Posts Tagged ‘more cowbell’
Concentric 9
Monday, July 12th, 2021
Concentric 9, 5″x5″ watercolor on paper
A fitting start for a gallery full of abstract artwork and reclaimed images, here’s an old painting that gained a lot more cowbell.
This mostly-green painting had some sneaky color-changing shine to it already, so I doubled down on that palette and brought in some blue to go with the gold, green, and surprising pops of red. There’s just one big set of Concentric bursts that fade through the palette, and finally trail off and fade out into nothingness.
This is a painting I wish I could show you in person, since it looks different from every angle and has a lot more to offer than I can capture in photos. A very familiar complaint, sadly!
Concentric 9, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight reflecting off the green-gold and green-red paints, turning everything into new colors and showing off hidden details. Below, the painting is in a frame, ready to bring a bit of peace and beauty into your life.
Concentric 9, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, concentric, duochrome, green, iridescent, japanese watercolor, more cowbell, nfs, sold, watercolor
Blue Moon Murder
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020
Blue Moon Murder, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper
This piece is in a category I call “more cowbell.” I took an older Blue Moon painting and put a bird on it. Or three, to be accurate.
It’s a small murder, but it checks out.
There’s a rich texture both on the paper and in the paint here, with the black sky and haloed moon both highlighting and concealing the crows. They’ve got some gorgeous blue and violet in their feathers, especially the two in the shadows, and their eyes contain a tiny glint of iridescent paint.
Doesn’t your life need a little murder?
Blue Moon Murder, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the crows, shadow on shadow, their purple-blue plumage fading into the textured black night sky. Below, they’re trapped in a frame like a view out a window that doesn’t exist.
Blue Moon Murder, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: blue moon, crow, iridescent, more cowbell, murder of crows, nfs, sold, watercolor
Both Alike in Dignity
Sunday, March 8th, 2020
Both Alike in Dignity, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper
Two birds, both alike in dignity…
This is one of those “more cowbell” pieces that used to be something else, and now is something better. It’s the same storm as above, perhaps, but lower to the ground, closer to home. Leaves and the first drops of rain are suspended in the moment, with the carefree crow below while the dove above is already safe in its nest.
Which one are you, the one out playing in the rain, or the enjoying the weather from home where it’s warm and dry?
Both Alike in Dignity, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the crow silhouetted against the stormy sky, determined to get home despite the winds and clouds. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to find shelter in its new home.
Both Alike in Dignity, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
Tags: bird, crow, more cowbell, nfs, primatek, sold, tree, watercolor
Sky Shenanigans
Wednesday, March 4th, 2020
Sky Shenanigans, 5″x5″ acrylic, inkjet ink, and metallic pigment dust on metallic photo paper
The last of three remixes of Stirring up the Sky has already been claimed.
It’s got a mix of soft-body acrylic on top of the metallic print, which adds texture and changes the whole feel of the piece. There’s some silver pigment dusted on top, and once that was dry, a second layer of the acrylic made it onto the bird, giving it the same sort of 3D textural treatment.
These are all terrible to photograph, between the shiny paper, strange paints, and blue-spectrum colors that never quite turn out right on screen. Still, as a set they were a fun use of what would otherwise have been wasted materials and effort.
Sky Shenanigans, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the soft body acrylic creates physical texture on the smooth page. Below, the painting is visiting a little frame as it waits to fly to its new home.
Sky Shenanigans, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: altered skies, crow, metallic paper, metallic pigment powder, moon, more cowbell, nfs, soft body acrylic, sold
Sharpie Sky
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020
Sharpie Sky, 6″x4″ inkjet ink, sharpie ink, and watercolor on metallic photo paper
In the second installment of my misprint redux, I used a big fat Sharpie to darken the sky to black like my heart. There’s a soft brushing of iridescent watercolor over the whole sky, with twinkling stars of the same blue-green to add light to the deep black.
The bird got its own treatment, scribbled shadows to deepen its silhouette, make it more solid and less of a ghost. The whole effect is quite striking, much more dramatic than its predecessor, especially when the light hits it so the ink turns matte while the moon shines.
Is this the one that needs to fly home to you?
Sharpie Sky, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the dark scribbles bringing the bird more fully into the foreground. Below, a simple black frame holds this magical sky like a window into another world.
Sharpie Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: altered skies, crow, for sale, iridescent, metallic paper, moon, more cowbell, sharpie marker, watercolor
Midnight Blue Sky
Monday, March 2nd, 2020
Midnight Blue Sky, 5″x5″ inkjet and watercolor on metallic photo paper
Thanks to weird color results and other misprint issues, these prints won’t be making it into my Etsy shop. Instead, I gave away the best ones and used the remaining three for experimentation!
This one uses metallic blue and copper watercolor to change the sky to a swirling vortex, to turn the stars into an eerie presence, and make the crow’s eye shine balefully out at the viewer.
For anyone who likes corvids and shiny things, this is a great little remix of one of my best recent works.
Midnight Blue Sky, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the copper shine of this crow’s altered eye. Below, it’s framed and waiting for the right home to fly to.
Midnight Blue Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: altered skies, crow, for sale, iridescent, metallic paper, moon, more cowbell, watercolor
Diverge
Saturday, October 8th, 2016
Diverge, 10″x8″ watercolor and interference watercolor on Arches cover black paper
The watery, shimmery blue Pathways are diverging in this layered abstract painting.
A subtle, mottled pattern of dark blues and black voids hides behind the turquoise waterfalls spilling to either side of the central path. The texture of the top layer is softened by the paint beneath it, but the sparkle shines through in the right light.
These pathways diverge, but for once you can have it both ways.
Diverge, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see one set of divergent pathways running over the soft, textured background in dark blue and darker black. Below, the pathways are contained in a frame, reminding us to look both ways.
Diverge, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: black paper, blue, for sale, interference, more cowbell, pathways, water, watercolor
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