Posts Tagged ‘pearlescent’

Wyrm

Saturday, July 17th, 2021

a watercolor painting of a green dragon's head with spiral scales

Wyrm, 7″x5″ watercolor on paper

A wyrm is a type of dragon with no legs or wings, basically a giant snake that’s still gonna eat you for breakfast. This one is essentially the result of doodling, playing with shapes formed in a loose wash of paint, building up shadows and lifting highlights until the dragon emerged from the swirling mist.

There’s sparkle throughout but especially in the fog, and my favorite shape features heavily. Spirals in the fog, in the scales, in horns that lay flat against its neck.

Sinuous and menacing, this wyrm looks hangry and you look like a snack.

Wyrm, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see some of the pearlescent shimmer, and a close-up of our wyrm’s baleful eye. Below, he’s in a frame, awaiting his next snack.

Wyrm, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
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Concentric 8

Tuesday, March 9th, 2021

abstract art of concentric dotted circles on a purple background

Concentric 8 by Amy Crook, 9″x12″ watercolor on paper, sold

It’s art that I finished in 2021! I’m very happy to be back at it finally, now that all the stress and extra tasks of moving have been largely dealt with (unpacking is eternal).

I’ve had this purple background for a while now, and I finally got the motivation over a few days of work to get this lovely, fireworks-like addition to the Concentric series done. I put it up on my Patreon while it was in progress, and one of my wonderful supporters claimed it before it was even done!

Below, you can see a zoomed-in angle view of some of the lovely metallic and iridescent paints that I used for this meditative work. I tried to stick to a certain palette, but I couldn’t resist sneaking in a little gold for the very middle burst. Which set of circles is your favorite?

close-up of abstract art with metallic dotted circles on a purple background

Concentric 8, detail, by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books
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Concentric 3

Tuesday, March 12th, 2019

Concentric 3 by Amy Crook, an abstract painting of bursts of shiny color against a deep amethyst background

Concentric 3, 8″x8″ watercolor on paper

Another Concentric abstract this time, one that holds some of the meditative quality of its creation.

This one sparkles in every layer, from the tiny chips of amethyst in the background depths, to the mix of shimmery special effects paints used in the foreground. The final effect is like fireworks against a violet, star-speckled sky, brightening the room with their shine.

Concentric 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Concentric 3, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see a small section of the firework-like bursts of concentric rings. Below, the painting sits in a frame, resting before its trip to its new home.

Concentric 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Concentric 3, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Series and Books
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Concentric 1

Friday, June 8th, 2018

Concentric 1 by Amy Crook, abstract art of white patterns on a purple background with gold flecks

Concentric 1, 10″x8″ ink on Fluid watercolor paper

Circles within circles, swirls within swirls. This abstract painting is full of shine and complexity, gold like scattered petals floating through everything while translucent, pearlescent white makes concentric shapes all through the complex background.

The violet has deconstructed itself as much as everything else, red and blue visible in places while still letting the eye find purple first and foremost.

The first in a series, this painting is immensely fun to sit and play with, moving it back and forth so the different metallics catch the light or vanish into the shadows like floating seeds sinking below the water.

Concentric 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Concentric 1, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the shimmering white pearl and gold paints catching the light, giving up their translucency and becoming solid, floating above the purple instead of fading into it. Below, the painting is waiting in a frame to be mailed off to its new home.

Concentric 1, framed art by Amy Crook

Concentric 1, framed art by Amy Crook

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

Sunday, June 3rd, 2018

Beneath by Amy Crook, a pencil and watercolor painting in blues with a large marine monster below a tiny surfer

Beneath, 4″x8″ pencil and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper

Humanity has explored such a small percentage of the oceans, and we can comfortably swim or surf or sail on just the thinnest sliver of surface. We never know what lies just beneath those waves, waiting patiently for their time to come.

This monster with its blank, shining eye and teeth taller than a mast is there below the waves that propel this surfer just over its head.

But not necessarily out of its reach.

Beneath, detail, by Amy Crook

Beneath, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sharp teeth and dead, pearlescent eye of the creature up close. Below, the monster is hiding in its frame, lying in wait for some unfathomable cue to act.

Beneath, framed art by Amy Crook

Beneath, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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Kelp 2

Sunday, April 8th, 2018

abstract art of turquoise blue cascading upwards on black paper, with occasional horizontal breaks in the flow, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper

Shining fronds in beautiful blue-green rise up through the charcoal depths of this lightfast paper, with the occasional horizontal detour into shelf-like protrusions.

Another installment in the Pathways series, this painting takes a simple monochrome palette and breaks it into glittering particles. Each little piece of color seems to shine with its own shade of blue, green, or silver, shifting oh-so-subtly as it moves through the light.

Where do you need something beautiful to catch the light in your life?

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the subtle sparkle of mica-laden paints and the beautiful rivulets of thick paint and dancing void. Below, the painting is sitting in a frame, a waving undersea frond trapped in its own little aquarium.

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Kelp 2, framed art by Amy Crook

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Series and Books
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Enthusiasm

Tuesday, February 7th, 2017

Enthusiasm, abstract art by Amy Crook

Enthusiasm, 10″x8″ watercolor on Arches cover buff paper

One of my dear friends loves hot pink, so I borrowed some of her enthusiasm for this Pathways painting.

The result is actually quite gorgeous, buff paper offsetting the pearlescent white intermingled with the rich, glowing pinks. The whole thing has a bubbly, warm feeling to it would brighten up any space, and be especially beautiful in the sunlight.

Where in your life do you need a little Enthusiasm?

Enthusiasm, detail, by Amy Crook

Enthusiasm, detail, by Amy Crook

Above, you can see the sparkling white catching the light next to the gorgeously detailed pinks, spreading out like water on a window creating pattern out of the interaction between two spaces. Below, the piece is in a frame, its shine muted by the angle of the light.

Enthusiasm, framed art by Amy Crook

Enthusiasm, framed art by Amy Crook

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