Golden Glow on the Lake, and A View To Remember

Today's post is a two for one special. These two pieces were painted for a collector as a gift to family members. These two paintings depict a sunrise and a sunset over lake Superior with the cabin deck in the foreground. While the reference photos had the cabin and deck silhouetted against the bright sky, I added in some color and detail so that the pieces would be brighter, happier, and also work well if displayed together.

These two 20x16 acrylics on canvas are NFS, but I'm always available for commissions, feel free to contact me for a free quote via email. All my best, Aaron

A Lake Superior Sky

Today's painting is titled A Lake Superior Sky and measures 20x16, acrylic on canvas. Lake Superior is 'the view that never gets old' if you ask me. I enjoy venturing down to the big lake with the family to explore beaches and experience the waves crashing against the shore. People drive for hours to visit the lake, we walk a few blocks. It's something I don't take for granted, and something that becomes the subject of many a painting. Have a great Tuesday.

The Next Adventure

"The Next Adventure"

I was recently going through my photos and came across this piece which a commission I painted earlier this year for a local client. They were moving out of state and wanted a memory of Duluth that incorporated their frequent boat trips on lake Superior.  I love challenges and so I had to rely on my imagination a bit for this piece, using a perspective skill I learned in grade school to sketch out a balanced composition and then picked up my trusty paintbrush and I had a lot of fun while using a touch of imagination. So the result is a colorful summer painting of Duluth from the lake with a fictional thousand footer 'saltie' ore boat heading out on her next adventure, with a golden sunset sky glowing and the aerial bridge horn giving a final farewell salute.

“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” 

-Henry David Thoreau

Spring on the Lake Superior Trail

"Spring on the Lake Superior Trail"

Every summer we take a trip up the Scenic 61 along the north shore of lake Superior from Duluth to Grand Marais, making stops along the way at scenic destinations such as Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse and the state parks and trails. In anticipation of this upcoming trip, I painted a 36x12" canvas titled Spring on the Lake Superior Trail that features many visual elements you find along the trail. Massive rock formations, boulders on the trail, trees, and endless vistas of the expansive lake Superior and surrounding area. I took a bit of a twist with this piece though, adding in a few birches in the foreground that make you pause and perhaps make sure you step around them carefully as you enter the painting. Distant birches feature all the colors of spring, along with the underbrush ... and a bright blue sky finishes this piece off. This piece is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais in case you're heading up the shore too... and don't forget to stop along the way, especially when you see the Lake Superior Trail signs.

www.aaronkloss.com

Living by the Lake Numbers 1 - 3

  Featured today are three pieces titled Living By The Lake (Numbers 1-3). These were brought in to Siiviis Gallery not too long ago, and are a few favorites of mine. I decided to title them individually as opposed to a triptych, as I felt they were strong enough to stand alone, or would make for a nice grouping. And at 9"w x 11"h each, they fill a horizontal space well when displayed together. And they include my favorite colors .. blue and gold .. and some of the reasons I live within walking distance to lake Superior .. the birch trees, the rocks, the lake, the sky .. just some of the reasons I love living by the lake.  If you'd like to commission me to paint a custom painting for you, please email me for a free quote. www.aaronkloss.com

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. 

Light of the World

"Light of the World"  36"w x 24"h

Today's painting, titled Light of the World, is 36"w x 24"h, acrylic on canvas. This painting was commissioned and features Split Rock Lighthouse set in a late summer scene with the sun shining brightly in the sky and reflecting upon the water. This is a bright and cheerful painting and is my fifth attempt at painting this scene. Each time I paint the lighthouse I try a different approach, this particular approach hinting at changing seasons with the green foliage with gold highlights. I also enjoy a challenge, and this piece brought it. And this is also my sixth commissioned painting in a row, wow ... lots of custom work, very enjoyable. Please send me an email if you'd like to commission a special painting. (aaronklossartwork@gmail.com) All my best, Aaron

October Morning

"October Morning"

You just can't beat a lake Superior sunrise. Endless skies and waters ignited by the rising sun sparkling across the lake with thousands of dots of bright yellows. That's the inspiration behind this new 20"w x 16"h acrylic on canvas titled October Morning. This piece was just brought in to Amity Coffee, where I've had an ongoing art show for the past year. Please stop by Amity for some great coffee .. and art too, what a sweet deal! :)

Summer at Split Rock

This new painting is titled Summer at Split Rock, and is 36"w x 36"h on canvas, and was delivered to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth just yesterday. This painting is probably my third effort at painting Split Rock Lighthouse, and I enjoyed painting the rocks, waters and sky of this piece. Here are links to my other paintings of Split Rock from the past:
Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?
Hope Springs Eternal

As you well know, at least you know if you read my blog ... I love painting negative spaces and backgrounds of compositions. The subject is frequently an afterthought, as I work to draw attention to other areas of the painting. In this piece, I focused on the hue of the water first, using blues, purples and teals to give the water a rich color. I then continued that color palette into the stones and sky, increasing the value until I was happy with the contrast between the different elements. The lighthouse perched on top of the rocks is the brightest part of the painting and draws the eye, but I hope the viewer lingers to enjoy the waters and rocks ... at least that's where you'll find me, sitting on the rocks and skipping stones into lake Superior while I listen to the waves crash against the rocky shoreline. That never gets old.

Lakewalk Night Lights

"Lakewalk Night Lights" 20"w x 16"h, Siiviis Gallery

Today's painting, titled Lakewalk Night Lights, is a view of lake Superior by night at the spot on Duluth's lakewalk where the boardwalk meets the concrete path that takes you out to the lighthouse featured in the lower right of the painting. The lighthouse is lighting up the night sky with golden sparkles, but the moon is not to be outdone by shining brightly and reflecting off the waters. Stars twinkle in the sky, and the lights on the lighthouse walk are shining on the distant path. Just one of those warm summer nights that you wish could last just a bit longer. Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN, which is located just a block this lakewalk location, for more information on this piece. 

Hope Springs Eternal

"Hope Springs Eternal" 24"w x 36"h

This night painting of Split Rock Lighthouse, titled Hope Springs Eternal is a donation to ARTcetera, which is an auction to benefit the Miller Dwan Foundation and medical concerns in our region. The event is held at the Duluth DECC's Harbor Side Convention Center and Ballroom on September 27 and features a live auction, dinner, live music, dancing ... all that good stuff. This piece is more of an autumn themed work with the sparkling golds of the vegetation on the left side of the painting. The lighthouse is perched on the cliff ever observing the great lake Superior while the moon overshadows the entire composition, casting it's golden light across the skies and waters and wrapping the stones of the cliff in its warm embrace. This painting was actually inspired during the deepest part of this past winter where we had record cold and snow, and while I gazed across the frozen tundra and saw the emptiness of the cold, snow and barren trees ... I thought of this painting, filled with golden light and life and color. And when ARTcetera contacted me for a donation, I couldn't think of a better painting to help the medical community to help those who are hurting. Winter .. and life in general, can have it's coldness and darkness .. but hope springs eternal.

Lake Superior Sunrise

"Lake Superior Sunrise" 36"w x 24"h

Featured today is a piece titled Lake Superior Sunrise which is 36"w x 24"h. The titled reflects the painting which reflects on a sunrise reflecting off Lake Superior. As I've been reflecting on this piece, I've been really enjoying the sun speckled skies that have found their way into my work, and when these paintings are finished I find myself wondering how they came to be. Really, it's just the process of adding paint to the canvas, layering color until the painting feels finished. A lake Superior sunrise just has to be experienced ... the rich blues, the golden sun, the waves crashing on the stones ... ahhhhhh .... reflect on that for a while. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.