Posts Tagged ‘nfs’

Storm Crows

Tuesday, March 17th, 2020

a watercolor painting of five black crows with shiny purple highlights against a dark roiling blue stormcloud, by Amy Crook

Storm Crows, 6″x4″ watercolor on paper

The abstract blue-green sky of this painting is so rich and dark, all it needed was some birds fading in and out of the roil of storm clouds. The crows are highlighted with a touch of purple that only shows up at certain angles, just enough that you’ll never entirely lose track of them.

This isn’t an easy one to photograph, and will reward the brave soul who takes it into their home and makes it their own.

Storm Crows, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the purple sheen on the crow’s wings against the dull roil of blue-black clouds. Below, the painting is resting in a frame, waiting to be taken on the winds to its final destination.

Storm Crows, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, duochrome, nfs, primatek, sky, sold, watercolor

Where Lightning Once Was

Thursday, March 12th, 2020

a watercolor painting of a raven in flight, coming to land on the lightning-struck center of a spiky tree in front of a sunset, by Amy Crook

Where Lightning Once Was, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

Another richly-colored sunset, this one is a smooth wash of red and orange with only the early moon to break it up.

The tree is spiky and strange, not quite a silhouette and filled with surprise sparkle in the depths of the trunk. Perhaps it’s all that’s left of the thorns that once caged in Sleeping Beauty, before the lightning and the prince both. In A purple-tinged raven is coming in for a landing in the open space amidst the destruction, finding room to accommodate its wingspan there.

There’s something a little vicious and rough about both the tree and the bird; they’re clearly made for each other.

Where Lightning Once Was, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see this mantled raven, its eye a baleful glint out of its dark feathers. Below, the painting is framed, though it will soon make its way to another frame, another home.

Where Lightning Once Was, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, moon, nfs, primatek, raven, sold, sunset, tree, watercolor

Both Alike in Dignity

Sunday, March 8th, 2020

a watercolor painting of a dove in a branch, a flying crow, and a stormy sky behind them both, by Amy Crook

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

a metallic print of a blue moon with textured acrylic paint applied to create a crow and corona, by Amy Crook

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

Spider Moon

Thursday, November 7th, 2019

an ink and watercolor painting of a spiderweb stretched between two tree branches, silhouetted against a golden harvest moon, by Amy Crook

Spider Moon, 8″x8″ ink and watercolor on paper

Another month, another Moon. This one is a golden Harvest Moon as befits the time of year, with a spider’s complex web stretched between branches just right to catch the light. The design looks just enough like an eye to give one an eerie feeling, and perhaps to make one wonder who is looking at who.

Not to mention wondering where the spider went.

Spider Moon, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the delicate web of silk shadowed against the strange surface of a lush golden moon. Below, the painting is framed and waiting to shed some light in your home.

Spider Moon, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: ink wash, interference, moon, nfs, pen and ink, sold, watercolor

99 Tech Toys

Thursday, September 19th, 2019

99 Tech Toys by Amy Crook, 5″x7″ pen & ink and watercolor on paper

When my friend Amber asked me to help her think of a birthday card design to tease her husband about the Switch he didn’t have*, we tossed around a few ideas, but this was the winner. “I got 99 tech toys but a Switch ain’t one” was just too funny not to use, plus it let me design Rap Badass Rey, which will have many uses in the future.

Some of the text was edited in post, mainly the Switch logo effect, because sometimes computers really do just do it better.

*obviously, he got one along with the card

Categories: Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Pretty Words, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: be a cartoon, commission, nfs, pen and ink, rey, sold, watercolor

Concentric 7

Tuesday, September 17th, 2019

Concentric 7, 12″x9″ watercolor on paper

It was an especially difficult month for photography, with black paper, strange colors, and all kinds of shinies.

This addition to my Concentric series is a beautiful mix of greens and golds, with the dots themselves a special effects paint that switches from pale green to bright gold depending on the angle of the light and the exact mix of ingredients.

The slightly-raised dots feel like fireflies, galaxies, eyes, or petals floating on a green pond. It would make a peaceful addition to any room, adding a touch of sparkle.

Concentric 7, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see those golden dots catching the light, turning different colors depending on the mix of the unusual interference paint. Below, this large piece is in a temporary frame, soon to fly to its new home.