Oh, Polar Bear!

 Oh, Polar Bear #222

pen, ink, and 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/512372068/oh-polar-bear-222-artist-trading-cards

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:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt

THE SHOW IS OPEN NOW!

Join us for the

Union Place Coffee Roasters Open House

Thursday, April 27th

6-8pm

Browse pieces inspired by the stunning landscapes of upstate New York and beyond.  See how I extract the emotions of each scene and transform it on canvas by emphasizing the details that make the vision unique.

Meet Derek Darling of Whitman Works Company, a boutique artisan gallery on the Four Corners of Penfield.  Artists, craftsmen, jewelers, among others can be found hiding in every corner of his shop.  It's a new marketplace that connects artists with patrons and art lovers.

OTHER FEATURED ACTIVITIES INCLUDE: Coffee roasting demonstrations, Sweet & Cute Coffee Syrup tasting on ice cream, Dolce Cupcakery, Southern Tier Brewing Company, and meet Rochester, NY mayoral candidate Rachel Barnhart.

Union Place Coffee Roasters

Genesee Valley Regional Market

900 Jefferson Rd. Building 15 Suite 1504

Rochester, NY 14623

(585) 784-0404

www.UnionPlaceCoffeeRoasters.com

Store Hours:

Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Thursday 9am-6pm

Saturday 9am-3pm

More information at: https://www.facebook.com/events/745308018974257

Union Place Coffee Roasters Open House

​

Join us for the 

Union Place Coffee Roasters Open House 

Thursday, April 27th

6-8pm

Browse pieces inspired by the stunning landscapes of Upstate New York and beyond.  See how I extract the emotions of each scene and transform it on canvas by emphasizing the details that make the vision unique.

Meet Derek Darling of Whitman Works Company, a boutique artisan gallery on the Four Corners of Penfield, New York.  Artists, craftsmen, jewelers, among others can be found hiding in every corner. Derek hosts artists of all ilk, and creates a new marketplace that connects artists with patrons and art lovers.

OTHER FEATURED ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:

​

LEARN TO ROAST AT HOME

You'll be brought on a coffee journey from the green bean to a beautifully roasted coffee ready for your cup.   Demonstrations will include roasting a batch of Colombian beans in the Deidrich roaster, roasted to a medium,  producing a balanced cup with a nice sweetness and a smooth, winey finish and homeroasting using a hot air popcorn popper.

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Tina, owner and creator of Sweet & Cute Coffee Syrup, will serve coffee syrup over ice cream.   Made with three simple  ingredients: organic sugar, water, Union Place Dark Roast Blend Coffee. Learn about the endless ways to enjoy coffee  syrup; from waffles to bourbon!

Sample decadent cupcakes from Pittsford's premier bakery: Dolce Cupcakery.  Located in Schoen Place, where Lisa creates cupcakes that are handmade with premium ingredients you can taste. Check out Lisa's latest creations for your next catered event.

Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York, has grown to produce more than 100,000 barrels of beer annually.  The hand crafted ales are now available in more than thirty States and points beyond.

Stop by and meet Rochester mayoral candidate, Rachel Barnhart.  Talk with Rachel about her vision for our beautiful city and how you can help make that vision a reality.

Located in Henrietta NY at the Genesee Valley Regional Market, closest to the East Henrietta Rd entrance, look for the orange signs.

Union Place Coffee Roasters

Genesee Valley Regional Market 

900 Jefferson Rd. Building 15 Suite 1504

Rochester, NY 14623

(585) 784-0404

www.unionplacecoffeeroasters.com

Store Hours:

Monday - Friday   9 am - 5 pm

Thursday              9 am - 6 pm

Saturday               9 am - 3 pm

MORE INFO AT:

https://www.facebook.com/events/745308018974257

Buzzed Science: Pocket Volcano

Welcome to a new episode of Buzzed Science! This time we use the tried-and-true bubbling volcano, except now I know what it means...sort of

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/511949014/hello-panda-bear-221-artist-trading

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:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt 

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:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt 

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

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/239624926/icy-shore-of-the-st-lawrence-river

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:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt

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 

To purchase, please visit: https://www.etsy.com/listing/233691635/winter-woods-original-acrylic-painting

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:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MikeKrausArt