Girls GameOn

Girls GameOn, 2014

graphite and ink on paper

5" x 7" 

Collection of Yvonne McKessy

© copyright Mike Kraus

Please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186507940/custom-commission-original-art

Through the fun of soccer, help young girls build their confidence, find their voice and learn how to lead. The Goal Fun soccer activities will introduce the girls to new leadership concepts. Through these activities, they are encouraged to explore a variety of leadership styles, empower them with the ability to choose the way in which they will accomplish a goal, and then support them as they put their ideas into action. Often this helps find a girl’s personal strengths, skills and interests, which gives them the confidence to be a leader. Through this camp, girls better understand themselves and their values. The girls will learn to recognize how situations, attitudes, and the behaviors of others affect their sense of self.

Please visit their website at: http://www.girlsgameon.com/ 

Lavender In Provence

Lavender In Provence, 2014

oil pastel on paper

10" x 8" 

Collection of Laura Holmes

© copyright Mike Kraus

Please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186507940/custom-commission-original-art

Please visit I've Gotta Pack at http://contentqueens.net/1103/1424 or https://www.facebook.com/GottaPack to read true tales that will get YOU planning a trip!

Finger Lake of Upstate New York

Finger Lake of Upstate New York, 2014

oil pastels on paper

4 1/4" x 3 1/2" in a 9 1/4" x 11 3/4" frame

© copyright Mike Kraus
To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/185976649/finger-lake-of-upstate-new-york-4-14-x-3?ref=shop_home_active_1

A day trip to the Finger Lakes.  Well-tended wineries and old rustic farms nestle the rolling hills carved by the pure glacier water.  Wild Cardinal Flowers border the fertile soil of this famous agricultural region.  The sky is a perfect shade of blue and the air smells so fresh.  It can feel like an earthly paradise.

This piece would work best in a space that is jade green, red, or bright yellow.

Street in Heidelberg, Germany

Street in Heidelberg, Germany, 2014

Oil Pastel

5 1/2" x 3 1/2" in a 9" x 7" frame

© copyright Mike Kraus

$19 + shipping

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/184514314/street-in-heidelberg-germany-5-12-x-3-12?ref=shop_home_active_1

Summer in Heidelberg, Germany. A lovely city sandwiched between the Odenwald mountains and the Neckar River. The old town is pedestrian friendly with farmer's markets and a castle to watch over the activity. Streets like these lead to the center of the community. It's places like this that make Europe special. 

This drawing would look best somewhere that needs a splash of color, like a beige foyer or an end table.

WELCOME TO MIKE KRAUS' ART SHOP!

WELCOME TO MIKE KRAUS' ART SHOP!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt

I hope you find something you like. If you're unable to find something or saw an item on this blog you liked, please let me know and I may be able to create something special for you.  THANKS AGAIN!

Deep Red Birch Forest, 2014

acrylic and ink on canvas board

8" x 6"

© copyright Mike Kraus

$22 + shipping 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184035672/deep-red-birch-forest-8-x-6-by-mike?ref=shop_home_active_3

White Birch, 2014

acrylic and ink on paper

6" x 6" in an 8 1/2" x 10 1/2" frame

© copyright Mike Kraus

$32 + shipping 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184036840/white-birch-6-x-6-in-a-8-12-x-10-12?ref=shop_home_active_2

Dark Green Birch Forest, 2014

acrylic and ink on canvas board

6" x 8"

© copyright Mike Kraus

$22 + shipping

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184035042/dark-green-birch-forest-6-x-8-by-mike?ref=shop_home_active_4

Blue Birch, 2014

acrylic on canvas board

6" x 8"

© copyright Mike Kraus

$22 + shipping 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184034274/blue-birch-tree-6-x-8-by-mike-kraus?ref=listing-shop-header-4

Night Birch, 2014

scratchboard

7" x 5" in an 11 1/2" x 9 1/2" frame

© copyright Mike Kraus

$32 + shipping 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184045579/night-birch-7-x-5-in-a-11-12-x-9-12?ref=listing-shop-header-0

White Birch Forest, 2014

acrylic and ink on canvas board

8" x 6"

© copyright Mike Kraus

$22 + shipping

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184040365/white-birch-forest-8-x-6-by-mike-kraus?ref=related-4

THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt

If you need anything or have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me:
MikeKKraus@gmail.com

Faces In the Crowd

Faces In the Crowd, 2003ish

pen and ink

© copyright Mike Kraus

I wonder how many people know that I've captured them in my sketchbook?  Here's a sampling from hanging out in Millennium Park in downtown Chicago.  Lots of characters makes for interesting people watching.  You can tell who is a tourist because they look up at all the skyscrapers.  I don't know about the people looking down or about the guy in the top hat.

Night Birch

Night Birch, 2014

scratchboard

© copyright Mike Kraus

Birch trees have always been a meditative source for me.  Growing up, there was one outside my window that I would look at while daydreaming.  And, when I needed to get away from the world I went to a grove of Birch trees to find refuge.  I’ve always found the unique and nearly insignificant white tree interesting.

The IT Guy

The IT Guy, 2014

pen, ink, and graphite

© copyright Mike Kraus

During the day, he's largely ignored by the staff until someone has a computer problem.  You'll usually find him in his distant office that doubles as a storage room for servers and cannibalized electronics.  At night, he performs at the local theatre and becomes a character himself.  Two lives which couldn't be any more different.

White Birch

White Birch, 2014

Acrylic and ink

© copyright Mike Kraus

What’s black and white and red all over?  A birch tree of course.  Birch trees have always been a meditative source for me.  Growing up, there was one outside my window that I would look at while daydreaming.  And, when I needed to get away from the world I went to a grove of Birch trees to find refuge.  I’ve always found the unique and nearly useless white tree interesting.

Palmer Hall

"Palmer Hall", 2014

pen and ink 
© copyright Mike Kraus

I paid the fee and they unlocked the doors.  We transferred our equipment from the car onto the stage.  Other groups arrive and friends gather in the parking lot.  Standing around the back door waiting for our drinks to be delivered.  This is the only place where kids are welcome.  Killing time with skateboards and forgetting the long week.  It’s 7pm and time to open the doors for the show.

Everybody Loves a Landlord

"Everybody Loves a Landlord", 2014

pen, ink, graphite 
© copyright Mike Kraus

On the edge of the city, a landlord busies himself with his rental estate.  Always with a cigarette in hand, he wanders around the structure trying to find a purpose.  He doesn’t have to show a vacant apartment until 3pm.  It’s not unusual to find him sitting in the lobby welcoming tenants and staring off into the distance.  The boom box repeats his only cassette: Dark Side of the Moon.  

"All Entities Move and Nothing Remains Still"

"All Entities Move and Nothing Remains Still", 2014

pen, ink, and graphite

© copyright Mike Kraus

When is a place no longer home?  Is it when you no longer recognize the town?  Maybe it’s when all the institutions you were involved with have dissolved?  Or could it be when all your friends and family have fled?  Is the passing of time what makes it so “you can’t go home again?”

Wilder Building

Wilder Building, 2014

pen, ink, and graphite

© copyright Mike Kraus


Buildings do more than shelter us from the rain.  They reveal human intelligence and purpose.  What kind of technology did it require in 1887 to construct Rochester's first modern skyscraper?  What was the architect trying to tell us using the Romanesque style?  It's on the National Register of Historic Places, so what does the Wilder Building mean to us today?  Something that is difficult to think about when speeding by the structure in a car.

Birch Forest

Birch Forest, 2014

Acrylic and ink

© copyright Mike Kraus

What’s black and white and red all over?  A birch forest of course.  Birch trees have always been a meditative source for me.  Growing up, there was one outside my window that I would look at while daydreaming.  And, when I needed to get away from the world I went to a grove of Birch trees to find refuge.  I’ve always found the unique and nearly insignificant white tree interesting.  

October 2012 #27

Issue #27

Goodbye Chicago.  You’ve always had a place for me on your broad boulevards.  But, I’m married now and it’s time for me to move on.  To settle near family and have kids of my own.  Find a place to call “home” and live the clichés of Thanksgiving dinners and grilling in the backyard.  I love my simple life of taking the “el” to work and checking out the neighborhoods on the weekend; but I must go.

I remember the day I decided to move here.  After that misleading job interview, I wondered all around the Loop knowing there was nothing I could do back in Michigan.  Staring at the spitting faces of Crown Fountain.  Grabbing a hot dog and fries at Max’s Take Out.  I gave myself one year to sink or swim and moved into my Spartan Ravenswood apartment a few days later.

Now, the moving truck has all our junk in it and we’re starting a new life in Rochester, New York.  Will it be better than Chicago?  Apples and oranges.  But, I will miss the activity of a world-class city.  The adventure, amusement, and/or oddities I could find around every street corner.  The food.  All of my friends going to dive bars, the bartering of Maxwell Street Market, all kinds of concerts at a wide variety of venues, apartment parties for any reason, and just sitting on the porch people watching.  It’s been good.  

Actually, Not Too Much To Discuss Leading Up To A Week That Will Change The World...

First, a few things to discuss:

1) I had my "annual review" at work. Everyone did. And I got a raise! Now, before you get all excited and start saying things like, "That jerk can afford to buy me some drinks at the bar now." or whatever; understand this. Since I've only worked there almost three months (one month for the review time), it is prorated. What does that mean in monetary terms? I have about 3-4 cents more in my pocket an hour. HELL YEAH! I was born to live in this kind of economy. Man, imagine how awesome I would have done in the Great Depression...

2) Along with my raise, I get a trip to Austin for a conference about Convio. For those that don't know about Convio, it's a computer database program that KNOWS ALL ABOUT YOU.

3) So, I understand that there's a presidential election going on. Some local guy named Barracks Obammers looks like a contender. Anyway, I guess he's having an election party with a million or so of his closest Chicago friends in Grant Park. Anyone going? Mandy? You're best friends with him, right? I expect to see you there? Does anyone know if there will be snacks and/or if it's BYOB?

Now for the real business of the evening:


At the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) for Children's Memorial Hospital's Cocktails For a Cause event. It was a real good time. Lots of people (about 500) eating lots of good food (rabbit, roast beef sandwiches, chocolates), bidding on auction prizes (sports memorabilia, walk on rolls for Samantha Who? and My Name Is Earl) and such. What was nice for me was I didn't have to go to work until 4pm and then hung out at the MCA until 1pm. Not bad for a days work.


Here was my office at the MCA. It doubled as the auction warehouse. There is wine, posters, photos, baseballs, and all kinds of stuff.


The mayhem


Art and bruschetta


Cubs fans would like this. It's Ernie Banks, (I forget), Ryne Sandberg, and Ron Santo.


Autographed baseball. I think it's the White Sox, but not positive. I lost the auction directory...


One of my neighbors decided to gussy up the outside of their building. There was so much going on that I can't begin to describe it. Plus, I was on a very important mission of getting pizza for dinner when we spotted this. So...


As many of you know, Megan and working to officially be smarter than I am by getting her Master of Business Administration degree at Loyola. Look at all those intelligent graphs and well thought out statements on that paper. My homework from grad school looked exactly like it did when I was in elementary; all drawings...

That's about it.

xoxo,

Mike