Posts Tagged ‘moon’

Stirring Up the Sky

Friday, September 6th, 2019

Stirring Up the Sky by Amy Crook, watercolor painting of a black crow against a shiny blue moon in a shiny dark blue sky

Stirring Up the Sky, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

More skies, more sparkles, more moon, more bird!

This one’s got a lovely shimmery background, both moon and sky, which the wings of our crow pick up beautifully. There is some matte black in its head and body and along the arches of its bones, but mostly this crow is like a dream of motion, stirring up the sky. The crow blots out the shine of the moon like the only solid piece of reality in a shining, swirling night.

Where would this beauty fit into your reality?

Stirring Up the Sky, detail, by Amy Crook

Stirring Up the Sky, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the deep black of the crow going blurred and sparkly against the turquoise glitter of the moon. Below, the painting is shining out of a frame, waiting to go home with you. Yes, you.

Stirring Up the Sky, framed art by Amy Crook

Stirring Up the Sky, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
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Looking Down at the Moon

Sunday, May 5th, 2019

Looking Down at the Moon by Amy Crook, an abstract watercolor of a golden harvest moon on a blue background

Looking Down at the Moon, 9″x12″ watercolor on paper

At first glance it almost seems like a reflection of moonlight on a puddle of water.

But then the moon itself, that mysterious harvest-gold disk, is free of the ripples haloing it. And it seems to float just below them, as though one has managed to stand atop the skip and gaze down upon it from a great height indeed.

Or perhaps the moon is trapped in a well like some fairy tale, waiting for someone to give her a hand in exchange for a wish.

Looking Down at the Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Looking Down at the Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the layered waves and ripples of color — the gold here is probably the most accurate of all the photos, though the blue is more accurate in the framed photo, below. Ah, gamut issues.

Looking Down at the Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Looking Down at the Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Moon Landing

Thursday, May 2nd, 2019

Moon Landing by Amy Crook, watercolor painting of a crow landing on a bare branch under a daylight moon

Moon Landing, 9″x12″ Primatek watercolor on paper

This started with a palette and a sky, and the tree grew in complexity and reached out just asking for a bird to alight on its outstretched branch. There’s a dim daytime moon just barely visible in the upper left corner, inspiring the punny name.

This painting has a really delightful, eerie quality with its soft sky and stark tree. The black bird has a beautiful organic quality to the motion of its feathers, and the reach of its feet. It looks like the branch is beckoning it in for a landing, for good or ill.

Moon Landing, Detail, by Amy Crook

Moon Landing, Detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the crow up close in all its gloomy glory. Below, this painting is in a frame, showing off its size by being almost as tall as the writing desk’s cubbies.

Moon Landing, framed art by Amy Crook

Moon Landing, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Blue Moon 6

Monday, March 4th, 2019

Blue Moon 6 by Amy Crook, three crows flying against a blue near-full moon in a swirling dark sky

Blue Moon 6, 6″x4″ gouache and watercolor on paper

A blue moon hangs gibbous in the dark of night, mysterious colors peeking out through the mist around it. Three birds make their way across, neither entirely silhouetted nor completely illuminated.

This was almost “three for a death” after a different version of the counting crows rhyme, though these feel more like ravens to me. An unkindness of three, though who knows how many more are lurking among the swirling shadows.

Whether waxing or waning, the moon floats serenely in a halo of its own light, secure that the time will bring its cycle back to full soon enough.

Blue Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Blue Moon 6, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the moon glowing, the spirals of darkness reaching, and the ravens soaring. Below, you can see this small art in its frame, perfect for tucking a piece of once upon a time into your own space.

Blue Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Blue Moon 6, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Saffron Moon

Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

Saffron Moon by Amy Crook, an abstract watercolor with a golden yellow circle against blue-black

Saffron Moon, 12″x12″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

The barely-blue of midnight impinges on the strange saffron swirls of this big, beautiful moon. Neither abstract nor fully realistic, but a blend of both that evokes a feeling of mystery and possibility, perfect for October people.

If you make your home in the harvests and haystacks, between the pumpkins and the fallen leaves, then perhaps this would fit right in with the decor.

What’s your favorite season?

Saffron Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Saffron Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one of the intricate little edge details where the midnight mist creeps into the gold of the shining moon. Below, this larger art is awaiting a frame big enough, holding a spot in pride of place at my writing desk.

Saffron Moon, abstract art by Amy Crook

Saffron Moon, abstract art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
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Blood Moon 9

Friday, August 3rd, 2018

Blood Moon 9 by Amy Crook, 3 bats flying against a red full moon on a violet sky with gold stars

Blood Moon 9, 10″x8″ watercolor on Arches cover white paper

Friday, July 27th was a blood moon for parts of the world that could see the eclipse, so this painting is in honor of that momentous occasion.

The sky is a gorgeous red-violet, deep but not dull, with rich gold stars glittering out of the page. The moon glows with subtle shimmers as well, and three bats fly across, the ruddy light shining through their wing membranes.

The framed photo perhaps best captures the warmth of the colors in this mercurial painting, the layered paint making it different from every angle. Far from being cold, the night is alive with magic and mystery, just waiting for you to join in.

Blood Moon 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 9, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you an see the three tiny bats and the delicate transparency of their wing membranes. Below, the bats are in a frame, fluttering in anticipation of their new home.

Blood Moon 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Blood Moon 9, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Harvest Moon 5

Thursday, June 7th, 2018

Harvest Moon 5 by Amy Crook, a watercolor painting of three herons flying in silhouette against a golden full moon

Harvest Moon 5, 8″x8″ watercolor on Arches watercolor paper

Today’s beautiful golden moon silhouettes three great blue herons against its warm glow.

The stars have a little sparkle to them, but the sky is a flat, swirling velvety grey nestling them like little droplets of molten gold.

Any moon that’s close to the horizon will look orange, but those autumnal full moons that presage the season of crunchy leaves and spooky ghosts have a special sort of mystique to them. You never know what you’ll see, whether it’s a bird or a bat, a swirl of fallen leaves — or a ghost.

Harvest Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see one of the cranes in closer detail, a dark blot of feathers and grace against the bright moon. Below, the moon is captured in a frame, just waiting to become a part of your sky.

Harvest Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Harvest Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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