Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Hello Panda Bear

Hello Panda Bear #221
gouache and ink bristol paper
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) is frameable, collectible, 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.

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Monday, April 17, 2017

Waddle I Do With Myself

Waddle I Do With Myself #220
pen, ink, marker on Bristol Paper
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
© copyright Mike Kraus 
To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/525289949/waddle-i-do-with-myself-220-artist

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

This artist trading card or ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals) is frameable, collectible, 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:

Friday, April 14, 2017

Icy Shore of the St. Lawrence River

 Icy Shore of the St. Lawrence River, 2017
acrylic paint on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) 
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

It's a chilly morning and I make sure my coffee is very hot before going outside.  My wife stays cozy next to the fire in the 1,000 Islands Harbor Hotel as I explore the snowy shore.  I look out toward Pine Island as the ice collects and builds on the gentle current.  Grindstone Island, which seems so massive on a sunny day, almost seems to disappear in weather like this.  A flock of ducks flee Picton Island and huddle in a spot on Round Island trying to stay warm.  And that's what I'll do too.  Head back into the hotel to relax by the fire with a fresh cup of coffee.

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

For more information or custom order, please visit:



Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Artist Forum: Winter Woods Inspiration

 Question: How do you decide what to paint?

This is something I've been asked a lot recently.  And I thought I'd share some of my thoughts as it's something every artist struggles with at some point.  

For my example, I will use my Winter Woods painting, which is posted in this blog.  This is a series I started a few years ago.  The dog was restless and I brought her outside to play for a little bit.  While she was running around, I thought the fresh snow was beautiful.  It was so fresh and powdery on the ground, the light coating floating on the branches, and the sun making everything shimmer.  That was the inspiration.


I went back to my studio and started sketching.  For me, it's all about finding the right balance.  I don't want something too realistic, otherwise I'd just use my camera.  But, if it's too abstracted, it tends to lose it's connection to our senses.  So, I try to find that place between the real and the abstracted that brings out the emotions of a piece.  The first piece that came out was a very simple gouache design on a greeting card.  It was a flat blue sky, multi-layers of white snow, dark brown trees with snow on each branch.


For me, that is just the start.  I read a Matisse quote that it took him 50 times painting a subject before he considered a piece "good."  That stuck in my head and, for me, that really is true.  When I complete a piece, it goes on my wall or somewhere that I will see it frequently.  I want to see it often and think, "I like that part, I wish I did that differently, and I will add that next time."  What I want to do is push each piece further toward my vision.  So, the Winter Woods piece evolved.  The hills of snow became less exaggerated.  The sky was amplified by various shades of blue.  I stagger the trees more to give it depth and a pattern like notes on a music sheet.  And finally, the trunks and branches are a mixture of black, brown, and metallic paint to give it shape and excitement.  Just like the previous pieces, this will be on my wall and I will think of ways to push this piece further next time.  And when I'm out of ideas then the series is complete.


But, I'm never our of ideas.  I have a list of 41 paintings I'd like to do.  Where do these ideas come from?  Everywhere.  They come from my patrons requesting commissions.  Maybe a discussion with a fellow artist.  A suggestion from a gallery owner.  Seeing something in a museum.  Maybe a random object caught my eye on TV.  To keep track of all this inspiration, I make a list and sketches so I'm always busy painting.


I hope this is helpful.  And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss something.    

Winter Woods, 2017
acrylic paint on canvas
18" x 24" (45.7 cm x 61.0 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus 

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

It's a chilly late afternoon in the forest.  The snow glows on the creaking branches of the trees.  All I hear is the crunching of my boots down the icy path.  This is the season of hibernation.  A time of reflection and calm.

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

For more information or custom order, please visit:

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Twilight Woods

 Twilight Woods, 2017
acrylic paint on canvas 
16" x 20" (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus

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, dark yellow, dark blue, beige, black, white, grey, or wood.

For more information or custom order, please visit:



Friday, April 7, 2017

On the Shore of Lake Michigan

 On the Shore of Lake Michigan, 2017
Acrylic on Canvas
16" x 20 (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm)
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

It's been hot and humid while I've been at work.  Once 5 o' clock hits, I'm all set to flee into the blazing sun toward the beach.  I drop my towel, keys, and other items into the scalding hot sand and make my way to the cool water.   There's just a gentle splash at the shoreline on the calm waters.  The rays of the sun still penetrating my skin as I wade just beyond the sand bar.

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

For more information or custom order, please visit:



Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Sun Setting On Lake Michigan

 Sun Setting On Lake Michigan
acrylic paint on canvas 
16" x 20" (40.6 cm x 50.8 cm) 
© copyright Mike Kraus

10% OFF with coupon code JOINTHEFUN

My feet sink into the fine beach sand as I make my way toward the bonfire.  A case of beer in one hand and a bundle of wood under the other arm are the price of admission.  The heat of the sun begins to give way to the cool breeze blowing off the lake.  The scent of the shoreline pares perfectly with the changing colors of the sky.  I faintly hear my friends voices over the water splashing as they collect wood and prepare for a perfect summer night.

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

For more information or custom order, please visit:



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