Posts Tagged ‘spirals’
Silver Lining
Monday, October 15th, 2012
Silver Lining by Amy Crook
This piece combines elements from several of my series: whimsical clouds from the Fairytale Sky paintings, a blue filigree moon, and salt-pool stars. The shining blue of the clouds is matched by the swirls of blue in the filigree on the moon, where the silver of the filigree is echoed in the clouds.
Silver Lining, 10″x8″ iridescent and Japanese watercolor, salt, and glitter gel pen on Arches cover black paper.
Silver Lining, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the various elements all catching the sunlight, shining against the black paper background. Below is the moon itself, a soft periwinkle blue with shimmering silver and blue filigree giving it an otherworldly feel.
Silver Lining, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Finally, the piece is hanging out on my desk with my iPhone, though I think it would look gorgeous on a wall as well.
Silver Lining, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: black paper, blue, fairytale sky, filigree, for sale, glitter gel pen, iridescent, moon, periwinkle, salt, silver, spirals, watercolor
Tentacle Spiral 4
Tuesday, October 9th, 2012
Tentacle Spiral 4 by Amy Crook
Every time I do a new piece to this series, I get confused about whether it’s Tentacle Spiral or Tentacle Spirals. For the record, there’s no s on the end, just to be extra confusing.
This one’s clearly influenced by my watching ofA Nightmare Before Christmas this week (twice). The tentacles spiral in from all sides to obscure the golden harvest moon. I went and carried the black paint out over the black paper so there was better continuity between it and the tentacles, which makes it extra velvety-dark in the background portions.
Tentacle Spiral 4, 5″x5″ watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Tentacle Spiral 4, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the delicate curls of black coming to obscure the yellow moon. Below, the piece is lurking in a frame to show you the size, just perfect for a desk or that little bit of wall in that one hallway that’s too small for anything else. You know the one I mean.
Tentacle Spiral 4, framed art by Amy Crook
(iPhone not included)
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: black paper, nfs, sold, spirals, tentacle spiral, tentacles, watercolor, yellow
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J is for Juxtapose
Thursday, September 20th, 2012
J is for Juxtapose, calligraphic illumination by Amy Crook
I wasn’t sure how well I could manage Juxtaposition, but I’m really happy with the contrasts and superimpositions in this piece, from the colors of subtle buff titanium with bright purple and rich teal, to the way the dark purple ink outline of the neat lower J bled through into the messy top letter. The light purple glitter strips in the upper left blend very differently with the background than the dark inked spirals in the lower right, too.
J is for Juxtapose, 5″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold). If you’d like a J of your own, you can find out how to commission one here.
J is for Juxtapose, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the shine of purple glitter and a close-up of many of the various overlapping styles. Below, the J is hanging out with the A, which shares a similar color scheme but a nicely different feel.
A is for Arabesque & J is for Juxtapose, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Illuminated Alphabet, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: alphabet, buff titanium, calligraphy, glitter gel pen, illumination, nfs, pen and ink, purple, sold, spirals, teal, watercolor
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Vampire Moon
Monday, September 17th, 2012
Vampire Moon by Amy Crook
(Halloween is on its way, hooray, hooray!)
Skulls and candy and spooky things are starting to appear all over the US, and it put me in a Halloween mood. I’d been meaning to see if I could control the shadowy patterns on my moons better, so this was an excellent way to experiment. The fanged skull on the ghostly white full moon is accompanied by a reddish, iridescent mist curling through a night sky strangely devoid of stars.
Spooky!
Vampire Moon, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Vampire Moon, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the iridescent red paint shimmering against the matte black paper, with the moon lurking in the background. Below, I’m all ready for Halloween with my Godiva Bear and the framed art.
Vampire Moon, framed art by Amy Crook
(bear and iPhone not included)
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Zombies, Skulls, and Other Morbid Things
Tags: black paper, for sale, halloween, iridescent, japanese watercolor, moon, skull, spirals, watercolor
Brass Gates to Midnight
Friday, September 7th, 2012
Brass Gates to Midnight, watercolor by Amy Crook
Swirls of brass run through the range from the brown of oxidization to the bright gold of fresh polish on this half of a pair of gates, the other open and swung out of sight, inviting us through to the sliver of midnight forest we can see behind it. Astute eyes will pick out the shapes of starlit evergreens in the darker black, along with the little secret hanging out amidst the curls of brass. This one is, to me, as much of a fairytale as Monday’s art, an invitation into the lands of imagination that’s always open.
Brass Gates to Midnight, 5″x5″ Japanese watercolor on Arches cover black paper.
Brass Gates to Midnight, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, the gold paint shines in the sunlight, and the silver stars glow up above. If you click on the image to see it larger, you can even get a good view of the little green-haired fairy lad chilling amongst the curls of brass. Below, it’s hanging out on a wall with my collection of duckies, and a ruler since my iPhone wasn’t feeling tall enough for the task.
Brass Gates to Midnight, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, fairy, iridescent, nfs, spiral, spirals, watercolor
1 Comment »
Blue Moon 4
Friday, August 24th, 2012
Blue Moon 4 by Amy Crook
This piece took forever! Twelve weeks of little spirals in the interstices of my day, fifteen minutes here and an hour there, until finally, finally it’s done.
I really liked the texture pattern on the couch in B is for Baker Street, interior, and so I thought, wouldn’t that make a cool pattern for the night sky around this mysterious blue moon? I really need to learn to think before I start spiraling sometimes, though, because the difference between that wee couch and this big piece of paper was a lot of hours. So many hours. @_@
I actually really love the result, though, and I’ve got the piece on display in my studio until someone takes it home to decorate their own life.
Blue Moon 4, 8″x8″ pen & ink and watercolor on Fluid watercolor paper.
Blue Moon 4, framed art by Amy Crook
I’ve framed this beautiful piece and hung it on the wall above my writing desk.
Why yes, that is a Jack in the Box holiday-themed antenna ball, why do you ask?
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: all the spirals, blue moon, crosshatching, for sale, moon, pen and ink, spirals, watercolor
Glitter Sketch Bookmark
Sunday, August 19th, 2012
Glitter Sketch
Bookmark
by Amy Crook
The final bookmark for this week is a silly little doodle made while I was testing out my various colors of glitter gel pen. On the blue-to-white faded background, we’ve got gold filigree, red flame spirals, a purple half of a spiraled crescent moon, more sketchy blue filigree, and swooping green arabesques, plus of course my silver signature. The paper has one natural edge where it came out of the paper mold, called a deckle, and three cut edges to set it off.
Glitter Sketch Bookmark, 1″x6″ glitter gel pen and watercolor on paper, nfs (sold).
Glitter Sketch Bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Above you can see the light shining off the various colors of glitter – the green got a bit too much sunlight there. Below, the bright white of the paper takes the stage when it’s on the dark blue of this week’s book.
Glitter Sketch Bookmark, with book, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: arabesque, bookmark, glitter gel pen, nfs, sold, spirals, watercolor
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