❄️☃️🌞 Where do you find warmth when everything else feels cold? 🌞☃️❄️

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I stepped into the winter woods expecting quiet and cold, but instead I felt a warmth waiting for me, glowing low and steady behind the bare trees like a held breath. The snow softened my footsteps, the branches reached upward in patient lines, and that deep red light pulsed at the center of it all, a reminder that even in the starkest season something alive is still burning. Standing there, I felt my worries thin out, as if winter wasn’t an ending but a place where strength learns how to glow from within. A warmth I knew I would want to return to, again and again. 

What part of yourself is quietly keeping its warmth, even now?

❄️☃️🌞 Warmth That Remains 🌞☃️❄️

acrylic paint on canvas board

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

202112104

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To add more cozy comfort to your space, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/244067229

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

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🦊 What Are You Rushing Toward In 2026? 🦊

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I was walking the same quiet street I always do when I noticed the fox standing perfectly still, as if it had stepped out of a thought rather than the brush. It didn’t rush away or look afraid, just watched the world with a calm that felt earned, its rusted coat bright against the soft lavender of evening. For a moment, the noise of schedules and worries loosened, and I felt invited into that pause, reminded that wildness can live beside us without asking permission. This painting holds that moment for me, a quiet meeting I can return to.

When was the last time you let yourself stop, notice, and meet the world with that kind of quiet attention?

🦊 The Stillness Before Moving 🦊

Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

202512075

Created to hold a moment of quiet attention and shared wildness 

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4436695962

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4436692618

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4436683710

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/

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❤️💀 If Love Stripped Everything Away, What Would Still Be Left? 💀❤️

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I stand proud. Even if I'm stripped down to bone I still remember how it feels to be seen with warmth instead of judgment, the air around me humming with quiet laughter and the soft pulse of affection that does not ask for perfection. I have learned that love is not about what is filled in or missing, but about presence, humor, and the courage to take up space exactly as you are, even when the world feels sharp or loud. There is a playful ease in this moment, a gentle reminder that tenderness can survive time, loss, and change, and that kindness can still glow bright and familiar like a shared smile across a room.

When you think about love in your own life, who makes you feel most comfortable standing exactly as you are, and how often do you let yourself stay there?

❤️💀 Pin-Up Skeleton #606 💀❤️

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

202512077

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your collection, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/558182865

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]

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 are you ready to let go of as we welcome a new year? 🍁

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I step into the forest and feel my shoulders soften as the air turns cool and clean, the ground whispering with the crunch of leaves under my boots while a pale birch rises ahead of me like a quiet guardian, its branches holding a warm glow of gold and ember red that seems to breathe with the season. In that moment the noise I carried in fades, replaced by the steady rhythm of my steps and the gentle hush of wind moving through the trees, reminding me that nothing needs to be rushed and that it is safe to simply be here. I run my fingers along the smooth bark, notice the faint scent of damp earth and sunlight, and feel a small kind of magic where worries loosen their grip and my thoughts find space to settle. 

When was the last time you let a walk in nature slow your breath and remind you that you belong to something larger and kinder than whatever you are carrying right now?

🍁 Autumn Birch 🍁

acrylic paint on canvas board

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

202512078

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your home, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/539209116

This piece would look best in a small space that is green, blue, purple, black, white, gray, or wood.

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]

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

🍾🥂 Let’s Make 2026 a Beautiful Year Together! 🥂🍾

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🍾🥂 Let's make 2026 a beautiful year! 🥂🍾

We are standing at the edge of something new, and I wanted to pause with you for a moment before we step forward together.

The world can feel loud, rushed, and heavy at times. It is easy to carry more than we should, to scroll past what matters, or to lose touch with what feels honest and nourishing. Most of us sense it when something feels off, even if we cannot name it right away. When we ignore that feeling, we drift further from ourselves and from one another.

What has helped me is slowing down and choosing intention over noise. Asking simple questions. What do I want to grow? What do I want to protect? What kind of beauty feels true right now? Small moments of reflection have a way of opening doors we did not realize were closed.

When we make space for that kind of attention, good things happen. We feel steadier. More curious. More connected. The future stops feeling abstract and starts feeling like something we are shaping together. That is where creativity lives and where community strengthens.

As we look ahead, I keep thinking about how much lighter things feel when we allow ourselves a little grace and a little curiosity about what comes next.

I am grateful you are here with me. Truly. Sharing this moment, this pause, and this hope makes what comes next feel lighter and more meaningful. There is a lot ahead of us, and I am glad we are moving toward it together.

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

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 will comfort look like for you in 2026? 🍰

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

🍰 Cheesecake Daydream #605 🍰

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

202512076

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

To purchase for your collection, please visit:

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/217808258

I found myself staring at this cheesecake as if it were a tiny moment of quiet wrapped in cream and cherries, the kind of treat that makes the room feel softer and the day slow down just enough to breathe. The cherry sauce glowed like evening light against the pale sweetness beneath it and for a second it felt like an invitation to pause and let something simple be enough. I took in the scent that was both bright and comforting and felt my shoulders soften in a way I did not expect.

When life gets loud and rushed, what small comfort helps you return to yourself?

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

❄⛄ Season's greetings from the heart! ⛄❄

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

As the year gently comes to a close, I wanted to pause and simply say "thank you." Your kindness, encouragement, and friendship mean more to me than I can easily put into words. The only reason I am able to spend my days creating and sharing beauty is because of people like you who believe in it and support it.

This season always reminds me that art is not just about color on a wall. It is about connection, memory, joy, and hope. I am deeply grateful that we get to share that belief and walk this creative journey together.

I hope your holidays are filled with warmth, laughter, and meaningful moments with the people you love. I look forward to continuing to add more beauty to the world together in the year ahead.

With gratitude and friendship,

Mike

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