Posts Tagged ‘nfs’
Two for Joy
Friday, June 5th, 2015
Two for Joy by Amy Crook
If this painting feels familiar, that’s because it’s a relative of last month’s One for Sorrow 2. The figure this time is more androgynous, and their clothing seems to be blowing against the prevailing winds that bend the trees to their will.
Just like its predecessor, this piece has a lot of soft, pale fog that gets lost when it’s reproduced, but adds a lot of rich texture to the original. You can see it in the trees in the detail photo, a delicate sweep of wind moving across the paper grain.
Two crows sit low on a branch in the lee of the wind, harbingers of some unnamed joy. Whose joy and about what is left up to the imagination of the viewer, or perhaps it belongs to the apparition staring blankly back out of the page.
Two for Joy, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Two for Joy, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the staticky figure staring back at you, his clothing seemingly blown by an opposing wind. Below, I’ve displayed the painting in a temporary frame, where it awaits its new home.
Two for Joy, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: bloodstone, counting crows, crow, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
Cat Naps
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
Cat Naps by Amy Crook
Cats! Lazy, languid, liquid cats. I first explored this idea in a sketchy little bookmark, but of course with only room for three poses it wasn’t nearly enough.
I took inspiration from my own ridiculous pets, Belladonna and Pod, and of course the many cats on the internet.
I have trouble choosing a favorite — what’s yours?
Cat Naps, 5″x7″ brush and ink on paper.
Cat Naps, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close up of the fine brush work on this sleeping kitty, rich with texture despite the minimalist design. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting to add some extra kitty zen to your life.
Cat Naps, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: brush and ink, brush pen, cat, cats, nfs, sold, zen
Songbird
Wednesday, May 20th, 2015
Songbird by Amy Crook
My mother admired Jo’s Raptor, and so I decided to paint her a songbird of her own for Mother’s Day. This brush-and-ink style is always an interesting challenge in balancing detail versus simplicity. This little guy is just waiting for his chance to break out in song to herald the long-awaited return of spring.
The original is already in its new home, but you can buy him on a blank card at Etsy.
Songbird, 7″x5″ brush and ink on paper.
Songbird greeting card by Amy Crook at Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: bird, brush and ink, brush pen, etsy, nfs
4 Lord of the Rings bookmarks
Wednesday, May 13th, 2015
4 Lord of the Rings bookmarks by Amy Crook
As you can see from the date in the signature, I actually drew these last year for one of my darling patrons, and then apparently never shared them with you! Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and Aragorn are all ready to strike out with their hobbits (and wizard) and get the ring to Mordor. Even if Boromir is convinced one does not simply walk there.
The originals are long gone, but you can get your very own printed set on Etsy.
4 Lord of the Rings bookmarks, various sizes, pen & ink and Copic marker on watercolor paper.
4 Lord of the Rings bookmarks by Amy Crook on Etsy
Categories: Card Design, Completed Commissions, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: aragorn, boromir, copic marker, etsy, gimli, legolas, lotr, nfs, pen and ink, sold
One for Sorrow 2
Friday, May 8th, 2015
One for Sorrow 2 by Amy Crook
I’m not entirely happy with the title One for Sorrow 2, but this painting definitely needed that name, prior use notwithstanding. The single baleful crow sits high in the branches of the windswept tree, its image smeared out into the fog like an apparition, as though the bird is more of a ghost than the figure below.
There is a lot of very pale detail in the trees and sky which is hard to photograph, but shows up beautifully in person and adds another layer to the sense of windswept, foggy unreality. The detail photo shows a little of the sky, but it’s hard to spot on the sun-drenched page.
The lovely, textured greys are also not entirely black, but have a mix of reddish brown bloodstone in them to give the whole piece a more organic, grounded atmosphere.
One for Sorrow 2, 6″x6″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
One for Sorrow 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can just barely see the texture in the fog, a hint of wind and motion and shapes looming large and distant. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, just waiting to haunt your house.
One for Sorrow 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: bloodstone, counting crows, crow, nfs, sold, tree, watercolor
Spring Blossoms
Thursday, May 7th, 2015
Spring Blossoms by Amy Crook
Despite the lack of rain, spring is most definitely here in California, and the pollen right along with it. The one consolation is the proliferation of beautiful flowering trees, including the famous cherry blossoms.
With this series, I often paint the skies and decide on what goes on the horizon later. This time the clouds came out so fluffy and friendly that I wanted to honour the beautiful spring sky, and so I mixed up a pale, petal pink to bring a sense of warmth and hope to the bare branches.
The colors are very hard to capture when it’s all pale blue and soft pink, and no matter what I do the sky ends up much greener than in real life, so do take the images with a grain of salt. As with anything online, what you see is probably neither what I see nor what reality looks like.
Spring Blossoms, 8″x4″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Spring Blossoms, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the beautiful raised droplets of paint that create the feeling of a cherry tree in full bloom, and a few of the little songbirds flitting in and out of the branches. Below, you can see the painting in a temporary frame — the odd size means it will need a mat of some kind before it goes up on the wall. This is also the photo of the three that best represents the ‘true’ colors, at least on my monitor.
Spring Blossoms, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: horizons, nfs, pen and ink, sold, spring, tree, watercolor
Unlock Me
Tuesday, May 5th, 2015
Unlock Me by Amy Crook
I’ve been working hard on a new novel, Unboxed, which should be out sometime this summer. There’s a theme of keys and locks in it, and this lovely painting is part of the cover art.
Lovely hand-painted filigree in a warm rosy gold frames a mysterious keyhole, just waiting for the right key to come unlock it. There’s 3 painted gemstones held in the spirals and curls of the metal. The background is a dark brown woodgrain, the opening of this mysterious box kept safe and sound by the lock that covers it.
This painting gives a fairytale sense of mystery, inviting speculation and storytelling of your own to explain the reason for the lock, who has the key, and what hides inside.
Unlock Me, 8″x10″ Japanese and metallic watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Unlock Me, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the painting washed with sunlight, catching on the gold and copper paint that make up the filigree design. Below, the painting sits in a frame, a fairytale just waiting to be told.
Unlock Me, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, i made this, japanese watercolor, metallic, nfs, sold, unboxed
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
