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

Just Another Night in Northern Minnesota

I had a little fun with the title of this new 36x24" piece, with the title Just Another Night in Northern Minnesota. I implied that every night is like the one depicted in this painting, with a warm full moon reflecting off a lake with thousands of rich blue speckles dancing across the sky. Is that accurate? Well, I guess you just need to visit or move here to find out. :) From a warm summer night to a sub zero winter night, you find beauty in northern Minnesota .. that much is true. This piece was recently delivered to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Ultra Marine Moon

'Ultra Marine Moon'

This piece includes a favorite things of mine ... the moon, night skies, lakes, and ultramarine blue. This piece is titled Ultra Marine Moon and is 6x18", acrylic on canvas, recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN. Rich ultra marine blue fills the skies and waters, with the horizon line of rocks breaking the plane from skies to distorted water ripples, and the moon shines bright in the sky, along with the stars and distant blue ridges .. just a few of my favorite things.

Please email me if you'd like more information on commissioning a special painting for your home or office.

Stars

'Stars'

Today's painting is titled Stars, and is a new 8x10" acrylic on canvas recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth. This piece is a playful take on a moonlit lake. Stars are scattered across the sky and the full moon shines bright and reflects on the lake, illuminating the rocks and birches in the foreground. I'm off to the races ... enjoy your day ... and night.

I'm available for custom work. Please email me if you'd like to order a special painting or print.
www.aaronkloss.com

Moonlit Spring Birches

"Moonlit Spring Birches"

Moonlit Spring Birches is the title of this 6"w x 18"h piece recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN. Because who doesn't love a moonlit landscape in the early spring in northern Minnesota. I sure do. Busy week finishing off several large commissioned pieces. Off to the easel ... have a great Thursday! All my best, Aaron

Please email me ... aaronklossartwork [at symbol] gmail.com ... if you're interested in commissioning me for a custom painting of any size, and please visit my website for more examples of my work and to purchase prints.

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.

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.

Northern Lights Triptych

"Northern Lights Triptych"  12"w x 4"h

Featured today is a fun little piece titled Northern Lights Triptych. While the subject matter is the night sky filled with the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, there is a playful abstract feel to this painting. From the the three panel format, to the bright green squares dancing across the sky, this painting was a joy to paint. Night paintings are always a joy because there is a mystery to them, and a natural contrast of light and dark ... not to mention endless shades of my favorite color which of course is blue. The northern lights have been brilliant this year, hopefully as we get closer to autumn I can catch some dancing across the night sky. For now,  I'm content to paint the mystery of the aurora borealis in the northern Minnesota night skies. 

Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Night Sparkles

"Night Sparkles"  12"w x 9"h

Who would have thought that descriptive words such as 'sparkling' 'bright' 'reflective' and 'bright' would be associated with night? But those are some words people have used to describe my night paintings that feature the moon and stars. This particular painting, titled Night Sparkles, also gets it's brightness from the foreground birches and rocks. With all the beautiful blues of the night skies and waters, I don't know why more artists aren't drawn to paint the nightscape. But I can't resist. Perhaps it's the shades of blues that make up my favorite color, or the mystery of the darkened landscape, or maybe it's just the night sparkles. This piece is part of my show at the Art of Hair in Duluth now through September 2015.

Autumn Cardinal 2015 at Red Mug Small Works Show

"Autumn Cardinal 2015"  6"w x 6"h

My work at the Small Works Show at Red Mug Coffeehouse in Superior features cardinals, and within that series, there are four paintings that are similar in look and feel with the cardinal backlit by the sun or moon. This piece, titled Autumn Cardinal 2015, has the moon behind the cardinal, with the golden birch leaves and bright red bird to complement the ultramarine background. I'll be exploring this composition more in the future. Working in a series constrains but also forces growth, change, creativity, and a desire to reflect on your work as an artist. What makes you do what you do? Revisiting a painting or working in a series is a natural way to work on answering that question. I feel as though I'll be answering that question for as long as I'm a working artist ... and hopefully people enjoy the artwork that is part of that journey I'm on. This piece can be found at Red Mug Coffeehouse in Superior, WI ... should you choose to make the journey to view the Small Works Show this month of May 2015.

Silver Moon

"Silver Moon"  6"w x 6"h

Painting the moon as a subject is so relaxing and intriguing all at once. A round object in the night sky with tiny stars sparkling and the reflection of the moon over the water and rocks is a subject I could paint for quite some time without tiring of it. Perhaps this has to do with my interest in minimalism, or how to communicate what I'm trying to say visually with the least amount of distraction. An analogy would be listening to someone speak to you in a quiet cafe, or trying to listen to someone speak with crowd noise distracting and distorting the message. So the soothing cool blues of the night speak volumes to me in a calm, quiet voice.

Moonlight Brilliance

"Moonlight Brilliance"  12"w x 24"h

I'm not much of an astronomer, but I do enjoy an evening sky. When the moon is full in the northwoods, it glows through the trees, casting shadows of trees, and truly is a joy to behold. There is also something particularly interesting about a full moon during the fall, it seems to glow brighter, and around this time every year I feel compelled to paint the moon, especially with deep blues such as are used in this 12"w x 24"h piece titled Moonlight Brilliance. The crisp white birches radiate the brightness of the moon, while the cool blues of the ridges and sky add the contrast that gives a night painting it's punch. There are also stars twinkling in the sky, lighting up the night. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery for additional information on this piece.

By The Moonlight

"By The Moonlight" 10"w x 10"h, Siiviis Gallery, Duluth, MN

By The Moonlight is a new 10"w x 10"h painting I brought in to Siiviis Gallery here in Duluth this past week. A lone cardinal rests on a birch branch and is backlit by a silvery moon. An ultramarine night sky complements the brilliant red cardinal. 'Nuff said. Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

The Tavern on the Lake

"The Tavern on the Lake" 36"w x 24"h

Here is a new painting which is 36"w x 24"h and the subject is the familiar business located on Superior Street in Duluth named Sir Benedict's Tavern on the Lake. This painting is a donation to the Duluth Art Institute's annual fundraiser called Artistic Duluth. The event is held Saturday, October 18, 2014, 7 - 10 PM, at the Kitchi Gammi Club here in Duluth, MN. Ironically, the Kitchi Gammi Club is right next to Sir Ben's, which wasn't planned by me, but interesting nonetheless. I've thoroughly enjoyed painting this piece, and I'm confident it's new owner will enjoy it for years to come, it literally lights up the room just like Sir Ben's warms up a cold rainy autumn evening with the familiar warm glow of light, music, and fellowship which emanates from the building like warm crackling fire. On the donation form, I was asked to write a description of this piece, which I'll include below. For now, please contact the Duluth Art Institute to inquire about tickets to Artistic Duluth if you're interested in this piece, or many other beautiful works of art by other local and regional artists for auction.

All my best,
–A.Kloss

The Tavern on the Lake (acrylic on 36”w x 24”h canvas) is a painting inspired by a familiar restaurant on the shores of lake Superior. While I'm not a frequent guest at Sir Benedict's Tavern on the Lake, I enjoy the architecture and color of the building every time I pass by. During my college years I would stop by and listen to the music coming from over a dozen guitar, fiddle, mandolin and tin whistle players who were packed into a small space off in the corner. This music was spontaneous and the warmth and joy of the place made me remenisce of my ancestral country Ireland which is known for it's music … and taverns.

Cadmium Moon Cardinal

"Cadmium Moon Cardinal"  8"w x 8"h

"In The Limelight"

Here is a piece inspired by a previous painting of mine titled In The Limelight. With today's painting, the cardinal is in front of a golden moon, and the moon radiates through the cobalt blue sky, while the cardinal perched on a birch basks in the warm glow. I love to work in series, and it's quite unusual for me to pick up on an older theme or concept, but maybe it's because I felt I hadn't finished the conversation started with the first piece. At any rate, this painting is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN, please contact the gallery for more information.

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.

Cobalt Harvest

"Cobalt Harvest"  6"w x 12"h

Today's painting titled Cobalt Harvest is another piece from my Northland Kaleidoscope show at Your Arts Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. There are a few night paintings in the group of work, and each one is very rich in color and mysterious as night paintings always seem to be for me. They are also an interesting challenge ... how do you decide how bright the color value should be in a night scene where everything is so dark and the details are difficult to make out? Perhaps that's why I put so much emphasis on the sky in the night paintings ... the intensifying color value radiating from the moon really becomes the subject of the piece and the foreground elements are almost an afterthought. Such it is with my work ... I'm always emphasizing the elements of composition such as the sky and the negative spaces that most other painters brush aside. (That's my sad attempt of humor by the way, you better laugh 'cause I can't come up with anything funnier at the moment) ... so there you have it. A harvest of cobalt blue on canvas with the full harvest moon smiling down on the scene. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Chickadee Moon

 

 

 

"Chickadee Moon"

Here is a fun painting featuring two chickadees on birch with a bright full moon in the sky above them, radiating its light through the deep cobalt blue sky. I was ice fishing on a lake north of Duluth recently and was skunked, as usual, but I did get a sweet shot of the full moon over the lake. The ice fishing trip was cut a little short due to my son stepping into an ice hole and getting cold, but we still managed to have fun. Just like the chickadees, they seem to have fun no matter what the weather.

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Twilight Gathering

I painted male cardinals almost exclusively for at least a year before I added in a female cardinal. It had more to do with the striking red color of the male cardinal, but when I add in the the more muted colored female cardinal, there seems to be even more color, and more interest in the composition. In this 12"w x 9"h piece, titled Twilight Gathering, the dark starry sky behind the cardinals in the birches cause the birds to really pop off the canvas. It catches your eye and draws your interest, just like that woodpecker did this morning as I was walking my dog through the deep snowy deer trails this morning. The forest was filled with birches, white pine, cedar and large blue outcroppings. Everything was quiet, the sky was overcast, and it was just peaceful and beautiful. And then there was that woodpecker, banging away as if he wanted to make sure everyone was awake. And after all his racket, everyone was. :)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.