🌞 What is the first memory that comes to mind when you think of Summer on the Finger Lakes? 🌞

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

A lot is expected of me when I am in the city. I wake up early, check messages, answer emails, take meetings, and spend the day trying to keep up with a growing list of demands. It feels like there is always one more thing to do and one more expectation to meet. By evening, I can feel the weight of it all. That is when I make my way to a quiet place by Canandaigua Lake. I hear the gentle lapping of water against the shore and feel the cool evening air on my skin as the sky fills with brilliant shades of gold, pink, purple, and blue. For a few moments, the noise of the day fades into the background.

Growth does not come from pushing harder every minute of every day. Sometimes it comes from creating space to think, reflect, and reconnect with what matters most. The simple action is stepping away from the constant pressure and giving myself permission to pause. The benefit is clarity, renewed energy, and the reminder that my worth is not measured by how much I accomplish before sunset. 

When life feels overwhelming, where is the place that helps you remember who you are?

🌞 Canandaigua Trail 🌞

Museum-quality posters made on thick matte paper

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a relaxing moment in your cottage, please visit:

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1716632481

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/1702445930

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/757161214

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

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

❓ Can you find my painting?❓

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Ready for a little art treasure hunt?

One of my favorite annual art events is officially open, and this year I’m excited to share that four of my original pieces are part of Rochester Contemporary Art Center’s (RoCo) 6x6x2026 exhibition. Thousands of tiny artworks from around the world are now available online and in person, and every piece is just $20.

There’s something especially fun about the 6x6 show because every artist creates anonymously. You browse based purely on what catches your eye, not the name attached to it. It turns collecting art into a treasure hunt, and once pieces are purchased, the artists are revealed.

If you’ve never explored 6x6 before, this is the perfect time. The online gallery makes it easy to scroll through an incredible variety of work from artists across the globe while supporting RoCo and the local arts community at the same time.

And yes… somewhere in the mix are my four mystery pieces waiting to be discovered.

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026?

Check out theVirtual Art Sale to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center and snag original artwork for only $20:
https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

Online sales are live now. You can purchase a Virtual Access Code for early access to the exhibition and the first opportunity to collect favorite pieces. General online purchasing opens to everyone on June 3.

Whether you’re a longtime collector or simply looking for a small piece that makes you smile, this show is packed with unexpected favorites. The best part is that every purchase directly supports the arts while giving you something truly original to bring home.

I’d love to hear if you spot one of mine before the reveal.

Your Friend,
Mike Kraus
MikeKrausArt.etsy.com

PS: FINAL DAYS of my show at the Rochester Fine Art Market! Many favorites have already sold, so don’t miss your chance to see the collection before it closes. View details here: https://rochesterfineartmarket.com

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🥕 How Would You Like to End the Month of May? 🥕

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

Tansi tries very hard to hold everything together, which is exactly why everything keeps falling apart around them. The morning begins with a nervous crunch of toast that tastes far too burnt, followed by a spilled basket of groceries, a runaway shoelace incident, and one extremely judgmental sheep. By lunchtime, Tansi somehow locks themself out of their own tiny carrot cottage while still holding the keys. Their leafy top droops every time another little disaster appears, but somehow the world never seems angry with them for long. There is something oddly comforting about the way Tansi keeps going, even while flustered, dusty, and apologizing to furniture.

Tansi reminds us that even anxious hearts can keep moving forward, one messy little step at a time, and that kindness toward ourselves might be the warmest home of all. 

So when your own world starts tumbling sideways, who helps you remember that you are still doing okay?

🥕 Tansi the Carrot #621 🥕

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605027

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a tasty friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/245021302

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🔥 How will you treat yourself this Summer? 🔥

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

There is a small, soft presence who moves through the world as if everything might get a little too hot. This little s’more companion carries a constant concern, always thinking three steps ahead and quietly planning an exit just in case things turn heated. The expression says everything before a word is even spoken, and the words that follow arrive quickly, carefully, and with a tendency to explain more than necessary. When things feel chaotic, they instinctively tuck in, finding comfort under a a graham cracker of safety and holding still until the it is calm again.

Even with all that worry, there is something deeply relatable and strangely comforting about this gentle overthinker. They remind anyone nearby that caution is just another form of care, and that needing a moment to feel safe is completely alive. Their presence lets us know anxiety can be met with warmth and understanding instead of pressure. 

Who do you want by your side when the world is just too much?

🔥 Smore #620 🔥

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605026

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a tasty friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/230945385

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

💡 How will you light up the start of Summer?💡

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

There is a certain kind of friend you want around when you're overthinking, and this little lightbulb is exactly that sort of companion. Up for anything, full of crooked enthusiasm, and cheerfully unconcerned with whether the plan makes perfect sense. This bright oddball moves through the world with a jaunty confidence that makes hesitation feel a little less important. Eyes wandering in different directions as if spotting possibilities no one else notices, and a curly filament inside glowing with its own expressive personality. This quirky companion has a gift for turning uncertainty into curiosity and reminding you that not every step has to be graceful to lead somewhere interesting. Sometimes the best ideas do not arrive polished and serious, they show up with skinny limbs, a sideways spark, and a willingness to say "yes" before doubt arrives.

Keeping a little light like that close by can be its own kind of encouragement, a playful reminder to loosen your grip, follow your spark, and let life be a little sillier than usual. This is the kind of friend for anyone who needs a nudge toward spontaneity or a burst of levity on a heavy day.

Will you try something unexpected today and see where it takes you?

💡 Gigi the Lightbulb #619 💡

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605025

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For a bright friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/193877751

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🌉 What was your unforgettable moment in Copenhagen? 🌉

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

How did this get made?  Click the video to watch!

We said "yes" here, standing on Marble Bridge as the canal moved quietly beneath us and the city seemed to pause. Built to impress royal guests centuries ago, this bridge has watched history survive fire, time, and change with calm confidence. It felt like the right place to begin something lasting. Surrounded by marble, lanterns, and copper rooftops, the moment felt grounded rather than overwhelming. Not rushed, not loud, just steady and certain. The kind of beauty that eases the heart and makes room for what matters.

This piece is a way to bring that feeling home. It offers more than a view of Copenhagen. It holds a reminder of commitment, patience, and shared direction. A visual pause you can return to when life feels busy or uncertain. 

What do you remember about Copenhagen?

🌉 Marble Bridge (Marmorbro), Copenhagen 🌉

FRAMED: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4452035521

PRINT: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4452036616

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD: https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/4452032602

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social

🎈 What if happiness was just handing your problems to a ditzy balloon and hoping it floats in the right direction? 🎈

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty

I first met Whoop the Balloon when everything around me felt a little too serious, like the world was speaking in sharp corners. Whoop drifted in with a soft, squeaky little sound, like air slipping through a playful whistle, and there was a faint sweetness in the air like spun sugar left too long in the sun. Whoop is an airhead in the gentlest way, thoughts floating off mid sentence, ditzy enough that even gravity seems optional, and so aloof that it is never quite clear whether I am being noticed or simply enjoyed from a distance.

Being around Whoop makes my mind feel lighter, like I do not have to grip every idea so tightly just to keep it from running away. When things get noisy or complicated, Whoop offers a strange kind of calm, bumping into problems with a soft bounce that turns frustration into laughter instead of friction. I like keeping Whoop close for those moments when I want life to feel less heavy and more playful, almost like carrying a pocket of drifting air that reminds me not everything needs control or certainty. 

If you had a small companion who could turn your heaviest moments into something light enough to float away, how would you bring Whoop along with you into your day?

🎈 Whoop the Balloon #618 🎈

pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper

2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 

NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION

202605024

© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.

For an airy friend, please visit: 

https://mikekrausart.etsy.com/listing/242266563

or buy direct at:

https://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/buy-direct-from-mike-kraus-art.html

✨🖼️ EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND: Feel Something Real 🖼️ ✨

Free Admission • No Tickets Required

Missed the opening? Due to an incredible response, we are keeping the doors open for one more month. Pieces are already finding homes, so this is your final chance to see the full collection.

Experience bold color, movement, and energy up close. This is art that shifts your mood the moment you walk in. Are you going to catch it before your favorite piece disappears?

Rochester Fine Art Market

1210 Culver Road

Rochester, NY, 14609 United States

(585) 455-3356

bobwagnerrealestate@gmail.com

I've added the full gallery hours and location details to the Facebook event here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1711359370220258

If you hit 'Interested' or 'Going,' Facebook will actually ping you a reminder before we close so you don't miss the final dates!

Can you find my artwork at 6x6x2026? 

Check out the global online preview to support local art at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center (RoCo) and snag original pieces for only $20!

Find your next small masterpiece at: https://roco6x6.org/gallery/2026

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
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeKrausArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikekrausart
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mikekraus.bsky.social