Posts Tagged ‘stars’
By Starlight
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
By Starlight by Amy Crook
Another piece inspired by the iconic blue-gold-white of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, there’s a different textural feel to this one on every level, despite being similar in many ways to Midnight Blue. The paper is thicker and of a much softer texture, the salt pools are saturated with bright yellow paint but the spirals are still visible, and the ‘starlight’ is sharp-edged and fragmented instead of a soft glowing circle.
I really just like the feel of it, the swoop of bright stars across the deep blue sky, each one surrounded by its own halo of color.
By Starlight, 5.25″x5″ watercolor and salt on paper.
By Starlight, detail 1, by Amy Crook
There hasn’t been a proper sunny day for photographing these salt pieces in a while, at least not one that’s warm enough to open the back door for the extra light that always makes them shine. Still, you can see the far pool catching a bit of light, as well as the rich texture the paint makes on the paper.
By Starlight, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Here you can see the tiny bit of spreading the salt did on the paper this time, not full snowflakes like some of the pieces I’ve done with this paper, but softened, creeping edges trying to expand beyond the water droplets’ original boundaries.
If you’re interested in this piece and would like to talk, you can comment here or email me, my inbox is always open.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Things I'm a Fan Of
Tags: blue, for sale, salt, stars, watercolor, yellow
Tentacle Deeps 21
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011
Tentacle Deeps 21 by Amy Crook
The purple tentacles reach up through a grey sky, trying to capture the stars and align them to their whim. And now Tentacle Deeps is old enough to drink! Happy Tentacle Tuesday, indeed.
Tentacle Deeps 21, 8″x8″ watercolor on watercolor paper.
I’m not feeling well so, no framed photo, but the simple black wall frame I’ve got for it will look great.
Categories: Angels, Cthulhu, and Other Myths, Daily Art, Series and Books, Tentacles
Tags: for sale, grey, purple, stars, tentacle deeps, watercolor
Horizon bookmark
Monday, November 21st, 2011
Horizon bookmark by Amy Crook
This little bookmark is a relative of my larger piece, On the Horizon. I’ve been field-testing it and actually the salt crystals are really there to stay. The salt pools are just shallow enough that they don’t scratch up the page or overly stuff the book, and the paper it’s on is a nice sturdy watercolor paper.
Horizon Bookmark, 1.5″x7″ mixed media on paper.
Horizon bookmark, detail, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art
Tags: blue, bookmark, buy a bookmark, for sale, pen and ink, salt, stars, watercolor
2 Comments »
Violet Midnight
Thursday, September 8th, 2011
Violet Midnight by Amy Crook
Another image I keep revisiting, the moon glowing in the night sky. I went for a simple duochrome effect, the stars and moon drawn in orange ink, then the stars turned warm and golden when the salt and water were added. I used a dark blue-violet paint, which was making such fascinating shapes and shadows on its own as it pooled and flowed that I decided not to try to add any more stars and let the velvety paint stand on its own. Then I used a metallic copper watercolor to create the haloes around the moon and stars, the color an excellent match to the orange ink.
Violet Midnight, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, nfs.
This piece has a great contrast between the matte violet paint and shimmery, iridescent copper paint; between the flat ink and three-dimensional salt crystals; between the meticulous spiral pattern in the moon and the random, cloudy shapes in the sky.
Violet Midnight, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Here you can really see how the interplay of colors and textures up close.
Violet Midnight, detail 2, by Amy Crook
A simple black frame protects the salt, and makes the vivid colors really glow.
Violet Midnight, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: moon, nfs, orange, pen and ink, salt, sold, stars, violet, watercolor
3 Comments »
On the Horizon
Monday, August 15th, 2011
On the Horizon by Amy Crook
I used two different salt techniques on this piece, first making the row of big ‘lights’ and then creating the dark watercolor wash. Then I used small flakes of salt to create the bigger lights along the horizon and the stars in the tall, endless sky. This particular paint leaves gorgeous cloud-like formations, adding a level of texture and detail that’s really hard to see all tiny. If you click on the image, you can see a larger version, I also made a computer wallpaper and two different iPhone wallpapers.
I originally started this with something else in mind, which is why there’s a very straight row of salt across the bottom, but I find I’m far happier with this than the first idea.
On the Horizon, 7″x8″ salt and watercolor on watercolor paper.
You can see some of the detail here, with just a touch of sunlight caught on the peaks of the salt crystals.
On the Horizion, detail 1, by Amy Crook
This image shows the subtle sparkle of salt along a few of the deeper pools, where some of the fine flakes dissolved and left tiny crystals just at the edges.
On the Horizion, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: salt, stars, watercolor
1 Comment »
Midnight Blue
Thursday, July 21st, 2011
Midnight Blue, art by Amy Crook
This piece is a deliberate echo of last week’s intricate Cross the Sky, but both simpler and using the iconic blue and yellow color scheme from Van Gogh’s Starry Night.
The stars are monochromatic, first using spirals of orange-gold ink, and then a softer gold mixed to match. The moon is salt-free this time, inked in and then gently blurred with the gold watercolor to give it, too, a bright glow. The pure blue watercolor is bright and joyful, and it dried with a lovely texture in the denser areas. I thought about going in with some black to darken it up, but I like the cheery glow of the piece as is.
Midnight Blue, 7″x5″ pen & ink, salt and watercolor on paper.
The pure blue watercolor is bright and joyful, and it dried with a lovely texture in the denser areas. I thought about going in with some black to darken it up, but I like the cheery glow of the piece as is.
Midnight Blue, detail 1, by Amy Crook
You can see the gentle blurring of the moon below, and the line where a pool of pale gold paint dried.
Midnight Blue, detail 2, by Amy Crook
It looks quite nice in its frame, with the bright colors offset by the black wood.
Midnight Blue, framed art by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, moon, pen and ink, salt, stars, watercolor
1 Comment »
Aglow
Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Aglow by Amy Crook, $699
Something about this piece just makes me happy every time I look at it, the 13 glowing circles reminding me of stars, or fireflies, or even lamps through a dark mist. The dark blue-black background perfectly offsets the magical snowflake-like rosettes that formed when I tried my salt trick on this softer, more porous paper.
Aglow, in progress, by Amy Crook
The other interesting difference with this paper was that the water droplets formed little wells that actually sunk into the paper, making dimples on the back.
Aglow, back, by Amy Crook
When I painted in the background afterward, the paint was drawn straight into the circle by the salt crystals whenever the brush touched the edge of one of the little branches.
Aglow, detail 1, by Amy Crook
This is a really good close-up of a pair of the crystalline structure, so you can see all the detail that gets softened into a simple warm glow when you back up and see it from a distance.
Aglow, detail 2, by Amy Crook
I put it into a wide black frame, which sets off the warmth of the paper and the not-quite-black of the paint really nicely.
Aglow, framed, by Amy Crook
Aglow, 7″x5″ mixed media on paper, $699, framed, with free shipping.
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Series and Books
Tags: fireflies, for sale, salt, sky, stars, watercolor
2 Comments »
« Or Head Back That Way
More Art This Way »
