🦝 What do you think this raccoon is planning? 🦝

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Raccoon strolls through the neighborhood with the confidence of someone who definitely knows what they're is doing, even when they absolutely do not. They catch the smell of fresh cookies drifting from an open window and immediately decides that this is now the most important mission of the day. A moment later, they hear the rustle of a paper bag and changes direction just as quickly. Their plan tend to be flexible. Very flexible. While everyone else is busy trying to get things right the first time, Raccoon is busy following their curiosity wherever it leads. Somehow, despite a few questionable decisions, they usually ends up discovering something interesting.

What Raccoon understands is that nobody has everything figured out yet. There is always a new skill to learn, a new adventure to try, or a new mistake waiting to become a good story. Instead of worrying about being ready, they take action and sees what happens. Sometimes the result is success. Sometimes it is a valuable lesson. Either way, they come away with something useful. The benefit is that life becomes a lot more fun when you stop waiting to be perfect and start exploring what is possible. 

If Raccoon invited you on one of their adventures, would you trust them enough to say "yes?"

🦝 Raccoon #622 🦝

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202606033

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For an elusive friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/234637716

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market
1210 Culver Road
Rochester, NY, 14609 United States
(585) 455-3356
bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com
I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258
If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

🎴🃏Join us  for the Artist Trading Card (ACEO) Festival! 🎴🃏

The Artist Trading Cards (ACEO) Gallery is hosting a party August 3rd-5th! Buy, sell, trade, collect, or share your ACEOs and ATCs while connecting with artists and collectors from around the world, discovering incredible miniature artworks, and celebrating creativity in a fun and welcoming community. Sign up at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1390215639617927

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

☕️🍊 If you were sitting at a café in Orange, France right now, what would you order? 🍊☕️

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I settled into a café in Orange, France just as the lunch crowd began to gather. The aroma of fresh bread, herbs, and roasted coffee drifted through the square while the cheerful hum of conversations spilled out from nearby restaurants. As I listened and watched, I realized something important. I was making progress, but I was not yet the person I wanted to become. That thought could have felt discouraging, yet it felt surprisingly hopeful. I did not need to have everything figured out. I only needed a simple way to move forward.

So I pulled out my planner and wrote down one small action I could take that day. Nothing complicated and nothing overwhelming. Within minutes, the uncertainty that had been slowing me down began to fade. That one step gave me direction, confidence, and a sense of momentum. I learned that growth does not come from waiting until you are enough. It comes from choosing a tool that helps you become more of who you want to be. 

If one small action could change the way an entire afternoon felt, what might happen if you started today?

🍊 Orange, France  🍊

acrylic paint on canvas board

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

202605028

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a relaxing day, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/249721069

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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

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

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

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

🌞 What is the first memory that comes to mind when you think of Summer on the Finger Lakes? 🌞

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

A lot is expected of me when I am in the city. I wake up early, check messages, answer emails, take meetings, and spend the day trying to keep up with a growing list of demands. It feels like there is always one more thing to do and one more expectation to meet. By evening, I can feel the weight of it all. That is when I make my way to a quiet place by Canandaigua Lake. I hear the gentle lapping of water against the shore and feel the cool evening air on my skin as the sky fills with brilliant shades of gold, pink, purple, and blue. For a few moments, the noise of the day fades into the background.

Growth does not come from pushing harder every minute of every day. Sometimes it comes from creating space to think, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. The simple action is stepping away from the constant pressure and giving myself permission to pause. The benefit is clarity, renewed energy, and the reminder that my worth is not measured by how much I accomplish before sunset. 

When life feels overwhelming, where is the place that helps you remember who you are?

🌞 Canandaigua Trail 🌞

Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a relaxing moment in your cottage, please visit:

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1716632481

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1702445930

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/757161214

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

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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

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

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

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

🥕 How Would You Like to End the Month of May? 🥕

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Tansi tries very hard to hold everything together, which is exactly why everything keeps falling apart around them. The morning begins with a nervous crunch of toast that tastes far too burnt, followed by a spilled basket of groceries, a runaway shoelace incident, and one extremely judgmental sheep. By lunchtime, Tansi somehow locks themself out of their own tiny carrot cottage while still holding the keys. Their leafy top droops every time another little disaster appears, but somehow the world never seems angry with them for long. There is something oddly comforting about the way Tansi keeps going, even while flustered, dusty, and apologizing to furniture.

Tansi reminds us that even anxious hearts can keep moving forward, one messy little step at a time, and that kindness toward ourselves might be the warmest home of all. 

So when your own world starts tumbling sideways, who helps you remember that you are still doing okay?

🥕 Tansi the Carrot #621 🥕

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605027

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a tasty friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/245021302

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🔥 How will you treat yourself this Summer? 🔥

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

There is a small, soft presence who moves through the world as if everything might get a little too hot. This little s’more companion carries a constant concern, always thinking three steps ahead and quietly planning an exit just in case things turn heated. The expression says everything before a word is even spoken, and the words that follow arrive quickly, carefully, and with a tendency to explain more than necessary. When things feel chaotic, they instinctively tuck in, finding comfort under a a graham cracker of safety and holding still until the it is calm again.

Even with all that worry, there is something deeply relatable and strangely comforting about this gentle overthinker. They remind anyone nearby that caution is just another form of care, and that needing a moment to feel safe is completely alive. Their presence lets us know anxiety can be met with warmth and understanding instead of pressure. 

Who do you want by your side when the world is just too much?

🔥 Smore #620 🔥

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605026

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a tasty friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/230945385

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

💡 How will you light up the start of Summer?💡

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

There is a certain kind of friend you want around when you're overthinking, and this little lightbulb is exactly that sort of companion. Up for anything, full of crooked enthusiasm, and cheerfully unconcerned with whether the plan makes perfect sense. This bright oddball moves through the world with a jaunty confidence that makes hesitation feel a little less important. Eyes wandering in different directions as if spotting possibilities no one else notices, and a curly filament inside glowing with its own expressive personality. This quirky companion has a gift for turning uncertainty into curiosity and reminding you that not every step has to be graceful to lead somewhere interesting. Sometimes the best ideas do not arrive polished and serious, they show up with skinny limbs, a sideways spark, and a willingness to say "yes" before doubt arrives.

Keeping a little light like that close by can be its own kind of encouragement, a playful reminder to loosen your grip, follow your spark, and let life be a little sillier than usual. This is the kind of friend for anyone who needs a nudge toward spontaneity or a burst of levity on a heavy day.

Will you try something unexpected today and see where it takes you?

💡 Gigi the Lightbulb #619 💡

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605025

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a bright friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/193877751

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🎈 What if happiness was just handing your problems to a ditzy balloon and hoping it floats in the right direction? 🎈

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I first met Whoop the Balloon when everything around me felt a little too serious, like the world was speaking in sharp corners. Whoop drifted in with a soft, squeaky little sound, like air slipping through a playful whistle, and there was a faint sweetness in the air like spun sugar left too long in the sun. Whoop is an airhead in the gentlest way, thoughts floating off mid sentence, ditzy enough that even gravity seems optional, and so aloof that it is never quite clear whether I am being noticed or simply enjoyed from a distance.

Being around Whoop makes my mind feel lighter, like I do not have to grip every idea so tightly just to keep it from running away. When things get noisy or complicated, Whoop offers a strange kind of calm, bumping into problems with a soft bounce that turns frustration into laughter instead of friction. I like keeping Whoop close for those moments when I want life to feel less heavy and more playful, almost like carrying a pocket of drifting air that reminds me not everything needs control or certainty. 

If you had a small companion who could turn your heaviest moments into something light enough to float away, how would you bring Whoop along with you into your day?

🎈 Whoop the Balloon #618 🎈

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605024

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For an airy friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/242266563

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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 at: https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/bio.html

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🍂 Happy Thanksgiving and a warm thank you from me to you! 🍁

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I am lucky to create artwork that speaks to people. I am lucky to share it with a community that is supportive, encouraging, and full of heart. And I am especially lucky to have you here. Thank you for being part of my creative world and for helping my artwork continue to grow and reach others.

This is the time of year when I slow down, look around, and let myself feel grateful for the people who make my life brighter. A kind word, a shared moment, a simple message from someone can turn an ordinary day into something meaningful. I believe the best relationships are built through small, sincere connections. You have given me many of those moments, and I am thankful for every single one.

Your kindness and support make everything I do possible. Thank you for being you, and thank you for sharing this journey with me. I hope this day brings you comfort, joy, and a sense of connection.

Questions?

 

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

P.S.: Our 🍁 Grateful Art Festival 🍁 begins on Friday, November 28th, and it is a cheerful way to find thoughtful gifts at wonderful prices. There are games, activities, thousands of artists, and a bright start to the season. You are welcome to join at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1461556485171523

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

💜🌻 What if finding beauty was as simple as saying yes?🌻💜

 Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

💜🌻 Sunflowers and Lavender in Provence 🌻💜

acrylic paint on canvas board

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

202508043

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/534467771

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. Every twisting road reveals new rows of lavender stretching endlessly under the sun. I will never forget the fields of France.

This little painting is small, simple, and easy to bring into your life. It fits in almost any room and ships securely to your door, ready to brighten your space. No stress and no extra steps. Just color and memory waiting for you.

Art is more than something pretty on a wall. It carries feelings, memories, and a little bit of hope. If this piece speaks to you, it may be because it already belongs with you.

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

🍁 OPENING SOON! 🍁

🍁 Calling All Art Lovers! 🍁

Get ready for the Awesome Autumn Art Festival—the coziest, craftiest, most joyfully creative online event of the season! Whether you're here to shop unique, sell your amazing work, or just soak in the good vibes, this is THE place to be. Think colorful finds, handmade magic, and a community that actually cares about art.

So grab your pumpkin spice and click that RSVP—because this fall, we’re making art the main event at:  👉 https://www.facebook.com/events/1046518944308485

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 Sky Was on Fire and I Didn’t Want to Blink 👀🔥

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🌴 Sunset Over Puerto Vallarta, Mexico #585 🌴

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

202507032

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your collection, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/560340679

I still remember standing on the beach in Puerto Vallarta, toes buried in the warm sand, watching the sky slowly turn into this glowing blend of coral, gold, and deep flame. The palm trees stood perfectly still, like they were holding their breath with the rest of us, waiting for the sun to slip below the edge. It felt like one of those rare moments when time presses pause and lets you just take it all in.

Have you ever caught a sunset so vivid that it made you want to stay right where you were, just a little longer?

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

🌞 We don't take it personally 🌞

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

💜🌻 Sunflowers and Lavender in Provence 🌻💜

acrylic paint on canvas board

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

202502010

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/534467771

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.

Do you feel your life is unbalanced? Why? And what impact will it have on you next year?

This painting would look best in a medium space that is red, orange, green, blue, white, black, grey, 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

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