Posts Tagged ‘stars’
Near and Far
Friday, July 5th, 2019
Near and Far, 7″x5″ watercolor on black paper
It’s been a month for revisiting old ideas in new ways, and this bit of Arches cover black paper just asked to be an abstract sky. The near stars bloom with nebula-like shapes, blue-hot centers limned in shining lilac. Or perhaps it’s snowflakes in someone’s too-bright halogen headlights, fat and fluffy in the near sky and smaller specks of light in the far. Night-blooming flowers might also seem to glow in the right light, petals moving in the wind and centers fragrant with nectar and dew.
Whatever you see in this painting, it’s floating through the darkness of the everyday to light up your imagination.
Near and Far, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the blue-hot center of each near ‘star’ just barely visible with its violet halo. Below, you can see it in its frame, like a window into another galaxy.
Near and Far, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, for sale, interference, stars, watercolor
Harvest Moon 5
Thursday, June 7th, 2018
Harvest Moon 5, 8″x8″ watercolor on Arches watercolor paper
Today’s beautiful golden moon silhouettes three great blue herons against its warm glow.
The stars have a little sparkle to them, but the sky is a flat, swirling velvety grey nestling them like little droplets of molten gold.
Any moon that’s close to the horizon will look orange, but those autumnal full moons that presage the season of crunchy leaves and spooky ghosts have a special sort of mystique to them. You never know what you’ll see, whether it’s a bird or a bat, a swirl of fallen leaves — or a ghost.
Harvest Moon 5, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see one of the cranes in closer detail, a dark blot of feathers and grace against the bright moon. Below, the moon is captured in a frame, just waiting to become a part of your sky.
Harvest Moon 5, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Sea Creatures and Other Animals, Series and Books
Tags: bird, great blue heron, harvest moon, metallic, moon, nfs, sold, stars, watercolor
Dreaming Tree
Thursday, July 6th, 2017
Dreaming Tree, 6″x6″ pen & ink and watercolor on Arches cover black paper
Lines etched into the paper create the silhouette of a massive tree, its branches weighted down with foliage. The night sky visible in between the curves and shadows of it, cradled within the arms of the tree’s dreams.
Or perhaps the tree is a dream itself, or a keeper of dreams. Each line is a dream, forming the hill, the world, the earth, everything but the shimmering blue-violet of the sky.
You could even consider it dark matter cradling a nebula full of stars, shining out of the far reaches of the universe.
Dreaming Tree, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the lines indented into the paper with purple ink shining darkly out of each groove. Below, the scene rests in a frame, protected from the waking world for you.
Dreaming Tree, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: duochrome, metallic watercolor, nfs, pen and ink, sold, stars, tree, watercolor
Mountain Heart
Monday, June 5th, 2017
Mountain Heart, 6″x4″ Primatek and metallic watercolor on watercolor postcard
Framed by a rich midnight blue sky and sparkling silver stars, regal purple mountains stand fast. You can imagine standing up at the top, bathed in the golden sunrise peeking from behind them, feeling the universe sending you love.
Organic shapes are contained within the heart, a nod to the diversity of nature. Metallic stars shine in complementing spirals all around.
This beautiful painting will add a big measure of ‘whoa’ in a small package wherever you choose to hang it.
Mountain Heart, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the stars catching the light, and a swatch of the lovely rugged purple mountains framed by midnight. Below, this tiny painting is in a frame, small enough to tuck anywhere you need a stalwart heart.
Mountain Heart, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: metallic watercolor, nfs, primatek, sold, stars, watercolor
Prague Rock
Friday, May 5th, 2017
Prague Rock, 7″x5″ watercolor on Arches cover black paper
Another city gilded in metallic shine, only this one has silver starlight instead of golden sunlight glinting off the roofs and towers. The night has washed the city in shades of blue-violet, stealing away whatever color it has in the daytime.
The architecture here riffs on Prague without really being accurate in any way to any part of it. Much like the Painted Ladies, it’s more the idea of a city than a portrait of it, the feeling of somewhere magical you could live, if only you could turn just the right corner.
Prague Rock, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see the light glinting off the silver highlights on the stars and spires. Below, this smaller city is nestled in a frame, like a window to somewhere you wish you could go.
Prague Rock, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, horizons, japanese watercolor, metallic, stars, watercolor
30 Day Marker Challenge, part 4
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2017
The amazing Sadynax gave herself a 30-day Marker Challenge last month, and I decided to do it for April to help get back in the swing of art after my surgery.
I managed to make art nearly every day this month (once I doubled up and skipped a day), and I can definitely see how I got back into using my materials as the month went on. I also got more energy to put into the finished pieces as my stamina returned, so hooray for healing!
Day 25: Draw liquid.
Day 26: Use your favorite colors.
Day 27: Choose 3 colors blindly, again!
Day 28: Use only markers that end in the number 7.
Day 29: Use cheap markers.
Day 30: Redo a challenge you were dissatisfied with and compare the two pieces.
Categories: Completed Commissions, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Moleskines, People, Figures and Faces, Series and Books, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: 30 day marker challenge, bookmark, copic marker, gel pen, pen and ink, pencil, pokemon, sharpie marker, stars, tarot, tea
Painted Ladies 2
Monday, October 3rd, 2016
Painted Ladies 2, 10″x8″ gansai watercolor on Arches cover black paper
It’s inevitable, living near San Francisco as I do, that I would revisit the Painted Ladies theme.
This time a soft, seafoam green permeates the beautiful Victorian row houses, each with a unique facade that nonetheless echoes its neighbors. The clouds above look like cotton puffs, fluffily floating along among the shining stars in the velvety black sky.
This paper is unique because it gets its color from a chemical process, so the black is lightfast. Though of course it’s never a good idea to put artwork in a sunny spot, it’s good to know it won’t become grey over the years.
Painted Ladies 2, detail, by Amy Crook
Above, you can see a close-up of a few of the charming faces on the painted ladies. Below, they’re tucked into a simple frame, just waiting to add charm and elegance to your home.
Painted Ladies, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Floating Gallery, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: black paper, city, for sale, green, horizons, japanese watercolor, painted ladies, row houses, stars, watercolor
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