A work in progress

November 'Dees, acrylic on 12"w x 6"h canvas, November 2019

Lately I've been busy preparing for the busy Christmas season ... stocking galleries and shipping out orders from my online store. The image featured here is titled November 'Dees and this painting has four chickadees perched on a birch on a snowy winter day. People sometimes give me a hard time about painting songbirds ... but when you're inspired by the landscape, I can't help but paint these friendly little feathered peeps. We had gusty winds and half a foot of snow today in northern Minnesota, and the chickadees were buzzing around, singing and eating seeds from the feeder. Perhaps they were just having fun ... or hoping I would paint them ... and they're in luck because I just did.

It's been quite a while since I've posted to this blog, as I've been primarily posting updates of my work via Facebook and Instagram. I've included links below if you'd like to follow me on those platforms, I'd appreciate it!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaronklossart/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronklossartwork/

This piece is part of a show I'm having at 47 Degrees Gallery in Knife River, MN this December 2019.

Snowshoe Trek - new acrylic on canvas

Snowshoe Trek

Today's piece is a winter landscape titled Snowshoe Trek. This piece is 12x12", acrylic on canvas, and was recently delivered to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. I love the rich blues of the winter landscape, the late afternoon and evening shadows on the snow are captivating, and the inspiration for this piece and several others like it. The moon in this painting is a bright complementary gold and lights up the sky. We could use some more snow here in Duluth, MN soon, we've had warmer temps and the landscape has patches of grass visible, with lots of ice from melting and freezing ... nothing a few inches of fresh powder wouldn't fix ... and then it would be time to lace up the snowshoes.

To see all my originals for sale at Sivertson Gallery see the following link:
http://www.aaronkloss.com/sivertson-gallery-grand-marais.html

Frozen Birch Forest

Today's painting is titled Frozen Birch Forest, 24x36, and is part of a new group of winter landscapes at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. The birch forest was frozen when I painted this night landscape that features the moon in the center, sparkling and shimmering across the sky and snowy foreground. We are currently enjoying a January thaw, but no doubt we'll have a couple more arctic blasts before the end of winter. But for now, I'm enjoying the blue shadows of winter, while eagerly yearning for Spring.

Welcome To Winter

With today's frosty temperatures, the first snowfall of the season, and the Christmas City of the North Parade all converging, I thought it fitting to share a new original titled Welcome to Winter. This piece measures 36x24" and features a winter birch forest with distant icy ridges, and a winter moon shining brightly in the sky. The long shadows in the foreground are a hint at the short days that feature below freezing temps and endless blue and white vistas. I've always struggled with the cold myself, but enjoy the season nonetheless. This piece was recently delivered to Lizzards Gallery in the wonderful winterland of Duluth MN. You betcha.

Man's Best Friends (Commission)

"Man's Best Friends" 

Today I'm featuring a post titled Man's Best Friends which is a 24"x24" canvas commissioned by a local resident. In the process of getting relocated due to a job, the person wanted to surprise his wife with a painting of their home that featured their two dogs on the front porch. This made for a fun challenge for me, and also a memorable gift of the home they loved. Sometimes life has unexpected surprises and new adventures, I know my next adventure will be a memorable one, I'll be sharing more on that this next week ... but hopefully I'll take time to play too, those dogs sitting on the front porch look like they're ready to play fetch.
Feel free to contact me in you'd like to talk about a custom painting for your home or business ... and also please visit my website for more examples of my work.
All my best,
-A

Ice Crystals

Just a cool blue winter landscape painting for you today. This one features the moon radiating across the sky and sparkling off the distant ridge. The piece is anchored by rich cobalt blue, my favorite color, and is typical of the landscape around lake Superior with the stones and birch. This piece is titled Ice Crystals, and is 12"w x 6"h, currently available at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth.

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com
Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Winter Morning Music 1-3

Today I'm featuring three new originals titled Winter Morning Music (Numbers 1-3). They are 6"w x 6"h, acrylic on canvas, at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth.

The series includes tiny cardinals on birch, with a distant evergreen ridge and matching sky to anchor the background. The ridge includes expressive dark green brushstrokes visible in the light green sky, and the brushstrokes portray what you would see when looking at backlit trees, there are areas that appear detached from the tree due the brightness of the sky.

These are subtle details that I often include in my work that most people may not notice if I don't mention them. Working in series is a fun challenge. You paint in similar color and composition, so you have to focus a bit more, and in the end you get to make subtle changes with each painting in the series whereas you don't have that luxury when working with just one piece.

So glad it's Friday, been a long week for me as I'm fighting a nasty bug that's sapping my energy, but I'm pressing on, currently working on a couple commissioned paintings and enjoying the last weeks of winter wonderland outside. Have a great weekend! -A

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com
Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Winter Cardinaland

"Winter Cardinaland"  24"w x 36"h

What do you get when you combine over 30 cardinals with rich deep blue and purple frozen landscape, rocks, birch, a lake and a moon? Why a Winter Cardinaland, of course. This piece is 24"w x 36"h and was brought into Siiviis Gallery yesterday. This painting follows along a theme of cardinals in coversation, something I've been working with for many years. The red birds sure pop off the cobalt night sky behind them. The eye is drawn down to the many shades of blue and purple in the foreground, along with the lake and foreground shadows, but inevitably the eye is drawn back up with the tall birches and the cardinals perched on them. Anchoring the piece is the moon in the center, radiating across the sky and casting silvery light across everything. This is a view of winter I could get used to.
All my best, 
—A. Kloss
Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com
Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Frozen Lake

"Frozen Lake" 12"w x 6"h

Frozen Lake is the title of this new 12"w x 6"h acrylic painting on canvas recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery here in Duluth. This piece features many of my favorite themes ... birch trees, rocks, lake, central light source, rich blues ... but it also features a frozen lake. And what subject isn't more exciting to paint than a frozen lake?? Haha, well, winter features blue, which is also my favorite color, and so why not paint a winter lake. Here in Duluth, I have a nice view of the St. Louis River harbor, which is frozen over as of this early February winter day. The main lake Superior, however, is still open water, which I can see if I look left from my house. Like the impressionists who painted factories and industry as it sprung up in the landscape, I too could paint those things because they are what I look at ... but I prefer to look past them at the water and landscape and imagine what it looks like without rusty iron ore train bridges and piers, huge concrete grain elevators, warehouses, roads and piles of taconite. I like simple things like birch trees, rocks, moonlit nights, and frozen lakes.
Feel free to browse my website for more information, to view originals, prints for sale, and contact information. http://www.aaronkloss.com/

Deep Purple Sky

"Deep Purple Sky" 20"w x 10"h

Today's post is titled Deep Purple Sky, and is 20"w x 10"h, acrylic on canvas. This painting was originally going to be included in the book I illustrated this past year titled Christmas Here in Northern Lands, but ended up not making the final cut. A lot of that had to do with how to fit words onto the image ... do you stagger them between the birch trees? Well, I learned a lot from that project, and while I love landscapes, birch trees, and color ... these elements don't necessarily translate well into type and image, and that's just something to remember the next time I illustrate a book. Will there be a next time? We'll just have to see. For now, I'm enjoying painting landscapes and enjoying the winter season and the blues and purples of the shadows on the snow. 

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information on this piece.

Frosty Forest Cardinals

"Frosty Forest Cardinals"
6"w x 18"h

Why not kick off a new month with a cardinal painting? Well that's what I'm doing anyway, and this cool blue new painting is titled Frost Forest Cardinals. The cardinals are tiny in this piece, perhaps tricking you into thinking the painting is larger than it's 6"w x 18"h size. This painting to me is kinda like making a favorite meal. You pick your favorite ingredients and don't have to worry about how it will turn out, you know you've made it many times and it's always good. And there's no leftovers. Well, this composition with a bright central moon radiating light across cobalt blue skies, forests, and snowy foreground is a favorite of mine. And cardinals, who can go wrong with them? They're like the cherry on top of the sundae, the finishing touch. The cardinal has been elusive this winter though, appearing only on my canvases as I've searched and not found them. They've probably found a better feeder somewhere else but that's ok, I'll keep painting them, at least for another year. We'll see what 2016 brings, hopefully lots of delicious meals both literally and figuratively.

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information on this piece.

A Midwinter's Night

"A Midwinter's Night"  18"w x 6"h, Siiviis Gallery, Duluth MN

After taking a blogging break for a few weeks, I'm back with a pretty purple painting titled A Midwinter's Night. This 18"w x 6"h piece features the silver moon casting it's bright light across the frozen birch landscape. The sky is a deep rich purple color, and the undertones of the painting are the same purple. In the deep winter you can find beauty, especially in the colors of the shadows on the snowy landscape. Winter is a time for me to reflect on my accomplishments and plan for a new year. What will 2016 bring? We'll just have to wait and see ... but I have a good feeling about this next year. I've been in a good rhythm lately, painting many large commissions and also a nice selection of small canvases like this one currently at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. Please stop back soon, and enjoy that midwinter night moonlight.

'Cause Every Cardinal's Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed Penguin

"'Cause Every Cardinal's Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed Penguin"

Prior to the opening of the Birds, Birch & Bicycles show at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, I met with fellow painter Adam Swanson to work on a top secret project. The gallery suggested we try swapping subjects for a painting, so Adam worked on a cardinal painting, and I painted a penguin. I couldn't resist having a little fun and whimsy with this piece, and so a cardinal made an appearance on the canvas. There's lots of blue and gold which you know are my favorite colors .. and an abstract reflection in the water at the bottom of the piece adds some mystery, along with the moon sparkling in the sky. All in all it was fun to talk about each other's approach to art and the ups and downs of life as a full time painter. It's been a great experience having a show with Adam .. filling the gallery walls with color. This painting is titled 'Cause Every Cardinal's Crazy 'Bout a Sharp Dressed Penguin and is 24"w x 36"h. Please contact the sharp dressed staff at Siiviis for more information on this piece and many others from the show.

Cobalt Winter Birches

"Cobalt Winter Birches"  6"w x 6"h

This 6x6 inch piece, titled Cobalt Winter Birches, is part of a series of paintings I began several years ago. My intent with this series was to feature rocks and birch trees, with the emphasis on the birch trees growing amongst the rocks, almost as if anchored in and supported by the stones. The rich blues of the rocks, ridges, and winter sky all play against eachother to keep your eye moving, and while I don't quite remember the reasoning for this series, the series has pulled me back to itself many times over the years. Perhaps it's times like these when I'm fighting a nasty flu virus during the darkest week of the year that the significance of the birch trees and their stone anchors becomes apparent. -Aaron

Glistening Snow

"Glistening Snow"  6"w x 6"h

While you may notice the white snow and birch trees in this new piece, titled Glistening Snow, 6"w x 6"h, my favorite piece of this wintry puzzle is the blues. Winter landscapes can be stark, barren, void of life and filled with whites, grays, and leafless listless trees. Or, the landscapes can be filled with rich blues of ice, shadows, and distant ridges. While this piece doesn't use a complementary color, a warm sky often makes for quite a visual punch, giving color to the bleak midwinter landscape. This painting is part of my ongoing art show at Amity Coffee in Duluth, which will be available for viewing through early January 2015.

Warm Winter Sky

"Warm Winter Sky"  30"w x 15"h

This piece, titled Warm Winter Sky, conveys a feeling of hope and warmth in the midst of an icy blue early winter landscape. The frosty trees, rich blue lake and icy blue stones complement the bright golds of the sky ... and the reflection of the sun in the lake ties the two color elements together. Perhaps this piece was inspired by the recently warming temps here in Duluth, MN after the freezing spell we recently went through. Every painting has a sweet spot, a place in the piece you enjoy, and for me, the sun in the sky does it for me. Maybe I just need to soak up some sun. :)
Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Cardinal In The Snow

"Cardinal In The Snow"

In honor of my 40th birthday today, I'm posting a new 4"w x 12"h  piece titled Cardinal In The Snow. I've mentioned here before about how I've viewed the cardinal representing those who choose to not follow the crowd, who aren't afraid to be who they're supposed to be. While I wanted to be an artist when I was growing up, I didn't know anyone who was an artist and was directed towards more normal occupational pursuits by teachers and friends. To this day, I still get made fun of for doing what I do, and often people ask what I do for work when I've just told them what I do for work. :) All this to say, at age 40 I'm glad I've chosen the path I've walked and don't have regrets. In many ways I'm that cardinal in the snow, wearing bright red while the rest of my fellow feathered friends blend in to the landscape. If that's what works for them, great. What motivates me to keep painting is perhaps summed up best by a quote from Morgan Freeman: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."
This painting is part of my Retrospective show at Amity Coffee here in Duluth, MN

Icy Forest Cardinals"

"Icy Forest Cardinals"  6"w x 6"h

I love complementary colors. Green and red, blue and gold, orange and blue, and in this case red and blue. In this 6"w x 6"h painting titled Icy Forest Cardinals, these bright red cardinals are probably oblivious to their beautiful icy blue background, because they are busy talking about rising property taxes. Ha ha, I often place elements into compositions as if they are relating to each other, perhaps it's the human emotion that I'm always wanting to address in the landscape ... that powerful emotion that a certain landscape can bring out. Not everyone is as visual, many people have a favorite song or food that will trigger a strong memory. For me, the cardinal will always trigger the response I had when I first observed a cardinal in the woods. The vibrant red color and song of the cardinal is second to no bird in my opinion, and their vibrant color speaks volumes to me in terms of being who you're supposed to be in contrast to a culture that wants you to conform. Perhaps that's what these guys are gabbing about today, it's for you to decide. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Early Winter

"Early Winter"  12"w x 4"h

The title of this 12"w x 4"h acrylic on canvas piece, Early Winter, sums up the piece well, along with the weather here in frosty northern Minnesota. This morning we were at -10f with a -25f windchill. Brrr. Hopefully temps moderate here soon so we can play outside in the snow. For not, I'm cooped up in the studio, painting a winter wonderland filled with thousands of shades of blue and white.
Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece.

Frost on the Lake

"Frost On The Lake"  6"w x 6"h

On a cold November morning I thought this 6"w x 6"h piece titled Frost on the Lake would be a fitting blog post. Birches, stones and a snowy foreground are witness to a light purple lake and distant purple ridge. The sky is a lazy hazy shade of winter, but all these elements combine for one interesting cool blue composition. I recently read that Lake Superior is starting to freeze over the earliest in the winter ... at least in the last forty years. I believe it, with the January weather we've had for the past several weeks. At least we're supposed to have a more moderate mid winter. There's always hope ... in the meantime, there's always frost on the lake in November. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in frosty Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece.