Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Vision Quest XLII

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Vision Quest XLII
acrylic painting on canvas board
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm) 
201811128
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

There's a valley between the dunes with a cluster of birches.  Their white bark clinging to the trunks of the unusual trees.  A gentle breeze wrestles the leaves to mimic the waves on the sea.  This is where I go when my heart beats too fast and my breathing is labored.  It is a place of calm.

How do you relax?  Is it making a nice meal after a long day?  Maybe it's setting aside some time for exercise or yoga?  Or quietly cuddling with your dog on the sofa.  We all need time to take care of ourselves.

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

☀😎👍 BRING SPRING ART FESTIVAL!!! 👍😎☀
Perfectly unique items for your home at: 

Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.

For more information or custom order, please visit:
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Monday, March 20, 2023

Sunset on Lake Michigan

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Sunset on Lake Michigan
acrylic paint of canvas
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)
201705050
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
To purchase for your home, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/253340151/sunset-on-lake-michigan-original-acrylic

My feet sink into the fine beach sand as I make my way toward the shoreline.  A case of beer and a bundle of wood in each hand.  The heat of the sun begins to give way to the cool breeze blowing off the lake.  The scent of the shoreline pairs perfectly with the changing colors of the sky.  The water splashing onto my feet as I let the day melt away.

Do we need more or is this enough?  Are there some things we can leave in the past?  Why bother with the future?  Right now is pretty good.

This painting would great in a space that is light red, orange, dark yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, beige, or wood.

☀😎👍 BRING SPRING ART FESTIVAL!!! 👍😎☀
Perfectly unique items for your home at: 

Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.

For more information or custom order, please visit:
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Friday, March 17, 2023

Leaving Donegal, Ireland

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Leaving Donegal, Ireland
acrylic paint on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
201801019
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

This is the last time Frank Duff will see his home. A vanishing glimpse of Donegal, Ireland aboard the ship Eliza slowly heading for America.  While he loves his country, he and his wife, Anna, know there is no future for them there.  For generations, Frank and his family harvested the land.  Their hard labor put food on the table, clothes on their backs, and maybe a little extra to barter when times were difficult.

That all changed when the English exiled the Gaelic leaders from Ireland.  The British made it illegal for Catholics to worship, vote, speak their language, and own property.  With their farm stolen from them, English absentee landlords demanded high rents that they could never afford.  The debt became so large that they were forced off their farm to become migrant farmers traveling through Ulster and Scotland.  Their days consisted of walking barefoot to work and fighting wild dogs for food.  And they'd watch each other die from malnutrition only to be buried in mass graves.

This group of religious/political refugees on the ship Eliza were not welcomed to America.  They practiced the "foreign religion" of Catholicism that "pledged allegiance to the Pope."  Fear was purposely spread that these Irish would bring crime to their cities and they were rapists.  These Irish were coming to take away jobs and their many children would drain the welfare budgets with their diseases and laziness.  So, when the boat docked in New Castle, Delaware, Frank and Anna were now afraid of their new home too.

Frank and Anna Duff were my 5th great-grandparents.  They left the east coast to established a farm in the distant wilderness of Butler, Pennsylvania.  Several generations worked the land and eventually became machinists in factories, firefighters, bridge builders, and soldiers in war and peace.  They only wanted a chance at a better life and I remember their story.

☀😎👍 BRING SPRING ART FESTIVAL!!! 👍😎☀
Perfectly unique items for your home at: 


Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.


For more information or custom order, please visit:


at No comments:

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Twilight Woods

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Twilight Woods
acrylic paint of canvas board
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)
201705049
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
To purchase for your home, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/244169466/twilight-woods-original-acrylic-painting

Where this path will end is a mystery.  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.

Is there a place you go to relax?  Is it wide-open or cozy?  What do you see, hear, smell, and feel when you are there?  Is it a place where you can be by yourself?  What about it makes you feel good?

This painting would great in a space that is red, orange, yellow, dark green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, beige, or wood.

Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.

For more information or custom order, please visit:
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Monday, March 13, 2023

Aurora Borealis Over the Rocky Mountains

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Aurora Borealis Over the Rocky Mountains
acrylic paint of canvas board
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)
201804055
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
Our car whined climbing the steep roads of the Rocky Mountains and the headlights only seemed to  illuminate the black void of the sky.  Twists and turns around every rock.  Just inches from the road were cliffs with no bottom.  As we came out of a tunnel, the sky flashed and danced with vibrant colors and unusual shapes.  We pulled off the desolate road and just watched the sky for hours.

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


Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.


For more information or custom order, please visit:



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Friday, March 10, 2023

Rhône River at Avignon

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


Rhône River at Avignon
acrylic paint on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
201803041
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

On the left bank of the Rhône River nestles the city of Avignon.  A slight bend in the river that has been a destination for the Greeks, Romans, Popes, and countless others.  And the Pont d'Avignon (the Pont Saint-Bénézet) is the last of many bridges trying to reach the other side.  Previous attempts have been destroyed in war, ruined by floods, or doomed to failure by poor engineering.  But what it lacks in function, it excels in adding to the beauty of a marvelous city.   

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



Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.


For more information or custom order, please visit:


at No comments:

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

On the Green of St. Andrews Golf Course

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


On the Green of St. Andrews Golf Course
acrylic paint on canvas board
5" x 7" (12.7 cm x 17.8 cm)
201808105
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

The final hole on the Old Course at St. Andrews Golf Course; "Cathedral of Golf."  In 1764, William St. Clair of Rosslyn decided to alter the course to have the standard 18-holes we have today.  And it has hosted 29 Open Championships since 1873.  That sense of history is felt with every footstep as I carry my golf bag down each fairway and over ancient bridges.  And I have a lot of time to ponder the days of yore when I'm in the "road bunker..."

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

Please listen to my Graphic Ear Interview on WAYO 104.3 FM​ Rochester at:
https://www.mixcloud.com/graphic-ear/070518-graphic-ear-with-mike-kraus/


Mike 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 Center, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Lurie Children's 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 thousands 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.


For more information or custom order, please visit:
at No comments:
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