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by Crystal Cook on 11/22/2017 12:19:28 PM
Pink Pony Nose
6 x 6 oil on gessobord
SOLD
What drew me to this image initially was that velvety pink nose. What little girl that had a horse didn't spend hours kissing her pony's nose?
Also I discovered that scratching out highlights is a very effective tool for capturing tiny light struck hairs when painting wet into wet with oil. I love the look that gave to this horse's mane. Short post today, I'll try to have something meaningful to say next time! May your brushes stay wet and your palette colorful!
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by on 9/20/2017 11:27:38 AM
Learn to Fly
6 x 6 oil on panel
"What if I fall?"
"Oh, but my darling. What if you FLY?"
When I started this blog in 2010 I had a one year old, a 5 year old, and an 8 year old. Now I have a 9 year old, an almost 13 year old, and an almost 16 year old. My children are no longer babies. No longer toddlers. No longer needing my help so much, or needing their noses wiped, or wanting to cuddle with me on the couch. There are no more days spent holding little hands to guide their first steps and getting sloppy kisses from spaghetti covered faces. They are growing up, and therefore growing further away from me. As they should. It's part of the plan of life. They're supposed to grow up and live their own life and it's my job to prepare them for that.
But it's so very hard to live through. The hardest thing I've ever been called to do.
Now. I recognize this is a little melodramatic. Of course my kids still need me. I still need my mom and I'm 36 years old. Of course I still get kisses (but far fewer, and mostly from the nine year old, bless his heart.) But they are getting ready, someday not too far from this day, to leave our nest. Our beautifully, crazily, happy love filled home.
And this my friends is breaking my heart. I don't quite know how to navigate this time in my life. How many rules and boundaries are too many? They have to make their own choices don't they? They have to live their own life. Be accountable for choices and decisions they make. I try my best to guide and direct them gently with all the love I have, and whatever small amounts of wisdom I have too. But is it enough? Is it too much? WHERE IS THE DANG MANUAL THAT TELLS YOU HOW TO BE A PARENT TO A 16 YEAR OLD???
I don't know what I'm doing here. I'm just trying to love them as hard as possible, so that they know it every single second of their lives. That it might guide them to make the right choices. To be safe. To fly instead of fall.
So. . . all of that to say that this painting hits me hard on a deep level. Our children learn to fly from us. We prepare them for life outside our home. That is our purpose and calling as parents. And we have to have the faith that when the time comes, they will not fall. But fly. As they were meant to. As we've prepared them to their whole lives.
It's a leap of faith. And we have to have that faith with them.
by Crystal Cook on 9/11/2017 6:05:29 PM
It has been quite a while since I've done a single painting in a single day for lots of days in a row. I've been so preoccupied with painting the dailies that I have neglected blogging or uploading them (although I am uploading them every night to my Instagram and Facebook, simply because it's so much faster and I'm usually soooo tired by the time I finish painting them at midnight haha)!
It has been incredibly FUN to have a new painting to complete every day. Sometimes I can get caught up in a big painting for MONTHS at a time. Which can result in really cool and impactful work, but can also be stressful. Incredibly stressful. I am enjoying the heck out of this challenge and approach each day with an excitement for painting that I haven't felt in years!
I've decided to paint all of them in oil, simply because it's faster for me and time is very, very short. I am learning a lot each day with each new painting. And it has been a great time of growth for me artistically. I'll try and share one thing I've learned each day. As often as I remember haha.
I'm very behind in blogging about these so I'm just going to start with my favorite one so far, not the first one. This sweet pup (Rhino) belongs to the family that owns the gym I go to. They bring him to the gym with them every morning and he is a huge hit with the gym family. Yesterday he was in just the PERFECT spot of sun and held still long enough for me to get some pics with my phone. We call him the gym mascot and he is the biggest sweetheart of a dog you'll ever meet.
With this painting I realized the importance of painting in your brightest colors first and then working around them. This resulted in the glowing ear, with no mud from mixing white or greys near it! Worked like a charm. I know I've learned this lesson before, but seems like I'm relearning a lot of things this month.
Listening to: Higher Health Radio
Watching: BBC's Sherlock (for the 15th time)
Reading: Love and Gelato
Drinking: Diet Dr. Pepper
Snacking on: Caramel flavored rice cakes
by on 3/13/2017 12:31:54 PM
'The Sunny Spot'
6 x 6 inches
oil on panel
So much of our every day life is just trying to keep everything in balance. Don't you think? Balance with work, family, hobbies, kids activities, school work, church work, yard work, house work. It's so tough to keep it all together. And I don't think any of us really do. Some do it better sure, but no one has it all together, as much as they want us to believe they do through social media posts.
The last few weeks my family has been really sick. My dad had surgery. And my sweet old dog, Chauncy is nearing the end of his life, and so we have to decide when to make that hardest decision that will separate him from us forever.
So my mind. . . it's been everywhere. My heart has felt so heavy. I'm not trying to sound like my life is terrible, because it's not. I feel so blessed to have the life I do. Loved ones that care about me, a warm comfortable home, and plenty of food to eat. But still. . . it's been tough, and I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
During this time of stress and sadness I've let a lot slip. But I've maintained as much as possible two things that help me feel balanced even in stressful situations.
Fitness. And Art.
I think we all have those things that clear our mind and rejuvenate us to tackle the day. And even if it seems selfish to take time to do them, we HAVE to. Otherwise there is nothing left of us to offer anyone else.
At the end of a long week of being a caretaker to many sick people and a dog I finally entered my studio. Turned on the lamp. Laid my brushes out carefully. And I painted. It lasted about 15 minutes. But it felt so good and restored something in my soul I had felt was missing that long week.
Art is so much more than just paint on paper. It is so much more than a profession. It is a balm to my soul. And I think that too often we forget that as we chase after professional goals and personal ones too. It was a good reminder to me. Hopefully it was to you too. When was the last time you got to do what rejuvenates you when you really, really needed it? I'd love to know.
Love,
Crystal
Watching: The Walking Dead
Listening to: Nirvana
Reading: Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay
Drinking: water
Snacking on: protein bars (G2G are my fave)
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by Crystal Cook on 2/1/2017 5:47:38 PM
I've always been the type of person to dive headfirst into whatever it is I'm passionate about at that moment. it consumes me and it's all I think about. I live it, breathe it, dream it. If I'm awake I'm either practicing my passion, or I'm thinking about when I next get to practice.
But inevitably, that ends in a burn out. Well. . . most of the time.
And then it's weeks or months on end before I pick up that passion again. And at first it's a little like an old faucet that hasn't been used for a while. It sticks, doesn't open right, and then after smacking the stupid faucet with some type of tool (a wrench maybe) it starts to trickle a little water. Then the next time you try to use that faucet it's just a little easier to open. Doesn't take as much. . . abuse to get it to start flowing, even if it is still just a trickle.
Slowly, if you're patient, and you don't give up, and you use that faucet every day, it flows effortlessly. Like it used to when it was brand new. Like it was made to.
That's how I feel about painting right now.
For a long time I let my skills get rusty. But with practice I'm back at home again. And back in the flow.
It's a great place to be.
by Crystal Cook on 1/23/2017 2:00:38 PM
 Luminous Berry
5 x 5 watercolor on paper
click here to purchase
For the last several months painting has constantly been on my mind. I dream up ideas for future paintings, my hands itch to hold a brush, and I try to figure out how to get 26 hours out of each day, or require less than 5 hours of sleep at night, so I can get more painting time.
Since the new year came and the holidays are gone for another year (YASSS) I made a promise to myself that I would paint every day. If only for 15 minutes. Well. . . . I haven't kept that promise. Some days I just can't make it to paint. Which IS frustrating. BUT on the positive side I have painted more this month than I did the last six months combined. So I think I'm onto something here.
This painting is the first watercolor daily painting (never mind that it took me about 6 days to finish instead of 1) I've finished in. . . 3 years I think. And I have found a lot of satisfaction in that.
I'm excited to keep on painting, I have SO many ideas sketched out! We'll see how well I do at keeping this blog updated too.
Thanks for following along with my artwork!
Hugs,
Crystal
by on 11/29/2016 6:38:03 PM
 Work in progress
watercolor on aquabord
I came across this quote on Instagram the other day: 'The things you are passionate about are not random. They are your calling.'
It stuck with me for days. Doesn't that explain so much? I think about the things I've been most passionate about in my life: family, art, fitness, animals. Not once have I ever thought I've been called to any of those. Except for being a mother.
But each one of those passions I listed have always been a priority for me. I make time for them. And even though I've always felt that painting, or fitness, or whatever other passion I've had at the moment would benefit someone more than just me I've still always felt a little guilty for devoting so much time to it. Isn't it selfish to have a few hours here or there to do what you love most in the world?
No. It's not. Because this is your calling. And you don't know who or what it may affect one day. But you do know that great things might happen if you continue to pursue your passions. And what great things might you miss out on by setting them aside?
by Crystal Cook on 7/19/2016 10:00:57 AM
This year I've been kept pretty busy with some beautiful child portrait commissions to paint. This sweet girl above, Sadie, was finished a few weeks ago, and I have a little boy currently on my easel that is nearly finished as well. I feel so honored that these parents trusted me to capture their child and I hope I'm doing each one justice.
There hasn't been any time for personal paintings, but after this last commission is finished I'll be taking a break from custom work to paint some ideas I've had floating in my head for a while. I've had an idea of paintings of my boys I want to do that I'm considering using to get back into the juried show game, but we'll see how they turn out first ha! I haven't entered a painting in a competition for a long time, but I think this might be just the thing to help me push myself out of my comfort zone and level up my skills. Well. . . that's the hope anyways.
I have however been doing plenty of sketching as time allows. This is so crucial to my own satisfaction as an artist, and for personal growth. Even if I don't have time to paint on a certain day if I can squeeze in a sketch I feel like I'm still growing my skills, developing my career as an artist and that to me, is pretty priceless. Here are some of my recent faves:
by on 9/4/2014 10:55:25 AM
Retirement
6 x 6 oil on gessobord
Painting #2 for the 30/30 challenge. I took this photo few years ago one morning after I had dropped my kids off at school. This old horse, evident by the grey on her muzzle and her deep sway back, stood grazing in a field, with the sun just rising over the mountains behind her.
The rim lighting on her was so gorgeous, but what struck me the most was a feeling of deep sympathy for her. She looked in good health for being so old, she looked to have a good life, but you could see that she wasn't going to be in this world for long. It's something I can't quie ut into words, but it really moved me and I've wanted to paint her ever since.
by on 7/30/2013 11:21:06 PM
'Filigree'
5 x 7 inches, oil on panel
I'm part of a small group of artists that have banded together as a sort of peer mentoring group. We talk about our goals, our vision for our work, share business ideas, and challenge each other. It's full of awesomeness. These women are incredible and I'm so honored to be part of their group. :)
So we had a painting challenge. It was to paint a self portrait that was a true reflection of you. I kind of suck at that. I've painted myself before, and every time it has been a very uncomfortable experience for me. I don't like looking at myself. I hate drawing attention to myself. In a crowd or group of people I prefer to hide, unseen and unnoticed.
And a self portrait is basically the opposite of all of those things. It's all about ME. I mean, there's really nowhere else to look. Unless you like grey backgrounds, and if you do then. . . awesome.You've come to the right place. But, I digress.
My way around this is to typically hide part of my face in some way. Like the filigree mask above, or like this:
Or like this:
So how then, was I to paint a self portrait that was a true representation of myself? I did what I felt most comfortable with. A partially hidden version of me. Again. Because I do think this is really how I am. I could go on and try to think of something really meaningful to say about why I paint myself this way. But I won't.
Because there is no real deep meaning to it. I just prefer to be in the background, instead of the spotlight and that alone says SO much about who I really am that there really isn't anything else to say.
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