Autumn Sky & Moon Shimmer

"Autumn Sky" 12"w x 12"

"Moon Shimmer"

Two more works available at Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth. Along with the the new forms of the colorful autumn trees, I've saturated the canvas with color deeper than my usual. At first, I didn't like the rich color as it was new ... but it sure has grown on me. It makes the painted canvases feel more alive in some way, almost as if the color is too rich to be hand painted. I can't wait to explore the color richness more ... always new frontiers to explore ... makes the artistic journey rewarding. :)

Rainy day here in Duluth, I need some inspiration ... perhaps working on some bright paintings will do the trick today. :)

Star Sprinkled Sky

"Star Sprinkled Sky" 12"w x 12"h

This piece is a continuation of the series I've been working on that features trees in the shapes they have when viewed from a distance. The nighttime sky is also a recent endeavor of mine to capture, one that is challenging and rewarding at the same time. There is a deep saturation of color with this series, especially the works like this one. If you like color, you'll love this series.

Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information about this piece.

Moonlit Jems

Moonlit Jems, 20"w x 16"h

The color saturation is a feast for the eyes. This piece, along with seven other new works at Blue Lake Gallery feature the repetition of the forms of trees as seen from a distance. I love the reflections in the lake, this painting has a nice feeling of whimsy.

Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information about this piece.

Sparkling Birches

"Sparkling Birches" 16"w x 20"h

I stopped in at Blue Lake Gallery the other day and one of the staff mentioned that I'm known as the 'birch tree guy'. When I heard that, two things came to mind ... one good, one not so good. On the good side, you want people to easily recognize your work as an artist. The last thing you want people to have to do is try to figure out who's painting they are looking at. On the not so good side of things, I don't want to limit my artistic vocabulary too much. So there's the balance of wanting to show off all my creativity, yet reigning it in so that my work is cohesive.

Ultimately, I want to paint what I'm passionate about. I love birch trees ... and blue stones ... and blue skies ... and intense color ... and square brush strokes. Did I mention birch trees?

Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information about this piece.

New work at Blue Lake Gallery part 3

Blue Bay Cardinal, Acrylic on 10"w x 8"h canvas

Red & Gold 2, Acrylic on 10"w x 8"h canvas

Red & Gold 3, Acrylic on 10"w x 8"h canvas

Bark at the Moon, Acrylic on 6"w x 6"h canvas

As usual, my photo skills and blog posts can't do my paintings justice ... they must be viewed in person. But I enjoy being able to share my work via my blog ... please stop back soon, lots of paintings to post in the next week or two! :)

New work at Blue Lake Gallery Part 2

Red Friends, Acrylic on 6"wx6"h canvas

Summer Cardinal, Acrylic on 6"wx6"h canvas

Today's and tomorrow's post feature the cardinals I've been painting in a series lately. As I've mentioned before, I hesitate to paint them on one hand because people instantly recognize them and identify them with my work. On the other hand, I want every canvas to be something completely new and creative. I'm finding that people seem to prefer the comfort of identifying the artist, of knowing what to expect. I don't find fault in that, I know that gaining recognition as an artist comes from building a body of work that people can relate to and enjoy. The cardinals will most likely continue to appear in my landscapes for some time, we'll see. As a friend noted yesterday, my work makes them smile. That's good enough for me. :)

Evergreen Cardinals Diptych, Acrylic on two 4"wx4"h canvases

New Work at Blue Lake Gallery

Memories of Gold, Acrylic on canvas, 10"w x 10"h

Asian Maple, Acrylic on Canvas, 10"wx8"h

For the next couple of days I'm posting some new work currently available at Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth. The work was painted during the month of July when I was preparing for my Intimate Landscapes show at The Vanilla Bean. The work at Blue Lake has some similar themes to my show work, yet I've added subtle lighting changes to the work to distinguish it. I'm happy I did ... I want to challenge myself when I paint to push the limits of my medium on the canvas. I don't ever want to be 'stuck in a rut' .. but always grow and create. Difficult task when I also want my work to be recognizable. That challenge gives me the desire to keep working, knowing that I'm on to something, knowing I'll achieve something. Please return again soon, I'll be posting several new works per day for the next week or so!

Golden Maples, Acrylic on Canvas, 10"wx8"h

Calm Cardinal

At right: Calm Cardinal, Acrylic on Canvas, 4"w x 4"h, $25

Part of my Intimate Landscapes show which can be viewed July 25-Aug 20, 2012 at The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors, MN. 

Just a calm little cardinal. Perhaps today's post represents me at the moment. Last week I dropped off ten new works at Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth, then hung my show at The Vanilla Bean which features thirty works on canvas. Now I'm calm, finishing off a series of cardinals to compliment the work already hanging at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais. Art is an interesting combination of hurry up and wait ... but that makes it interesting, challenging and rewarding. I'm sure it won't be long until I'm in the midst of a flurry of activity, but for now, I'm calm, resting, reflecting on the work I've finished recently and thinking ahead to future paintings.

Yours Truly

Acrylic on 8"w x 10"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$65.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

This is the last post for the work I created for my Tremendous Trees show. I could paint these birch tree compositions all day. I just love the blues, grays and golds. I had a little fun with this title too, knowing it was the last painting I created for the show so it's only right that it's the last blog post from the show as well.

Yours truly,
Aaron Kloss

Birches in Blue Diptych

Acrylic on two 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$300.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

A peaceful birch two canvas composition in a favorite theme of mine. I have many reasons why I return to this theme, and I know I've talked about it in previous posts .. it's the feeling of safety and solitude this composition gives me. The rocks are a natural protective barrier, the birches are a fence, and the chocolate colored foreground a warm invited place to rest. The multiple shades of blue in the background calm the soul in the midst of a storm.

I have three more works to share from my Tremendous Trees show ... then I'm excited to start sharing my recent work from my Urban Oasis show which is at Jitters Coffee in Downtown Duluth during the month of June, 2012.

Red, White & Blue

Acrylic on 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$165.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

Just so ya know, the title of this piece reflects the colors and doesn't aim to make a statement about the U.S.A. Now that I have that off my chest, I can say I love the bold complementary colors in the background. The birches are expressive, and the reds and blues include many shades that move throughout the piece. Interesting how some birches are more expressive while others are more realistic, I suppose it's just how I'm feeling that day. I feel pretty good today. :)

Peaceful Birch Forest

Acrylic on 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$165.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

The title of the painting says it all. :)

Serene Birch Forest

Acrylic on 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$165.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

I've noticed myself returning to this theme quite a bit in the last several months. I've painted a couple diptychs in this theme as well as several vertical compositions. I don't feel so much as though I'm trying to get this theme just right ... I feel as though I'm enjoying the effect this composition has on me. The deep blues of the skies and stones quiet my soul and give my eyes rest. The birch trees and bluestones provide a natural break between the foreground and background, and the trees and stones also give a feeling of safety and protection. It could be something from my childhood triggering this need for a safe place to rest, or when life gets kinda crazy, it's nice to know you have a place to go ... ya know.

Golden Skies

Acrylic on 6"w x 12"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$60.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

This birch forest features perhaps the brightest yellow sky I have ever painted. I love the golden leaves and textured forest floor. The three areas of yellow and gold form a nice repetition of color. The bluestone rocks in the foreground anchor the composition and the with all the golds goin' on, the blues look cool in the sky and stones. I also enjoy the vertical scale of this piece, I'm sure I'll work in this theme and scale again soon. Golden skies can't help but make you smile. :)

Blue Sky Birches

 Acrylic on 12"w x 6"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$60.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

A simply stated landscape deserves a simply stated blog post. I love birch trees. I love deep twilight blue skies. Enough said.

Good As Gold

Acrylic on 16"w x 20"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$250.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

Yesterday it was seven birch trees, today it's seven maple trees. Imagine the maple syrup you could make from these! OK, I must be getting hungry. :) Today it's 73 and sunny in the Banana Republic of Duluth, MN. When the weather gets like this, it's virtually impossible to do anything inside. I've been outside three times already, and I just can't seem to bring myself to paint today. Today I'm working on some urban themed artwork for my next show which you'll be reading about here in a couple weeks. So exciting, and challenging at the same time!

This painting featured today titled Good As Gold wasn't challenging ... it was very calming and peaceful to paint. Who doesn't just love a golden sunset in a maple forest? I mean, come on now, don't you wish sunsets would last forever? I had fun playing with the golds in this one, they dance across the sky, the maple leaf covered ground, and the trees themselves are basking in the glow of the sun. So am I today, Thank God for warm sunny days.

Cool Blues

Acrylic on 16"w x 20"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$250.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting was part of my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery.

Seven birches in a twilight lit forest displaying their golden foliage for all to see. The ground's deep yellow hues reflect the leaves, and the landscape has a curvature that has been finding its way into my work in the last several months. With this work, I intentionally painted the birch trees thin in form so that the background would be more visible. With the large sky in the background I ended up keeping it a cool blue hue. I'm trying to come up with another word that rhymes with blue but I'm not coming up with anything, so I'll head back to the easel for now. I think I'll paint something new. :)

Vertical Gold

Acrylic on 8"w x 10"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$65.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This 8x10" painting for my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery was created at the same time as the paintings in my last previous couple of posts and as the show has been hung and viewed the last week, I've enjoyed reflecting on my work for this show. So much time and creative energy goes into the work that I find myself enjoying the work and noticing things for the first time. Such is the case with this piece titled Vertical Gold. The depth of blues in the background gives me the feeling that I can see off into the distance. The bright gold sunset captures my imagination and the birches in the foreground are the icing on the cake.

Glowing Forest

Acrylic on 12"w x 16"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$165.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

This painting for my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery was painted at the same time as yesterday's post titled Maple Glow and I wanted to feature them together. Both works have that look and feel of a painting that was created from the heart vs. a painting that was well planned. Many times I paint from images in my memory of places I've been. They are always memories that have stayed with me due to the color and overall feel of the place I'm thinking of. Today's post is titled Glowing Forest but it could also have been titled From the Heart.

Maple Glow

Acrylic on 8"w x 10"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$65.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

Another painting for my Tremendous Trees show at Blue Lake Gallery in a theme running through many of my works for the show. The theme features golden sunset skies and shadows in the foreground. Each work has a different degree of contrast, mostly due to the shade of the blue sky in the background. This work has a nice deep blue which to me represents the last light of the day, right before the sunset fades to twilight. The maple leaves are a rich golden yellow and they sparkle and reflect the leaves on the ground as well. I may live in an urban area but my heart is in the maple forest where all is quiet and peaceful and beautiful.