Twilight Woods

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

   

Twilight Woods #261

gouache paint on bristol paper

2.5 " x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm)

201801004

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your collection, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/555810485/twilight-woods-261-artist-trading-cards

Where this path will end is a mystery.  The trees rustle in the breeze stirring up the aromas of the forest. A freshness one always has to remind themselves of in civilization. The light refracts in strange ways at this time. It's when the surreal becomes the real.

Is there a place you go to relax?  Is it wide-open or cozy?  What do you see, hear, smell, and feel when you are there?  Is it a place where you can be by yourself?  What about it makes you feel good?

Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

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What a Difference a Week Can Make...

Megan and Scout waiting for me to get pizza in Panorama Plaza.  We've actually had a few decent days to take a walk around the neighborhood.  Good because Scouts getting curious and stir crazy these days (like the rest of us...)

And this is why.  Scout trying to find a place to pee early into Winter Storm Vulcan. 

 "Just when I thought I was out they pull me back in!"  

Not bad for one night's worth of snow, eh? 

Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   Shovel, shovel, photo break.   

Ok.  Now Megan can brave the dangerous icy road to get to work...  Next...

Howdy neighbor.  Don't mind me.  Just shoveling off my car. 

Sorry Mr. Mailman.  This is all I had the energy to complete.  I hope you have snowshoes.

Glad a large portion of this has melted off.  It about sums up my week.  Good excuse to stay at home and watch movies and drink cocoa.  But, the fire pit in my backyard is almost visible and making me anxious for summer...

It's Snow Problem

SNOWSTORM NEMO!  This was on my very, very slow commute home.  I think I counted 4 separate car accidents (including a semi vs ambulance).


Lots of pretty trees...






Ugh...  Shoveling...




First shovel break:  Let me take a second to snap a pic of the house


Second shovel break: Another shot.  Man, how much snow is there.  I am literally only cleaning out a one foot clearing around my subcompact...


In the pine, in the pines...


Megan and I didn't realize this when we bought the house, but we are in the township of Narnia.

Speaking of which, I just finished the epic Harry Potter collection.  I have to say that it was better than I expected.  But, I didn't realize how much I didn't really understand from the movies.  I guess you have to leave some stuff out when you write 1,000 page tomes.  

Thanks to Pete and Simon for fulfilling my need of hanging out playing video games and eating junk food.  It is truly the only way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A Man Could Get Use To This

Hope everyone had a great x-mas.  Megan outside of our house.  We got a bit of snow today...


A nice giant stocking on the front door.  Another great Tops purchase!


Megan making some x-mas dinner stuff in her Harry Potter apron.  Such a muggle...


Oh little Christmas tree.  Some day you will be big and strong!
 

WHAT!!! REINDEER TRACKS WALKING UP OUR SIDEWALK TO OUR FRONT DOOR ON CHRISTMAS!!!


A little hike through Linear Park to check out the snow around Irondequoit Creek


Got about 10+ inches of snow last night.  As I slept in late I got the best x-mas gift of all.  The gift of someone else cleaning out my driveway.  I have no idea who it is, but I'm super grateful






Exactly what the little Nissan needed...


Someone else's little yellow house with lots of snow on our way to the library this morning.  Season 3 of Arrested Development for a snowy day

MORE ART!

Mexico.  Sounds nice these days.






One I did of Megan around 2006.  

That's it for now.  

So Much Snow. So Very Much Snow...

Last I saw, we've received 41.7 inches of snow so far in 2010 in Rochester.  That's just 10 inches away from the record snowfall in December with expectations near 60 inches total for the month.  As for the "Golden Snowball Trophy" Syracuse is in the lead with 55 inches.  "What is this trophy?" you ask.  Well, it's a nature driven competition between Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Binghamton, and Albany to see who gets the most snow.  Go to http://www.goldensnowball.blogspot.com/ for more information/



Oh bike.  How I won't see you until June.



It's been a long time since I've lived in a snowy climate.  Chicago gets snow, but not like Rochester or Muskegon.  What makes winter awful there is the bone chilling wind off the plains or Lake Michigan and the complete lack of wintertime activities because they have flat land as far as you can drive.  Maybe my wife will get me a sled for christmas...






So, I had 4 job interviews in a week.  All seemed to go well and were interesting in their own ways.  Certainly won't hear anything about them until after the holidays and the 2010 budgets are done.  Megan is out shopping tonight for gifts.  She'll be done by Modern Family is on.  Buffalo this weekend for dinner and It's A Wonderful Life on the big screen.  


I'm off to draw some pictures or something...

"No, the Middle Ages Would Have Been the Worst Time To Poop!

First things first:
CANstruction starts tomorrow night. This is the 4th year Megan has been a part of this food drive event. Please check it out at the Merchandise Mart: http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/canstruction

Here are some pics from previous CANstructions:

http://mikekraus.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-pics-of-more-stuff.html

http://mikekraus.blogspot.com/2008/06/moment-that-sweet-nectar-of-bbq-sauce.html

http://mikekraus.blogspot.com/2007/06/summer-is-official.html

Second, if you are looking for information on our wedding, the website address for that is: http://www.mywedding.com/bellkraus

Onward to the photographic evidence...

Roddy came to town and we checked out a girls rugby tournament that one of his friends was in.

Almost everyone of these pics contains someone getting or with a concussion.

Here's a "twoffer." Two girls with concussions here. Can you find them?

After lying fairly still and repeating "It's my head," which sounded like "a bag a Jello hitting cement, the girl down on the right was being asked by the trainer "Can you count backwards by threes starting at 20?" She looked at him with a blank stare and said, "What? Uhhhh..."

"Can you count back by threes from 20?"

"Uhhhh..."

"She's dyslexic. She couldn't do that before" a teammate chimed in.

Bill, Roddy, and I.

The spread at my work's Cinco de Mayo potluck. Where the rice and mini tacos were delicious and their was chips and salsa as far as the eye could see. It was the best day of my career...

The arteries of American commerce are the long trains through the Midwest...

The Green Tea and Honey Liqueur Martini

Featured liqueur of AIA's Martini Party. Some kind of crazy Germany honey alcohol. Fascinating website: http://www.barenjagerhoney.com

IT'S THE DAIRY QUEEN BLIZZARD MOBILE!

Thanks to the ladies at my work for using our connections to the Children's Miracle Network to bring this fine ice cream establishment on wheels to my office!

Goofy film student interviewing a DQ cheerleader/Flip camera guy. Notice the ice cream on the kid's head.

Finally, please check out CANstruction at the Merchandise Mart. It's a great event for an even better cause: http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/canstruction

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