Cats Need Structure Too!

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Cats Need Structure Too!

acrylic paint on canvas board

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
201804053

© copyright Mike Kraus

For more information, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186507940/custom-commission-original-art-by-mike

He didn't know what to get her for her birthday. She's an antique collector and already has so many wonderful things. In fact, she was really excited about her recent acquisition of a Tiger Maple Chest. Inspiration! That's when he contacted me. We discussed the room and how the Tiger Maple Chest needed to be emphasized. Also about having her cats included doing various activities around the room. And the subject seemed to be more appropriate in a post-impressionist style.

Over the next few weeks, we worked together on the piece. Changes to the room arrangement, brightening the chest and adding more details, and developing the cats' personalities even more. On her birthday, she opened her gift and was shocked. "That's my room!" and went on saying the name of each cat. She was so excited about such a thoughtful gift and went into her antique storage to find a frame for her new piece.

(detail)

Michael 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 Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial 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 hundreds 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.

(detail)

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Store: MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt

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Puppy Files

Scout testing out her new dog bed

 Megan testing out her new human chairs

This is from the last winter storm.  It's been nice out lately.  We have to prepare for tomorrow's Winter Storm Vulcan.   

Snow beard

I call this "the snowplow" 

My dog's pretty narcissistic being more fashionable than her owner and all... 

After committing the unforgivable act of giving a bath.

Scout and Bella sharing a bowl of water after rampaging throughout the house. 

"My tennis ball is under the couch.  I must get my tennis ball1" 

The look of a puppy that realizes she is stuck under your couch...

Rachel had a swim invitational a few weeks back.  It was a lot of fun and Megan and I literally watched from the rafters.  

 "This is a middle school aquatic center?  No wonder our taxes are outrageous."  

After hearing about difficulties one woman was having, I have a new ranking of problems: 1) Third World Problems 2) First World Problems 3) All Other Problems 4) Affluent Suburban Soccer Mom Problems.

 Rachel is the second splash from the top.

GO LIL' RB!

 Wait.  Poutine is just french fries with gravy and cheese.  And it's considered gourmet?  I guess I am a connoisseur of fine dining after all.  But, I may have to retract that since it came from the frozen section of Trader Joe's.

 For Valentine's Day, my dearest wife made me a huge batch of homemade Snicker bars.  What's the quickest way to a man's heart?  Through his chest.

Pretty low key lately.  So...

Children's Memorial Hospital and 101.9 The Mix Plus BETTER DEALS!

It's that time of year again. Children's Memorial Hospital and 101.9 The Mix are doing the annual radiothon, which I will be working on this weekend. So donate early and often! http://www.wtmx.com/microfeatures/radiothon.php

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

MIKE'S BARGAIN BIN OF GOODS!

Look at this beautiful floral patterned couch. Wonderful for any apartment. $75

Did I mention that it comes with a FREE slip cover?!?!

A stylish, comfy chair with matching ottoman. From the Pearson Co. $50

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Hand painted Nightstand for only $15!

FREE! A random assortment of junk. Take one; take all! We have books like In Cold Blood, Sin In the Second City, and The Quran. There are some movies on VHS and DVD. Do you love candles? How about a gong? Maybe an angel figurine without a face? Let me know and it could be yours for FREE!

Again, please support the Eric & Kathy 101.9 The Mix radiothon benefiting Children's Memorial Hospital! http://www.wtmx.com/microfeatures/radiothon.php

Mike's Bargain Bin of Goods!

It's that time of year again. Children's Memorial Hospital and 101.9 The Mix are doing the annual radiothon, which I will be working on this weekend. So donate early and often! http://www.wtmx.com/microfeatures/radiothon.php

So, we went with a few friends to Wormhole Coffee and they have a DeLorean from Back To the Future in the window. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but this got me in the shop...

Mr. Fusion. Your "home energy reactor."

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

MIKE'S BARGAIN BIN OF GOODS!

Look at this beautiful floral patterned couch. Wonderful for any apartment. $100

Did I mention that it comes with a FREE slip cover?!?!

A stylish, comfy chair with matching ottoman. From the Pearson Co. $50

FREE! A random assortment of junk. Take one; take all! We have books like In Cold Blood, Sin In the Second City, and The Quran. There are some movies on VHS and DVD. Do you love candles? How about a gong? Maybe an angel figurine without a face? Let me know and it could be yours for FREE!

We're out of practice with our camera stick. The Chicago skyline was suppose to be behind us...

Again, please support the Eric & Kathy 101.9 The Mix radiothon benefiting Children's Memorial Hospital! http://www.wtmx.com/microfeatures/radiothon.php

The Psychodelic Hot Dog

Hey All,

It's been a while... My iMac from 1999 is having some difficulty understanding the internet these days. So much has changed. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to check email and all. I don't really care to spend $1000 to screw around on the internet. So, if anyone has any bright ideas, I'm all ears...

A part of an exhibit at the Cultural Center.


My lady brought me out to see "high culture." Here's the Chicago Dance Festival at Millennium Park. This is some local company that was very good.


More dancing!


Abbi (sp?) at Annie Zipper's going away party. Goodbye Annie Zipper. Keep in touch.


Megan moved into her new apartment last weekend with the help of Lil Sammy Mover.


This is Megan's new apartment; "The Hobbit House." Why is this the Hobbit House, you ask? First, notice the rounded off edges on the doors and all. Nice touch. Also, the ceilings are only 6' 2". So, no basketball players allowed. It's a great place though. Especially for a 2 bedroom for $600!


This chaise is crazy. It is so well-built and solid, we had to destoy it. It was so big, heavy, and awkward that we could not get it down the stairs. How it got up the stairs baffles me too. It's a shame that such a nice piece of furniture was ruined...


Talking about nice furniture, here's Lynn Nummerdor's latest creation! The psychodelic hot dog is really becoming her trademark!


Who doesn't love a hot dog who knows he's delicious?


It's not everyday that Lamborghinis (sp?) are spotted in Humboldt Park. So, I was going to talk about how these might be to replace the one Lance Briggs, Linebacker for the Chicago Bears recently crashed with only 400 miles on it. But, on my way to the office, I saw these and a couple other Lamborghinis just north of the Merchandise Mart with cop cars marked GPD for Gothem Police Department. So, you'll probably see Christine Bale driving these around downtown Chicago when Batman: The Dark Knight comes out in the next year or so...

That's it. Hope all is well with everyone!

xoxo,

Mike