″x8″ Japanese watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper

This painting has been months in the making, from the first fall of rain to the test city bookmark to the painstaking buildings themselves. A dark, nighttime echo of the Jade City, more than one person has described the cloud-shapes above as looming figures.

Intricately detailed buildings of jade seem almost translucent beneath the color-shifting sky. The rainy grey becomes blue and violet at certain angles, adding to the mysterious, otherworldly feel.

Rainy City, detail, by Amy Crook

Rainy City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the wash of violet in the shining rain, above the gorgeous jade green city. Below, it’s been trapped in a frame like a view out an alien window, just waiting to grace your walls.

Rainy City, framed art by Amy Crook

Rainy City, framed art by Amy Crook

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

Wednesday, January 6th, 2016

Domed City by Amy Crook

Domed City, 4″x6″ iridescent watercolor and ink wash on Fluid watercolor paper

Another painting with some hidden sparkle, this one’s mostly done in ink washes. The background is an amazing rich teal that none of my electronics want to pick up, and the domes sparkle with golden highlights beneath the iridescent blue dragon.

This tiny piece would add a lovely bit of scifi-fantasy allure to a desk, bookshelf, or reading nook.

Here there be dragon!

Domed City, detail, by Amy Crook

Domed City, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shining underbelly on the dragon that floats above the domed city. Below, a tiny window into this strange world as the painting is trapped behind glass in its frame.

Domed City, framed art by Amy Crook

Domed City, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Hummingbird at Night

Sunday, October 4th, 2015

Hummingbird at Night by Amy Crook

Hummingbird at Night by Amy Crook

This time of year there’s hummingbirds all over my neighborhood, and even showing up on my social media feeds. These inspirational little tiny jewels just beg to be captured, not in a cage, but on the page.

This painting features iridescent and duochrome paints on the black paper so everything shimmers and shines the way a real hummingbird does. The duochrome paints are really something, they change color depending on the angle of the light. Despite being a night scene, this piece sparkles charmingly in sunlight.

Hummingbird at Night, 6″x4″ duochrome and iridescent watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Hummingbird at Night, detail, by Amy Crook

Hummingbird at Night, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sparkle in the Hummingbird’s breast and the loose brushstrokes that shape the leaves. Below, this tiny gem is nestled into a frame, waiting to brighten up your life.

Hummingbird at Night, framed art by Amy Crook

Hummingbird at Night, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
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Zombie Heart

Saturday, October 3rd, 2015

Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, abstract art by Amy Crook

Although Zombie Heart is in keeping with the Halloween theme, there’s a gorgeous complexity to it that could live in the right home year round. The greens range from the darkest shadow around the main shape to the iridescence that floats above, shining like radioactivity.

The way the metallic greens bloom on the dark green core shape is like mold blossoming against decaying zombie flesh. The organic layers of shape and shade show an eerily beautiful side to this particular undead myth.

Are your favorite zombies created by magic, radioactivity, a virus, or some mad scientist?

Zombie Heart, 8″x10″ watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.

Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the mysterious swirls and shimmers giving depth and texture to the painting. Below, it’s lurking in a frame, waiting to find a permanent home, lab, or specimen shelf.

Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Zombie Heart, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
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