Posts Tagged ‘purple’
Crows in the Gloaming
Friday, June 27th, 2014
Crows in the Gloaming, watercolor by Amy Crook
I’m deeply dissatisfied with Photoshop’s inability to show the soft, mysterious violets in this, instead turning it magenta and blue and every color but the ones you get in the real thing. The crows themselves are a dusky, matte black that really pops, the three phases of flight gliding past the clouds in the purple twilight.
I’m really happy with how these crows look, almost completely in silhouette with just a little bit of soft detail on the far wings of the outer two, with the one in the center a dark blot on the sky.
It probably says something about me that I like dark blots on the sky.
Crows in the Gloaming, 8″x4″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Crows in the Gloaming, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the upper left crow, with just a little granulated light shining off the feathers here and there. Below, you can see the piece in a temporary frame, with the closest color to the real thing. But still not right, dammit.
Crows in the Gloaming, framed art by Amy Crook
Crows in the Gloaming will be available for purchase in July’s Floating Gallery. You can get a chance to snag it early if you’re on my list.
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, for sale, purple, watercolor
Blue Violet
Monday, May 5th, 2014
Blue Violet, abstract art by Amy Crook
Beautiful, richly layered color and shine make this painting live up to its name. There’s really only 2 colors each of normal watercolor, shiny watercolor, and glitter gel pen, but their interactions create an amazing level of fractal detail and variety of shades from blue to violet.
This painting would bring a gorgeous pop of color to an otherwise drab office or wall.
Blue Violet, 8″x8″ watercolor, iridescent watercolor, and glitter gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper.
Blue Violet, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a hint of the glitter pen hiding in the paint, blue lines and purple spirals floating atop the color. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, bright and beautiful against the black.
Blue Violet, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: blue, duochrome, glitter gel pen, iridescent, nfs, purple, sold, violet, watercolor
Dragonfly Trio
Wednesday, March 5th, 2014
Dragonfly Trio by Amy Crook
Three filigree-winged, iridescent dragonflies flit across the matte surface of this gorgeous blue-purple background. A deep pond edged with fuchsias, perhaps, or a midnight puddle lit by Chinese lanterns. Their bodies and wings are painted with a duochrome paint that catches the sunlight, changing color depending on the angle just like the real thing.
Dragonfly Trio, 6″x4″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover white paper.
Dragonfly Trio, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can get a hint of the way the dragonfly seems to float above the surface of the other paint when it properly catches the light. Below, it’s in a frame, reflected darkly back at itself in my phone.
Dragonfly Trio, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: blue, dragonfly, duochrome, iridescent, nfs, purple, sold, watercolor
Maleficent
Monday, March 3rd, 2014
Maleficent, abstract art by Amy Crook
Maleficent has a texture like layers of scales carved by the pen into the painted surface. The painstaking detail invites closer examination, especially in the different ways in which the paint mixed with the red ink to add an extra layer of color along with the surface finish.
This painting is named after the villain’s dragon form in the original Disney Sleeping Beauty, majestic and powerful but still, in her heart, flawed. You can see that flaw under the scales, almost the exact shape of the crack in the universe from Doctor Who.
Some of you followed along on Instagram during the week I spent working on this piece (hi!), so now you can see it in all its strange, obsessive glory. I keep wanting to run my finger over it, but I resist, because I don’t want to turn my fingers purple, or ruin the painting by accident.
Maleficent, 6″x4″ pen & ink and Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Maleficent, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of the texture, and the furrows the pen made as it pressed into the painted surface. I had to re-draw some of the arcs half a dozen times to get the effect I wanted, because the pen was constantly getting clogged with paint it picked up from the paper. Below, you can see it in a frame with my phone. It’s wee! So wee, and so painstakingly detailed.
Maleficent, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, japanese watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, watercolor
Descent
Sunday, February 2nd, 2014
Descent, abstract art by Amy Crook
A violet night sky is peppered with the texture of stars. Shimmering halos surround these rocky meteors as they descend through that peaceful sky, trailing glittering fire behind them. There’s red and green and lavender and some hints of blue and brown and gold. The sunlight changes everything, and a closer look shows shining crystals jutting up off the page, intruding into the third dimension.
This painting took a lot of fits and starts and several different forms before I was happy with this final work. All of the pieces work in harmony to tell a visual story, instead of fighting to find meaning between them.
Descent, 7″x5″ salt, watercolor, and duochrome watercolor on paper.
Descent, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of some of the meteors, see the rich red and shimmery green, and the lavender halos lighting up against the violet sky. Below, you can see the painting all tucked into a frame, protected from the elements and ready to grace your wall, desk, or shelf.
Descent, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery
Tags: duochrome, for sale, more cowbell, purple, salt, violet, watercolor
Spiral Dragon
Monday, October 7th, 2013
Spiral Dragon by Amy Crook
Red Sharpie scales cover the entire page, showing through and informing the shapes of everything above them.
Dragons are often identified by their colors. Red and blue make purple, make violet. This dragon has fire in his eyes and ice along his belly.
Is his breath hot or cold? Is that smoke or mist curling from his mouth? Do those spikes cauterize as they pierce, melt the strongest armor or chill it to shattering, or neither, merely sharp, merely tipped in shining red?
Seemingly endless spiral scales are there to protect him, but as Neil Gaiman says, “dragons have one soft spot, somewhere, always.”
Spiral Dragon, 8″x8″ Sharpie marker, watercolor and iridescent watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Spiral Dragon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the sunlight reflecting off the iridescent sapphire of the dragon’s underbelly, and the way the red Sharpie spirals show through everything. Below, you can see the piece in a frame, just waiting for the perfect wall.
Spiral Dragon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Things I'm a Fan Of, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: blue, dragon, iridescent, nfs, purple, red, sharpie marker, sold, spiral, spirals, watercolor
Foreign Object Debris
Tuesday, July 30th, 2013
Foreign Object Debris by Amy Crook, $450
I showed this to a friend of mine when it was still a work in progress, and he said it reminded him of a piece of lost metal plating from a spaceship, made of some exotic, slightly damaged metal. I liked the idea so much I used it for the title. This piece started out with a layer of textured, dark purple acrylic, including the spot in one corner where it looks as though something horrible has happened to it. I added iridescent purple to give the whole thing a metallic look, and then went in later with a darker purple to add the sort of dirt that one expects on a much-handled object. The paint wraps around to the edges of the canvas, giving the whole thing the feeling of being one single strange object.
Foreign Object Debris, 12″x12″ acrylic and oil paint on canvas, $450 with free shipping.
Foreign Object Debris, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the light hits the violet paint, bringing up the sheen in the grooves of the original paint and canvas. Below, you can see the ‘damaged’ portion of heavily applied paint, gleaming in the sunlight.
Foreign Object Debris, detail 2, by Amy Crook
And finally, I took a photo of it still on my easel, because of reasons. The painting is a foot square, and will be wired and ready to hang when it finds itself a forever home.
Foreign Object Debris, painting by Amy Crook
- Title: Foreign Object Debris
- 12 in. x 12 in. acrylic paint, oil paint and silver Sharpie signature on gallery-wrapped canvas
- $450 for the original (tax will be added if you live in CA)
- Frame is not included, but the piece will be wired for hanging
- Shipping is free anywhere in the world
- Payment plans are available, just email me
- The button below will take you to Paypal – if you’d like to pay another way, just let me know and we’ll work it out
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: acrylic paint, canvas, for sale, metallic, oil paint, purple, silver sharpie
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