💜 Where the Lavender Leads 💜

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

💜 Lavender In Provence 💜

acrylic paint on canvas board

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)

202506030

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/252780906

Our bikes race up and down the gentle hills of Provence.  Everything has a distinct texture, the colors are vibrant, and the perfume in the air is intoxicating.  And every twisting road we turn down has countless rows of purple and blue lavender.  The heat of the Mediterranean sun presses against our backs as we pedal back to the village of Sault.  I'll never forget the fields of France.

When was the last time you were truly relaxed?  You were without a care, no expectations, and free from electronic devices?  Maybe you were hiking, gardening, or reading a book with a cup of coffee.  When do you get to feel like you?  We have a lot to be grateful for.

This painting would look best in a space that is dark red, orange, yellow, dark green, dark blue, dark purple, black, white, beige, or wood

Are you looking to grow your art collection without breaking the bank? Join us for the Artist Trading Card (& small art) Festival (Aug 4–6, 2025) — a vibrant virtual event where you can BUY, SELL, TRADE, and SHARE original mini masterpieces with artists from around the world. Handcrafted, affordable, and full of personality — it’s everything your collection didn’t know it needed. ✨ 👉 Are you ready to find your next tiny treasure?  RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/582766991295652

My Story

Hi, I’m Mike the artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I could hold a crayon. As a kid, I’d fill every notebook, homework margin, and scrap of paper with doodles. I sold my first artwork in junior high, sketching in class and handing off pieces between periods. That early love for making things never faded. I followed it all the way to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and eventually, I decided to stop treating art as a side hustle and make it my life’s work.

My paintings are full of energy, motion, and saturated color. I’m drawn to bold shapes and organic lines—forms that feel alive. I create with the hope that my work brings something beautiful and uplifting into someone’s day. Whether it’s a spark of joy, a moment of calm, or just a splash of color that makes you pause—I want my art to connect with something real.

Now, I’m lucky enough to paint full-time, with collectors across the U.S. and in dozens of countries around the world. But more than anything, I still feel like that kid with a crayon, excited to create. I’m grateful to share this journey with you—and I hope you find something in my work that makes your world a little brighter.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

💲 The Price of Freedom—Now Trading Daily 💲

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🍎 George Washington Statue Over Wall Street 🍎

acrylic paint on canvas board

16" x 20" (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm) 
202504020

Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home or office, please visit: 

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4329382028

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4329377229

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4329375032

Every morning, George Washington stands frozen in bronze, watching the canyon of steel and glass awaken below him. From his perch on Wall Street, he faces the mighty columns of the New York Stock Exchange—stoic, resolute, and ever curious about the tides of fortune rolling through the streets he once walked in leather boots. The low hum of the city rises with the sun, flags flutter in the warm breeze, and the scent of roasted coffee drifts between skyscrapers—fuel for another day of decisions and dreams. I can’t help but wonder, if he could speak, would he marvel at the sheer speed of today’s market, or ask us what legacy we're building with each trade and handshake? 

What’s one financial decision you’ve made that shaped your path?

Are you looking to grow your art collection without breaking the bank? Join us for the Artist Trading Card (& small art) Festival (Aug 4–6, 2025) — a vibrant virtual event where you can BUY, SELL, TRADE, and SHARE original mini masterpieces with artists from around the world. Handcrafted, affordable, and full of personality — it’s everything your collection didn’t know it needed. ✨ 👉 Are you ready to find your next tiny treasure?  RSVP at: https://www.facebook.com/events/582766991295652

My Story

Hi, I’m Mike—the artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I could hold a crayon. As a kid, I’d fill every notebook, homework margin, and scrap of paper with doodles. I sold my first artwork in junior high, sketching in class and handing off pieces between periods. That early love for making things never faded. I followed it all the way to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and eventually, I decided to stop treating art as a side hustle and make it my life’s work.

My paintings are full of energy, motion, and saturated color. I’m drawn to bold shapes and organic lines—forms that feel alive. I create with the hope that my work brings something beautiful and uplifting into someone’s day. Whether it’s a spark of joy, a moment of calm, or just a splash of color that makes you pause—I want my art to connect with something real.

Now, I’m lucky enough to paint full-time, with collectors across the U.S. and in dozens of countries around the world. But more than anything, I still feel like that kid with a crayon, excited to create. I’m grateful to share this journey with you—and I hope you find something in my work that makes your world a little brighter.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🐶🐶 Two Minnesota Pups 🐶🐶

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

 

🐶🐶 Two Minnesota Pups 🐶🐶

acrylic paint on canvas board

16" x 20" (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm) 
202412043

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To learn about a custom piece for you, please visit:

 https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/186507940

A couple of very happy puppies in Minnesota

My Story

Hi, I’m Mike—the artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I could hold a crayon. As a kid, I’d fill every notebook, homework margin, and scrap of paper with doodles. I sold my first artwork in junior high, sketching in class and handing off pieces between periods. That early love for making things never faded. I followed it all the way to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and eventually, I decided to stop treating art as a side hustle and make it my life’s work.

My paintings are full of energy, motion, and saturated color. I’m drawn to bold shapes and organic lines—forms that feel alive. I create with the hope that my work brings something beautiful and uplifting into someone’s day. Whether it’s a spark of joy, a moment of calm, or just a splash of color that makes you pause—I want my art to connect with something real.

Now, I’m lucky enough to paint full-time, with collectors across the U.S. and in dozens of countries around the world. But more than anything, I still feel like that kid with a crayon, excited to create. I’m grateful to share this journey with you—and I hope you find something in my work that makes your world a little brighter.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🍁 If you were walking down Toronto's Graffiti Alley, what would you rant about? 🍁

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🍁 Toronto's Graffiti Alley 🍁

acrylic paint on canvas board

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)

202506028

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/232334744

Toronto, meaning "plenty" to the Huron and "place where trees stand in water" to the Iroquois, is a beacon to the world.  It called to French fur traders, British colonists, refugees of the American revolution, fleeing US slaves, Irish, Germans, French, Italians, Jews, and over 200 other distinct ethnic groups that speak 160 languages.  This multiculturalism made Toronto the fourth largest city in North America and a major center of business, arts, and finance.  The locals are famously friendly and that joy can be found on the streets.

Have you been to Toronto?  What was your favorite part?

This painting would best in a small-to-medium space that is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, beige, or wood.

HEY ROCHESTER, NEW YORK!

You're invited to:

a WILD, WEIRD, and WOOLY art show

with Lorraine Staunch, Lori Mulligan, and myself!

NOW OPEN AT:

Junction361

24 N Main St

Fairport, NY 14450

https://junction361.com/

My Story

Hi, I’m Mike—the artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I could hold a crayon. As a kid, I’d fill every notebook, homework margin, and scrap of paper with doodles. I sold my first artwork in junior high, sketching in class and handing off pieces between periods. That early love for making things never faded. I followed it all the way to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and eventually, I decided to stop treating art as a side hustle and make it my life’s work.

My paintings are full of energy, motion, and saturated color. I’m drawn to bold shapes and organic lines—forms that feel alive. I create with the hope that my work brings something beautiful and uplifting into someone’s day. Whether it’s a spark of joy, a moment of calm, or just a splash of color that makes you pause—I want my art to connect with something real.

Now, I’m lucky enough to paint full-time, with collectors across the U.S. and in dozens of countries around the world. But more than anything, I still feel like that kid with a crayon, excited to create. I’m grateful to share this journey with you—and I hope you find something in my work that makes your world a little brighter.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🧠 Don't forget that June is still Dementia Awareness Month 🧠

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🧠 Memories Nowhere Nothing #583 🧠

pen, ink, and colored pencil on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202505026

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your collection, please visit: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/235534233

🧠 June is Dementia Awareness Month 🧠

With 55 million people worldwide having Dementia, like Alzheimer's and other brain diseases, all of us know someone who's afflicted. Here are some signs:

Cognitive Impairment: 
-Difficulty finding words or using them correctly

-Memory loss, especially for recent events or conversations
-Confusion about time, place, or people
-Problems with planning, organizing, and decision-making

Behavioral Changes: 
-Angry outbursts often stemming from underlying confusion, pain, or fear
-Changes in relationships
-Changes in personality, such as becoming more anxious, apathetic, paranoid, or impulsive

Other Symptoms: 

-Fixation on objects, ideas, or activities like compulsive bad decisions and obsessive golfing.

-Difficulty with spatial orientation, such as problems with sensing own body position
-Short attention span and difficulty concentrating, affecting a person's ability to focus on tasks

-Unusual grooming, posture, and/or walk

Early-Onset Dementia: 
These symptoms may appear earlier in life, typically before the age of 65. Individuals may also experience more rapid cognitive decline.

 
“The disease might hide the person underneath, but there’s still a person in there who needs your love and attention.” - Jamie Calandriello

HEY ROCHESTER, NEW YORK!

You're invited to:

a WILD, WEIRD, and WOOLY art show

with Lorraine Staunch, Lori Mulligan, and myself!

NOW OPEN AT:

Junction361

24 N Main St

Fairport, NY 14450

https://junction361.com/

My Story

I’m Mike, the Artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I was old enough to hold a crayon. I’d fill countless sketchbooks with drawings, cover school assignments with doodles, and publish magazines and print flyers for my friend’s bands. And then, I became an “adult…” The demands of food and rent seemed to require a “serious job.” For years, I languished in a cubicle performing meaningless tasks for a meager salary.

But, art was always my side hustle. I started selling my artwork in junior high between classes. I’d create original pieces during lectures and commissions instead of homework. Oddly enough, being a poor student is what got me into the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Inspired by my past history, I quit my career and took another part-time job as a cashier of a big-box store because it had the least amount of responsibility. The rest of my time I spent painting. After several months, I had to quit this low-wage job too because it was getting in the way of my art.

I decided to be a full-time professional artist. I needed the time to paint, collaborate with my patrons and galleries, and maintain my studio. Since then, I’ve sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. I’m very fortunate to have a career dedicated to adding more beauty to the world. And I hope to share that experience with you.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🌜 Pulling an all-nighter? Enjoy your weekend! 🌛

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🌞 Gathering 🌞

acrylic paint on canvas board

202405014

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit: 

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1718951398

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1718949328

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1733144513

After a long day of hiking, we emerge from the forest into a rolling spinach farm to make our way home.  Undulating hills of leafy greens glowing in the setting sun.  As we crest another bank it reveals several forms in what seem to be cloaks.  What are they gathered around in such beautiful silence?  Our presence is unnoticed as we depart into another shallow valley.  Not knowing what we saw, it felt sacred.

This piece would look best in a space that is yellow, green, blue, black, white, beige, gray, or wood.

HEY ROCHESTER, NEW YORK!

You're invited to:

a WILD, WEIRD, and WOOLY art show

with Lorraine Staunch, Lori Mulligan, and myself!

NOW OPEN AT:

Junction361

24 N Main St

Fairport, NY 14450

https://junction361.com/

My Story

I’m Mike, the Artist of Mike Kraus Art Inc.

I’ve been making art since I was old enough to hold a crayon. I’d fill countless sketchbooks with drawings, cover school assignments with doodles, and publish magazines and print flyers for my friend’s bands. And then, I became an “adult…” The demands of food and rent seemed to require a “serious job.” For years, I languished in a cubicle performing meaningless tasks for a meager salary.

But, art was always my side hustle. I started selling my artwork in junior high between classes. I’d create original pieces during lectures and commissions instead of homework. Oddly enough, being a poor student is what got me into the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Inspired by my past history, I quit my career and took another part-time job as a cashier of a big-box store because it had the least amount of responsibility. The rest of my time I spent painting. After several months, I had to quit this low-wage job too because it was getting in the way of my art.

I decided to be a full-time professional artist. I needed the time to paint, collaborate with my patrons and galleries, and maintain my studio. Since then, I’ve sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. I’m very fortunate to have a career dedicated to adding more beauty to the world. And I hope to share that experience with you.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: http://MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/TheWayToBeauty

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🖤💀 I’m just here for the sugar skulls and good vibes! 💀🖤

🖤💀 Gothic Skull Pendant 💀🖤

Noelle Fran

To purchase for your neck, please visit: 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1247510277

Who is gone that you wish you could keep close to you?  What do you wish you could say to them?  How to you remember them?  They are always here as long as we think about them and what they meant to us.  We must always choose to celebrate the time we had with our loved ones.

About Noelle Fran:

Creating allows my imagination to express itself.  And is also very soothing. I have always liked to create.  First to transform everyday life and my environment.  Then to share my creations with others

Connect With Noelle Fran at:

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.fr/noellefranc999

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angelnofran

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelnofran

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/Extreme-Skirt218/