Posts Tagged ‘sea’

Seascape

Saturday, March 12th, 2011

Seascape by Amy Crook

Seascape by Amy Crook

This painting has an interesting history. I first painted it many years ago at the urging of an internet friend, and had originally intended to put a mermaid on the rough stones. I wanted to show the waves splashing up against the rocks and give a real impression of spray catching the moonlight, cool and refreshing with just a hint of mystery. Once it dried, I found I liked it just the way it was, and even the friend agreed that it was better like this — though I did do some photoshopping to add in her mermaid for a desktop background.

Cue the passage of many years hanging on my walls in the sun, and we have some distressing fading. I know which color is to blame now, but back in the day I loved the shade so much I didn’t worry enough about lightfastness. Oops!

I finally took the time and effort to use a more lightfast color to repair the sea and sky. You can see below a shot where the upper left has been fixed, and the lower right is waiting for its new infusion of color.

The shot above was taken before it had a chance to dry, so there’s a little glare, but the rich midnight blue sky has been renewed, and it’s ready to be re-hung.

Seascape, 18″x24″, oil on canvas.

Categories: Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
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Sea

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010

Sea by Amy Crook

Sea by Amy Crook

I finally got a better photo of this print that showcases the muted, subtle colors. The paper is such a pale blue, and the other colors so muted, it can be quite difficult to photograph, and even worse to try to work with in Photoshop.

I love the teal-grey waves with their scribbled-in echo of the etching plate, and slow fade from dark to light. It’s nearly two feet tall and over two and a half wide, and would look gorgeous floated on a piece of matte board in a simple frame.

You can see where I also used one of my etching plates, the same one that shows up in very different contexts in Ogdred Weary and Elements. Instead of inking into the deep grooves of the plate, I used the same brayer (ink roller) that I used to make the larger patterns, to roll ink only onto the surface of the plate, leaving the actual etching free of ink. (Click any image to see it larger.)

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 1, by Amy Crook

You can see here how there’s echoing linework hiding in the main part of the image. First ink was laid down on the main plate using the brayer, and then the back of a paintbrush was used to scrape away the ink to add texture.

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 2, by Amy Crook

The whole pattern of waves and seaweed, or tentacles, or just more eddies and currents, is topped off with a shining sun rubber stamp in silver ink.

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

Sea, detail 3, by Amy Crook

The print itself is quite large, the imported paper soft with beautiful natural edges. It really needs to be matted and framed for proper display, perhaps floated on a white or black background.

Sea, 31″x23″ monoprint, etching and rubber stamp on paper.

Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Sea Creatures and Other Animals
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