Posts Tagged ‘spirals’
Spirit Cat
Saturday, July 6th, 2019
Spirit Cat, 6″x6″ watercolor on paper
Curled up here we have a translucent blue kitty whose nap we’ve clearly interrupted.
Whether spirit, faerie, ghost, or illusion, this kitty definitely has an otherworldly aura about it that outstrips even the usual feline mystery. It’s got a halo of violet in its blue, and the markings start out a bit like your usual tabby before swirling off fancifully into spirals and nothingness.
What sort of cat do you suppose we have here, and will you be the one to adopt it into your family?
Spirit Cat, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see one little eye peering out like the only solid part of this cat’s form. Below, the cat is napping in its frame, waiting for a carrier to take it home.
Spirit Cat, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: blue, cat, nfs, sold, spirals, watercolor
Storm Dragon
Wednesday, February 7th, 2018
Storm Dragon, 8″x8″ watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Fans of Spirited Away will recognize the dragon flying off in the distance, though he’s color-shifted slightly bluer to match the gathering storm clouds.
The clouds are a celebration of filigree and fluffiness, looking heavy enough to squeeze rain out of and down onto the distant, unseen lands below. The sunrise is staining everything with the last of its bright mineral pink, and it sparkles off the hidden shine in the painting when seen from just the right angle.
Spirals small and large give the clouds their beautiful texture, adding dimension to the highlights as well as the shadows.
Storm Dragon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up on the far-away dragon, and the sun glinting off the iridescent paint like individual scales. Below, you can see it in a frame, just waiting to bring some gorgeous dreaminess to your home.
Storm Dragon, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, dragon, for sale, interference, iridescent, spirals, watercolor
Fairytale Cottage
Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
Fairytale Cottage, 6″x6″ watercolor and gel pen on Fluid watercolor paper
Calling to mind the darker side of fairytales, this shadowy cottage lurks against a rainy sky. The brightness of white clouds and gingerbread detailing is almost unsettling in it sweetness, with everything around it muted and grey.
In a strange reversal, only the frothy white curlicues look solid, while the house and sky seem like mere shadows behind the spirals.
What’s your favorite fairytale, and which ending do you prefer?
Fairytale Cottage, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see up close the slightly raised spirals on the buildings and the softly receding spirals of the clouds, decorating the shadowy secrets held by this confectionary cottage. Below, the frame becomes a window into a dark fairy tale world.
Fairytale Cottage, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: clouds, for sale, gel pen, spirals, watercolor
Cloud Skimming 2
Wednesday, June 8th, 2016
Cloud Skimming 2, 6″x6″ Primatek and duochrome watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper
Believe it or not, the beautiful blue-to-gold shimmering paint in these clouds is the same one that provides the gorgeous green in Marble Pathways. The angle and quality of light combines with the paint below to give it a range of beautiful shining colors.
The three crows skim the clouds above and below with their dark wings, stirring the pale mist with their black feathers. The sun glows in the sky behind them, bringing violet dusk as it leaves in a fiery display of light.
Cloud Skimming 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the gold-to-blue color shift in the shimmering clouds. Below, those same shining spirals have almost vanished as the frame is angled away from the sun.
Cloud Skimming 2, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: crow, duochrome, nfs, primatek, sold, spirals, watercolor
Fairytale Sky 11
Monday, September 7th, 2015
Fairytale Sky 11 by Amy Crook
Against the soft background of salt-created stars and matte teal night, the glowing moon and iridescent clouds look like enamel, more substance than mist and light. The clouds are mainly a beautiful turquoise with odd purple lowlights that appear and disappear as you move past it, lined with pearlescent moonlight along the spiral curves and sinuous shapes.
Every Fairytale Sky painting is a little different. This one’s got some serious shine that give it a beautiful feel of a fairy tale just waiting for you to step through and find your magical adventure.
Fairytale Sky, 7″x5″ watercolor, pearlescent watercolor, duochrome watercolor, and salt on paper.
Fairytale Sky 11, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the velvety softness of the sky and the bright enameled moon floating atop it. Below, the night is captured in a frame, safe and cool even in the day.
Fairytale Sky, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: duochrome, fairytale sky, iridescent, moon, more cowbell, nfs, salt, sold, spirals, watercolor
Fairytale Sky 9
Tuesday, October 7th, 2014
Fairytale Sky 9 by Amy Crook
A lovely, shadowed full moon hangs in a sky full of stars, but the real shine is from the mysterious spiraling clouds. They gleam subtly in blues and purples, stately shapes with just a hint of soft brushwork about the edges. This addition to the Fairytale Sky series is very reminiscent of the first, but refined by the iterations in between.
Sometimes I think it’s good to treat life like you’re in your very own fairytale. Do good deeds when you can, and you’ll find them returned when you least expect it. Don’t cause harm through inattention or ignorance. And always wear good walking shoes.
Fairytale Sky 9, 7″x5″ Japanese watercolor and duochrome watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Fairytale Sky 9, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the subtle shimmer of the paint together with the soft shine of the stars and the bright gleam of the moon. Below, I’ve put this sky in a frame, like a window to another world, one full of magic and fairytale logic.
Fairytale Sky 9, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, duochrome, fairytale sky, for sale, moon, periwinkle, spirals, watercolor
Stormriders
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014
Stormriders by Amy Crook
Three small crows brave the stormy skies, suspended between the upward-reaching branches of the tree and the downward-reaching fork of lightning. The clouds are limned in violet light all around the silver bolt, adding an extra touch of mystery.
Stormriders, 6″x4″ pen & ink, watercolor, and metallic and interference watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Stormriders, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the way the light shines off the silver and interference violet paints in the lightning and clouds. Below, you can see the piece in a frame. It’s small, but it’s fierce!
Stormriders, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: clouds, crow, horizons, interference, lightning, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, spirals, storm, tree, watercolor
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