Mike Kraus

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Lavender Fields of Skagit Valley, Washington

Lavender Field of Skagit Valley, Washington #116

Gouache on Watercolor Paper

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247433935/lavender-field-of-skagit-valley?ref=listings_manager_grid

Lavender Field of Skagit Valley, Washington #117

Gouache on Watercolor Paper

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247434143/lavender-field-of-skagit-valley?ref=listing-shop-header-1

Lavender Field of Skagit Valley, Washington #118

Gouache on Watercolor Paper

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247434271/lavender-field-of-skagit-valley?ref=listing-shop-header-1

Lavender Field of Skagit Valley, Washington #119

Gouache on Watercolor Paper

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247537926/lavender-field-of-skagit-valley?ref=listing-shop-header-0

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions & Originals) is frameable, collectable, enjoyable and can be given as a special gift for a birthday, wedding, new baby, anniversary, thank you or other occasion. It is a one-of-a-kind original work of art, NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION. It is signed on the back and lends itself to framing in a standard trading card frame or book.

FREE SHIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES

For more information or custom order, please visit:

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

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Grandpa Jer's Rollin' Cinnamon Rolls #115

Gouache on Watercolor Paper

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/247161253/grandpa-jers-rollin-cinnamon-rolls-115?ref=shop_home_active_1

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

FREE SHIPPING IN THE UNITED STATES

For more information or custom order, please visit:

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

Friday, September 4, 2015

Summer Memories

ROLLING STONES CONCERT! WHOOO!!! Love the lady over my shoulder. Also the one on my shoulder...

Went to the concert with Sean and Marianne. Stadium is just a little different than it is for a Bills game. A lot of milling around during the set by St. Paul and the Broken Bones.

You know you're band has put on a lot of concerts when the tour name has regressed into zip codes...

YEAH!!!

That's a mob

Heading back to the car after the show. One band from the bucket list crossed off.

Robin feeding her chicks at the in-law's house. You can see a couple of the hungry mouths peaking out.

Keep feedin' 'em momma!

Mom and babes moved out the the ol nest. Summer, where did you go?

And here's a human baby nest! It was a good way to contain the twins for a while. Now they crawl over, under, around, and through anything.

Not nearly enough bonfires this summer. Too much rain and cold early on. Maybe that means more in the fall?

For dessert, some grilled watermelon. Some recipe from Pinterest said to glaze them with olive oil or something. Made it taste like weird meat...

That's all for now.

The Making of Girl with Collie

Girl with Collie, 2015

acrylic on canvas board

12" x 16" (30.5 cm x 40.6 cm)
Collection of Seth Michael Rhodes

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/186507940/custom-commission-original-art-by-mike?ref=shop_home_active_1

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

Today, I thought it would be fun to show what goes into making a custom piece of art.

First, we have to figure out what we're going to paint. My client requested something "modern, playful, and different" and "with lots of colors." We discussed subjects and paintings that could serve as inspiration. After our talks, this was the sketch that was accepted for the final piece.

Now I start painting! I laid a cadmium yellow ground to really make the colors pop on this piece. And I worked it gradually. Sometimes adding more yellow ground to parts to keep the vibrant glow. The sun and sky is blended over and over from yellow, pink, purple, light blue, medium blue. Something that I was inspired from walking home from the ice cream stand.

Next, I placed the mountains. A dark blue that I layered several lighter blues on top to get volume. That was followed by the land. This inspiration came from a recent trip to the Salvador Dali Museum (http://thedali.org/) in St. Petersburg, Florida. The colors of the sky are light and airy. I wanted the land to be heavier. So, I did the reverse with the colors. I started with a dark purple and covered the ground. Then came a light purple, dark pink, and light pink. Each with a hint of yellow to keep the brightness. I then added the road, parking lot, and grass.

Now for the ruins. Some of the sources of inspiration for the client were Victorian paintings. While researching for the sketch, I noticed that lots of Victorian landscapes had ruins in them. The style of the building was inspired from my recent trip to Montreal and Quebec City. At the art galleries, there were lots of paintings that used black ground with bright bold colors on top. And there were also lots of traditional old churches. I thought it'd be appropriate to this piece. In the foreground is another set of ruins. I liked the girl and dog in the interior space, but I wanted to include the depth of a landscape. Since ruins were to be included, I thought this device would be fun. Similar to the church, it's black ground with a white layer on top.

I filled in the foreground with color. I wanted to re-introduce yellow to give it some brightness again. There's a little brown added to give it shade. The floor is checker board red. I wanted to keep adding depth and color. I also left the original white because it reminded me of the speckled white tile at my school. And that speckle could be a good way to play with light.

Then there's the girl and dog. What is this girl thinking? What is is the dog looking at? How did they get into a landscape like this? I'll let the viewer try to figure that one out. haha

Added some details. Some lines in the road and parking lot. A little touch up work on the church and other areas. But, that's a completed piece from conception to finish. THANKS!

For more information or custom order, please visit:

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

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The Contoured Meerkat

The Contoured Meerkat, 2015

acrylic on canvas board

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/246409239/the-contoured-meerkat-original-acrylic?ref=listings_manager_grid

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

Today, in the Kalahari Desert, he is a sentry while the others in his clan forage and play. If there is danger, he will bark to tell the others to hide. But, there is no danger today. Yet, he will remain on duty while the others race and wrestle in the sun.

This painting would look best somewhere that needs a splash of color like a beige foyer or small wall space.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

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

Monday, August 31, 2015

Twilight Woods

Twilight Woods, 2015

Acrylic on canvas board

5" x 7" in a frame (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm in a frame)

© copyright Mike Kraus
To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/246241892/twilight-woods-original-acrylic-painting?ref=listings_manager_grid

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

I follow the winding path not knowing where I'll end up. 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.

This painting would look best in a space that is red, orange, cadmium yellow, green, dark blue, light purple beige, or wood.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

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