Chocolate Covered Cherry Maples

Acrylic on 16"w x 20"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$250.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais. to purchase.

As I was trying to decide what to title this painting I couldn't help but think that it reminded me of chocolate and cherries. I can't imagine why ... must be the color. ;) No, this painting is not edible, but it does feature three red maples against a deep ultramarine background. This delicious composition was inspired by a red maple I came across one day in the fall, and I found the cranberry colored leaves with the delectable brown bark of the tree simply appetizing ... a feast for the eyes. So I captured the red maple on canvas. Bon Appétit!

Golden Birch Ridges

Acrylic on 14"w x 11"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge. 

SOLD

Repetition is an important element to design and composition, and this piece carries a repetition of form, color, texture and technique. It's such a simple concept, yet in this painting I find my eye drawn around the composition in a circular motion. There is a rich depth again which is just happening, something that is emerging as I layer the paint, making it seem as though you are looking through the trees and there is distance between the elements. The golden leaves on the birch trees really bring out this illusion of space and depth ... teasing you to look more carefully to make sure this is not a three dimensional piece. Here I go again writing these deep concepts and ideas when really I just need to enjoy this piece before it finds itself a new home. And I won't repeat myself. ;)

Snowy Birches No. 1

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

The first of two birch compositions, with snow gently falling in the background. I love how the snow and the black bark markings of the birch trees match each other, almost as if the black bark on the birch trees is falling too. 18" of snowfall last week here in Duluth may have influenced me to paint snow ya know. :)

The Stand

Acrylic on 11"w x 14"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$120.00 Please contact Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth to purchase.

I've been busy as of late putting finishing touches on several paintings. I had a burst of creativity and started almost a dozen canvases. Something that has never happened to me before, but I'm just rolling with it. This painting ended up with an incredible depth of texture with many transparent layers of color applied. When the depth of color gets this good, I find myself trying to replicate the effect, yet every painting is always different. Perhaps I shouldn't try to replicate but just enjoy the result ... A nice stand of birches basking in the last golden glow of the day.

Please return soon as new works will be uploaded on a regular basis.

What's ahead ...

 The annual Art for Earth Day Gallery Hop will be happening in mid April, along with a separate gallery hop of some new and super cool galleries in the Twin Ports on the same weekend. I'll have more information on these gallery hops as the information becomes available soon, but for now I'll have my hands full (of paint!) getting ready for my next show at the Blue Lake Gallery in Canal Park, Duluth. My work will hang in a space in their beautiful gallery for the Earth Day gallery hop. I have several pieces in mind to paint such as several triptychs and canvases ranging in size from 4"x4" on up to 72"x36". I will be limited in space in the gallery, but I will still plan to have a wide range of sizes and prices for people stopping by, and I plan to fill the space from floor to ceiling with 40-50 paintings. Look for paintings to be posted here in the next several weeks featuring new works for the show. :)

Tiny Red Maple Sunset No.1 and No. 2

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvases
Click on images to enlarge.
SOLD

Two pieces from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

These two red Maple landscapes were painted in succession. I found myself stepping back as I worked on them, feeling like there was something to be accomplished by adding more color. I finished them, then went back later and added yet more red, and at first I thought I'd pushed them too far, but then I realized that the red color was needed. I just had to know how they would look ... and I'm glad I put forth the effort.

Tiny Red Maple Leaf

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$20.00, please email me to purchase.

Another piece from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

I was remembering fondly my hikes with my family this past fall through Lester Park and Lincoln Park in Duluth, exploring quiet riverbeds filled with fall foliage. I took many photos, which have helped me immensely with the color and composition of recent paintings. All of these tiny paintings have me thinking of expanding on the themes and ideas each painting represents. I'm already placing several leaves together in my mind, envisioning them as they would appear in a larger composition. So many ideas ... so little time ...

Tiny Red Sunset Rays

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

Another piece from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show.

This painting packs a punch for being so small. Perhaps it's the old phrase 'The smaller the person ... the more space they occupy.' I just love the red sky, for a red sky at night is an artist's delight. 

Tiny Cardinal

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

This piece continues the red theme of my 'Tiny Art' pieces from the Prøve Collective Gallery Tiny Art show. The cardinal is looking up toward the sun, perhaps this piece conveys a longing for Spring in my own heart. The composition makes for nice movement, and the reds and greens compliment each other. I'm envisioning a large format piece, perhaps even a triptych, featuring many cardinals 'in conversation'. We'll see. I have a few more tiny art pieces to share through this week, then I'll be posting new work next week, I've been painting some 11"x14" birch landscapes which will be framed canvases that will be displayed at my upcoming show in April at the Blue Lake Gallery in Duluth.

Tiny Winterberry Diptych

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
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There's quite a bit of movement in this tiny diptych that features winterberries. Repetition is created by the branches following along the same line created by distant evergreens in the background. The sky follows suit, sunlight sharing space with cool blues that compliment the bright red berries makes for a fun painting.

Tiny Cranberry Bog

Acrylic on 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
 
$20.00, please email me to purchase.

This tiny painting was a big stretch for me subject wise as I've always said that I paint landscapes of Northern Minnesota, but I did a little research and found out that there are cranberry bogs in Minnesota, a nice sized one near Aitkin, not to mention people who grow cranberries on their land all around Northern MN. I'm captivated by the sea of red cranberries floating in deep blue waters with the distant skyline ... and even though I was constrained to a 4x4" canvas, I could envision cranberry bogs on a 48"wx36"h canvas ... perhaps in the future I'll paint a larger scale cranberry bog, but only after I've made sure I have a lot of crimson paint. :)

Tiny Cranberry Birch Triptych

Acrylic on Three 4"w x 4"h x 1.5"d canvases, totalling 12"w x 4"h
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD

I thought I'd share the tiny paintings currently in Duluth's Prøve Collective Gallery individually on my blog in the next week in addition to featuring a selection of them as a collage. First off, taking photos of tiny art is not easy, but I did the best I could and this first painting is a fun 12"w x 4"h painting on three separate 4" square canvases. Each painting carries the color red as an undercurrent, tying them all together.

Tiny Art Show at the PROVE Gallery, Duluth

Last night my family and I visited the PROVE Collective Gallery in Duluth to view the opening reception of a wonderful show at the gallery titled 'Tiny Art.' The show was amazing, such a diverse collection of art from sculpture to painting to music and more. My work was so compelling at the 4"x4" scale of each canvas. What a wonderful experience, and great turnout for the opening.

Duluth Art Institute Annual Members Show

Last week we attended the opening reception of the Duluth Art Institute's Annual Member Show. Each member was allowed to enter one piece 30"x30" or less in size. I chose to enter 'Twilight Birch Triptych' as it is a nice expression of my current style, and it met the size requirements. The opening was packed to say the least, as we went up to the balcony to view the exhibit at one point as it was almost impossible to move around! I took a photo which shows how many of the pieces are hung, on moveable walls, and it took us about an hour to view everything. The curator mentioned at the opening of the show that there is a 30% increase in artist memberships this year, showing that the art community is doing well and that many people are creating, viewing, enjoying, and purchasing art. A great time was had by all, please stop by the Depot sometime between now and March 18, 2012 to view the exhibit.

Sun Dance

Acrylic on 40"w x 30"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
Please email me at aaronklossartwork@gmail.com for purchase information.

Another piece from my 'Twilight Maples' series. I've enjoyed exploring this series in the past several months, making subtle changing in color intensity to change the mood of the different pieces. I'd like to make an online portfolio or slide show of the works in this series so they could be viewed in succession, perhaps that's something for the near future. This particular piece features the light source that demands your attention, saying 'look at me! look at me!' I added multiple shades of yellows for the sun, imagining the light dancing around the canvas, keeping it's intensity even as it travels farther from the source. The foreground shadows are crisp, due to the intensity of the light source, and the leaves above are bright. I resisted the urge to brighten the foreground even more, opting to keep the color hue consistent with the leaves, because I didn't want to detract from the sun. I've felt a sense of completion with this piece, like I've shared all that's within me regarding this 'Twilight Maples' series, and I'm ready to explore more landscape subjects. I'm not saying that I won't return to this series in the future as it holds a special place in my heart. But I am feeling that it's time to move on at the same time. What will result I cannot imagine, but perhaps the next painting will give that direction, providing a spark of inspiration, directing me onward. :)

Mossy Maple Ridge

Acrylic on 12"w x 12"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.SOLD
One more little 12x12" canvas featuring fall Maples and Evergreens. The deep greens of the Evergreens influenced the background with the multiple shades of green fading off into the distance. I'm happy that the use of green puts special emphasis on the foreground highlights and shadows. I feel so drawn to the way light filters through trees and casts shadows on the ground that I feel that I may explore this even more, delving deeper and deeper into the forest, looking for the early sunrise and late twilight sunsets. I'm already thinking several canvases ahead, when this happens, you need to make a special effort to paint and create, to capture what's in your head and heart. Up next this week is a 36"w x 24" Maple sunrise forest, then some Lester Park Pines ... I'm thinking vertical, but we'll see. :)