Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty
👷♀️ Chicago Alley 👷♀️
202508034
acrylic paint on canvas board
16" x 20" (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
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The "L" train shrieks overhead as this alley hums quietly beneath it cluttered with voices, colors, and painted thick over bricks and concrete. There’s a raw electricity here, like the hum of power lines overhead or the rumble of a garbage truck making its last pass. You can almost smell the hot pavement and faded beer from a forgotten corner store, while a coyote seem to be having a whispered conversation about survival and freedom. This isn’t the part of the city shown in postcards, but it might be the part that tells the truth.
What about your neighborhood—does it tell the truth, or just keep up appearances?
This piece would look best in a medium space that is red, orange, yellow, green, dark blue, purple, black, white, grey, or wood.
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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
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/MikeKraus/
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mkraus
