Posts Tagged ‘tree’
Summer Reading
Monday, October 24th, 2011
Summer Reading by Amy Crook
I started this piece during the recent Playshop call with Melissa Dinwiddie, then went back and finished it up later. The tree and figure are painted with just two colors, quinacridone gold and amazonite genuine, and then I added in a bit of soft cadmium yellow when I went back and did the sky, and added in the fuller foliage. I especially like the way some of the leaves have little haloes of gold, and the rich greens and browns that came out of just those two colors mixed in different proportions.
Summer Reading, 5″x7″ watercolor on paper.
I think this would make a great piece to put in a bookshelf, nestled between books to remind you of the joy of reading.
Summer Reading, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: nfs, playshop, reading, sold, tree, watercolor
Twisted Tree
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
Twisted Tree by Amy Crook
Today’s art combines a number of techniques into one unusual piece. The base is a heavy, handmade postcard from India, part of a set I bought years ago with irregular, natural edges. The wash was made with strong black tea, and the texture comes from salt crystals placed on the wet paper. Then, I added a touch of blue paint and a little more salt to create the shape of the bird.
I have to admit, once I saw a bird in the blue, I couldn’t help but think of Twitter, but I think that’s just a sign I spend too much time on social networks.
I broke out my fine-point sharpies in brown and black to create the tree and the detail on the bird, using a loose, scribbly style to create an organic shape that fit with the background.
Twisted Tree, 4″x6″ mixed media on paper, nfs (sold).
The bird ended up with a bit of an attitude, and I rather imagine him saying something like, “Yeah, yeah, tweet, whatever.” Despite that, he’s got a bit of sparkle to his personality, as you can see here.
Twisted Tree, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Actually, there’s salt crystals in a fine layer all along the lower part of the painting, giving it texture and a subtle glimmer.
Twisted Tree, detail 2, by Amy Crook
It looks quite nice in a simple black frame, and this painting, like always, will ship wrapped up safely and ready to display.
Twisted Tree, framed, by Amy Crook
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: bird, nfs, salt, sharpie, sold, tea, tree, twitter
Mod Tree
Monday, June 27th, 2011
Mod Tree, framed, by Amy Crook, $222
This piece was an experiment in making something less abstract out of the salt pools. I really like the way the arrangement of dots suggest a tree without ever actually forming the shape of leaves. The circles remind me of abstract Mod art from the ’60s, hence the name.
When I make these pieces, I can only line three or four up on the bookshelf at a time, and they have to dry anywhere from half a day to a full 24 hours. I can’t always take good progress photos if I start something at night, but when the sun’s shining in the window I do try to make sure I get some shots.
Mod Tree, 5″x7″ salt, pen and ink and watercolor on watercolor paper, $222, framed, with free shipping.
In the first detail shot, the lighter colors got washed out a bit but you can see the biggest salt crystals rising up off the paper.
Mod Tree, detail 1, by Amy Crook
Here you can see how the minimalist tree trunk gently supports the sparkling arrangement of leaves above.
Mod Tree, detail 2, by Amy Crook
Here you can really see the salt inside each water droplet, before it dissolved. I love how the light just glows through the water at the start, an ephemeral moment of beauty in the process of making art.
Mod Tree, in progress, by Amy Crook
The scanned version doesn’t have the same sparkle and dimension as the photos, but you can see the shape and color really clearly. It’ll ship in its frame so it stays nice and safe on its journey to your home.
Mod Tree by Amy Crook, $222
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes
Tags: for sale, green, pen and ink, salt, tree, watercolor
The Tree Breathes
Thursday, October 14th, 2010
The Tree Breathes, detail, by Amy Crook
This is another one-of-a-kind print done using my tiny etching plates. I almost forgot completely about it, ironically because it’s framed from having been in a juried show once long ago. I gently pulled it out of its matte, and then used more archival corners to re-attach it to the matte after I scanned it, and then put the whole thing back in its frame.
I think the tiny tree is my favorite of all the tiny plates I made, though I only used it (or any of them) a few times.
The Tree Breathes, 1″x2″ etching on 8″x10″ watercolor paper, $499 framed with free shipping.
The Tree Breathes by Amy Crook
Categories: Abstract and Just Plain Weird, Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, Series and Books
Tags: etching, for sale, framed, intaglio, tiny plates, tree
Reading Under a Tree 2
Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
Reading Under a Tree 2 by Amy Crook
Technically I think this should be 1, as this sketch is a bit older than the one I posted last week. The willow tree shows a definite influence from Dr. Seuss — or perhaps Lawrence Yang — and the figure is taking shelter in the lee of the tree. Apparently, I also forgot to draw in clothes, since I put most of my attention into the tree, oops.
The colored background is actually from the sketchbook I was using, which has thick, creamy paper. It’s always interesting how different materials can affect the way the work comes out — I swear almost everything I’ve done in that particular sketchbook has an air of whimsy about it.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces, Whimsical and Strange
Tags: doodle, nfs, pencil, tree
Reading Under a Tree
Sunday, May 23rd, 2010
Reading Under a Tree by Amy Crook
This is a little doodle I did thinking about one of my Works in Progress that’s kinda undecided about where I’m going with it. Right now it’s just a blue sky and some dark brown earth and nothing else, but I actually sort of like the effect all by itself. Still, I like this image with its loose lines and the arching tree over the studious figure.
I’ve always liked drawing trees, especially the leafless winter skeletons with all their intricate fractal shapes. It’s like jagged lace to see the bits of sky between the branches, the shadows reflecting inexact details warped by the ground’s topography.
Categories: Daily Art, Flowers, Trees and Landscapes, People, Figures and Faces
Tags: nfs, reading, sketch, tree
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