Mike Kraus: 2026

Friday, January 2, 2026

🍁 What are you ready to let go of as we welcome a new year? 🍁

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I step into the forest and feel my shoulders soften as the air turns cool and clean, the ground whispering with the crunch of leaves under my boots while a pale birch rises ahead of me like a quiet guardian, its branches holding a warm glow of gold and ember red that seems to breathe with the season. In that moment the noise I carried in fades, replaced by the steady rhythm of my steps and the gentle hush of wind moving through the trees, reminding me that nothing needs to be rushed and that it is safe to simply be here. I run my fingers along the smooth bark, notice the faint scent of damp earth and sunlight, and feel a small kind of magic where worries loosen their grip and my thoughts find space to settle.

When was the last time you let a walk in nature slow your breath and remind you that you belong to something larger and kinder than whatever you are carrying right now?

🍁 Autumn Birch 🍁

acrylic paint on canvas board

5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)

202512078

To purchase for your home, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/539209116

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

I’m Mike Kraus, a lifelong artist who believes color, movement, and curiosity can quietly change how a space and a day feel. [More about me]

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

Thursday, January 1, 2026

🍾🥂 Let’s Make 2026 a Beautiful Year Together! 🥂🍾

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🍾🥂 Let's make 2026 a beautiful year! 🥂🍾

We are standing at the edge of something new, and I wanted to pause with you for a moment before we step forward together.

The world can feel loud, rushed, and heavy at times. It is easy to carry more than we should, to scroll past what matters, or to lose touch with what feels honest and nourishing. Most of us sense it when something feels off, even if we cannot name it right away. When we ignore that feeling, we drift further from ourselves and from one another.

What has helped me is slowing down and choosing intention over noise. Asking simple questions. What do I want to grow? What do I want to protect? What kind of beauty feels true right now? Small moments of reflection have a way of opening doors we did not realize were closed.

When we make space for that kind of attention, good things happen. We feel steadier. More curious. More connected. The future stops feeling abstract and starts feeling like something we are shaping together. That is where creativity lives and where community strengthens.

As we look ahead, I keep thinking about how much lighter things feel when we allow ourselves a little grace and a little curiosity about what comes next.

I am grateful you are here with me. Truly. Sharing this moment, this pause, and this hope makes what comes next feel lighter and more meaningful. There is a lot ahead of us, and I am glad we are moving toward it together.

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.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.