Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Wandering Wednesday: When music and visual art meet

Wandering Wednesday


One of the most interesting parts of creating the artwork for Brinker James' Wooden Shield was discovering how closely music and visual art can be connected. The painting isn't an illustration of any one song. It's a visual representation of the entire album, with 10 different objects and details representing the 10 songs. 

The maple leaf, for example, represents Fallen. Ben and Andrew gave me their vision for the artwork, some rough sketches, and ideas for how the songs could be represented visually. Then I started listening. And reading. Asking questions. I wanted to understand not just what the songs were about, but the people who wrote them. What were they feeling? What were they trying to say? What did these songs mean to them?

One of the things that struck me about Wooden Shield was the contrast between melancholy and hope. There is loss, mortality, heartbreak and uncertainty throughout the album, but there is also joy, beauty and an acceptance that life continues to change. Fallen captures that beautifully.

The song is told from the perspective of a decaying leaf. Death is part of the story, but so is acceptance. There is even something joyful about the imagery of autumn, when the forest can be at its most spectacular. And then the song ends with:

"Godspeed, my brothers."

That combination of sadness, beauty and hope is what I hear in the song. The more we talked about the music, the more the painting developed. At one point, I sent Andrew and Ben my interpretation of the album as a whole. I wanted to make sure I understood what they were trying to express before I went too far. Their response gave me the confidence to keep going.

That experience made me realize something I hadn't experienced quite this way before. When music and visual art come together, they can create something neither medium could create by itself. Music gives an image another layer of meaning. An image can give music another way to be experienced. And somewhere in between, something new happens. That's what I've enjoyed most about creating Wooden Shield with Brinker James.

Have you ever heard a song that made you see something in your mind? 
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Monday, September 28, 2026

⚖️💀 What Happens When the Law Itself Becomes Something to Fear? 💀⚖️

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


On Halloween night, I stood beneath a flickering streetlamp and thought about how easily injustice can hide behind robes, marble, and the solemn language of the law. I imagined the horrifying consequences when a judge uses the power entrusted to him for personal enrichment while decisions from the bench help place greater power in the hands of cruel and violent tyrants. The damage does not stay inside a courtroom. It reaches the kitchen table, where a parent worries about paying the mortgage, a family goes into more debt for groceries, and wonders whether the law will protect them or simply enrich those who already hold power. I could almost smell the rotting stench of corruption in the autumn air and hear the quiet rattle of Democracy's bones. That frightened me far more than any Halloween ghost.

Halloween reminds us that monsters can wear disguises, but perhaps the most frightening disguise of all is authority without accountability. 

When the choices made by people in power can shape the destiny of every family, who will we decide to become?

⚖️💀 Decisions of Destiny #630 💀⚖️
pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
202609049
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
To step inside this little nightmare and meet the original, please visit: 
or buy direct at:



🍂 What does the world look like through the eyes of a leaf that has fallen to the ground? 🍂

Brinker James explores loss, change, and letting go in “Fallen,” a thoughtful song from their debut album Wooden Shield.

Sometimes endings are not simply endings. 🍂

🎵 Listen and discover the story behind the song:


🍁 Freedom Fall🍁

Join Freedom Fall, October 2nd-4th, an online gathering celebrating creativity, free expression, storytelling, and community. Bring your art, your ideas, your voice, or simply your curiosity, and help create a space where people can create, connect, speak freely, and belong.



🍂 YOU'RE INVITED TO THE FABULOUS FALL ART FESTIVAL 🍂
🎨 Discover beautiful artwork.
💬 Meet creative people.
❤️ Find something special.
October 5th to 7th. What are you hoping to discover?

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
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Friday, September 25, 2026

🦫 Do You Prefer Your Beaver Wild, Natural, and a Little Fluffy? 🦫

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


I have never been particularly interested in following the crowd. I prefer the quiet corners, the places where the water is cool, the trees are plentiful, and nobody asks too many questions. Give me a good stick, a little privacy, and enough time, and I will build something of my own. I know how to work, how to protect what is mine, and when to disappear beneath the surface when the world gets too noisy. There is something wonderfully satisfying about being exactly who you are, especially when you have a thick coat, a very serious tail, and just enough attitude to keep things interesting. And yes, I have heard the jokes about my name. I have learned to take a compliment wherever I find one.

Maybe that is why I have always felt at home among people who would rather create their own little world than live in somebody else's. I like people with imagination, people who can appreciate a wink, a little mischief, and the pleasure of surrounding themselves with things that make them smile. When the seasons change and the evenings grow quieter, I want to remind you that building a life you love does not have to be so serious. Make your space feel like you. Keep what matters close. Let a little weirdness in. 

And if someone asks why there is a mischievous beaver keeping watch over your room, will you really be able to resist telling them his story?

🦫 Nice Gnawing You 🦫
acrylic paint on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
202608044
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
Ready to bring this mischievous little beaver home? Please visit: 
or buy direct at:


🍂 What does the world look like through the eyes of a leaf that has fallen to the ground? 🍂

Brinker James explores loss, change, and letting go in “Fallen,” a thoughtful song from their debut album Wooden Shield.

Sometimes endings are not simply endings. 🍂

🎵 Listen and discover the story behind the song:


🍁 Freedom Fall🍁
Join Freedom Fall, October 2nd-4th, an online gathering celebrating creativity, free expression, storytelling, and community. Bring your art, your ideas, your voice, or simply your curiosity, and help create a space where people can create, connect, speak freely, and belong.


🍂 YOU'RE INVITED TO THE FABULOUS FALL ART FESTIVAL 🍂
🎨 Discover beautiful artwork.
💬 Meet creative people.
❤️ Find something special.
October 5th to 7th. What are you hoping to discover?

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
at No comments:

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Wandering Wednesday: Did You Notice The Fallen Leaf?

Wandering Wednesday


When Andrew Glaser and Ben Saunders described the artwork they imagined for "Fallen", they gave me a surprisingly simple instruction: “A single leaf off to the side of the pile.” They also told me what the song meant to them. Fallen is written from the "perspective of a decaying leaf, reflecting on the fact that things eventually die, but with a positive outlook on it." That idea became one of the smallest details in the Wooden Shield painting. Look closely at the forest floor and you will find a mass of fallen leaves. But one leaf is highlighted and larger than the others.

It has fallen. Its colors are fading. It is being pulled toward the earth. The trees around it continue to grow, while the leaf becomes part of something larger than itself. The lyrics make that transformation feel personal:

“Seasons have slipped by
Since our glorious fall
Now one with the ground
We answer a new call”

There is sadness in the song, but there is also acceptance. The leaf is not simply disappearing. It is becoming part of the next stage of the forest.

That idea influenced the way I approached the artwork. The forest in Wooden Shield is constantly changing. Spring becomes Summer. Summer becomes Autumn. Leaves grow, change color, fall, and eventually return to the earth.

The single leaf is easy to overlook. But once you know its story, it becomes difficult to see the painting the same way. That is one of the things I love about creating artwork from music. Sometimes the most meaningful part of a painting is not the largest or most obvious element. Sometimes it is the small detail that gives you another way into the song.


Listen to the full song at:

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Monday, September 21, 2026

🔥💀 Is Everything Really Okay? 💀🔥

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


I can tell you everything is going to be just fine. Absolutely fine. I have my beer, my cigarette, and a perfectly reasonable plan for getting through the day. The air smells a little smoky, but that is probably just because Halloween is coming and everyone is getting into the spirit of things. I take another sip, check the door, check it again, and remind myself that I am calm, composed, and completely in control. Sure, my hands are shaking a little, but that is nothing to worry about. I have always been a "glass half full" kind of person.

Besides, this is who I am. Cheerful. Optimistic. Resilient. I refuse to let a few little problems ruin my aspirations of getting what I want. If something catches fire, I simply smile and tell everyone it is part of the celebration. If something goes terribly wrong, I assure everyone that everything is GREAT. And if I happen to be frantically smoking, drinking, pacing, and questioning every decision that brought me here, well, that is just Halloween excitement, isn't it? 

After all, what's the worst that could happen when everything is perfectly under control?

🔥💀 It's Okay Skeleton #629 💀🔥
pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
202609048
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
For a spooky moment, please visit: 
or buy direct at:



🍂 What does the world look like through the eyes of a leaf that has fallen to the ground? 🍂

Brinker James explores loss, change, and letting go in “Fallen,” a thoughtful song from their debut album Wooden Shield.

Sometimes endings are not simply endings. 🍂

🎵 Listen and discover the story behind the song:


🍁 Freedom Fall🍁

Join Freedom Fall, October 2nd-4th, an online gathering celebrating creativity, free expression, storytelling, and community. Bring your art, your ideas, your voice, or simply your curiosity, and help create a space where people can create, connect, speak freely, and belong.


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
at No comments:

Friday, September 11, 2026

🛋️💀 What’s it like when even the couches are afraid of you? 💀🛋️

Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty


I woke beneath a Halloween moon with a mouth full of dust and a conscience long since buried. I have learned that ambition can hollow a person out, especially when every decision is made for power, praise, or a seat at someone else’s table. I hear the dry rattle of my own bones whenever another cruel idea is dressed up as destiny, and I smell the cold earth rising whenever compassion is sacrificed for sadism. Even the couches are scared of me, though perhaps that is another story best told with our elitist cabal.

I carry this little omen as a reminder that identity is built from choices, not slogans, and that the future we aspire to becomes real only when we refuse to surrender our judgment, our empathy, and our courage. Slip this card into your collection, keep it close when the things gets absurd, and let its dark humor make the uncomfortable a little easier to confront. 

If the decisions of destiny are going to haunt us, shouldn’t we at least choose to become the kind of people who refuse to be haunted into silence?

🛋️💀 Blursed Decisions of Destiny #628 💀🛋️
pen and colored pencils on Bristol paper
2.5" x 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) 
NOT A PRINT OR REPRODUCTION
202609047
© copyright Mike Kraus Art Inc.
For a spooky moment, please visit: 
or buy direct at:



🍂 What does the world look like through the eyes of a leaf that has fallen to the ground? 🍂

Brinker James explores loss, change, and letting go in “Fallen,” a thoughtful song from their debut album Wooden Shield.

Sometimes endings are not simply endings. 🍂

🎵 Listen and discover the story behind the song:


🍁 Freedom Fall🍁

Join Freedom Fall, October 2nd-4th, an online gathering celebrating creativity, free expression, storytelling, and community. Bring your art, your ideas, your voice, or simply your curiosity, and help create a space where people can create, connect, speak freely, and belong.


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
at No comments:

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Wandering Wednesday: Annual House Show

Wandering Wednesday


What happens when music becomes part of a community? This Saturday, September 12, Brinker James will gather with more than 70 friends, family, and loved ones from Pittsburgh and beyond for their annual House Show. It's a private gathering, but there is something about an event like this that makes you wish you could be there. There will be food, conversation, and performances. Old friends reconnecting and new memories being made. And, of course, there will be music.

For Ben Saunders and Andrew Glaser, Brinker James began with two friends exploring song. That simple beginning eventually became Wooden Shield, their debut album, and now those songs are finding their way into the lives of listeners far beyond the room where they were first created. That feels fitting.

Because music is rarely only about the people who make it. It becomes part of who we are. The songs we return to. The people we share them with. The places where we hear them. The memories that become attached to them. And perhaps that is what makes a gathering like the House Show so special. It is not about a stage separating performers from an audience. It is about belonging. People coming together around food, friendship, music, and the simple idea that creating something together can bring people together. There is something aspirational about that.

When I thought about the cover artwork I created for Wooden Shield, I focused on the wooden shield at the center of the forest. It's a symbol within a landscape filled with questions, memories, changing seasons, and the passage of time. But perhaps a shield can represent something else, too. A place where people gather, it becomes part of your identity, and reminds you that you are not moving through life alone.

I'm unable to be at this year's House Show, but I love knowing that the music I helped give a visual identity to will be there, surrounded by the people who matter most to Ben and Andrew. And maybe that is one of the greatest things music can become. Not just something you listen to. Something you are a part of. Here's to the House Show, to the people who will fill it, and to whatever songs become part of its memories this year.


Listen to the full song at:

at No comments:
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