Autumn Blue Jay

"Autumn Blue Jay" 8"w x 8"h

"Birch Jay No. 2" 4"w x 4"h

Who doesn't like complementary color? I know Van Gogh's bold colors weren't always well received by his fellow Parisian painting pals, but I'm sure glad he paved the way and wasn't afraid to express what he felt he had to say via the brush and the canvas. There is an element of meaning in these bird paintings I often create and I know I've mentioned it before here on this blog. It's the determination you need if you want to be an artist. You can't be afraid to express yourself, and even go against the grain of what other artists are doing if that's what you need to do to communicate what's in your heart. Blue jays often scare away other birds in the forest, but they also warn when predators are nearby and they aren't afraid to take on other animals bigger than themselves. Perhaps this is the vibe I'm getting from today's warmly lit blue jay piece. No fear here. :) -A

Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on today's pieces.

Trés 'Jays

"Trés 'Jays", 10"w x 10"h

"Birch Jay No. 1", 4"w x 4"h

Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on today's pieces.

Winter Birches

"Winter Birches" 8"w x 8"h

"Little Red" 4"w x 4"h

Just a peaceful birch forest for Saturday, March 9, 2013 .. as the snow quietly falls in as I type this in a quiet little city set on a hill in northern Minnesota named Duluth ... while a little red rascal watches from his perch on a birch. If he's at all like me he's ready for Spring. :)

Please contact Z Place Gallery for more information on today's pieces.

Blue & Gold Cardinals at Z Place Gallery

"Blue & Gold Cardinals Triptych", 18"w x 12"h

"Gold View" 4"w x 4"h

Today's post is a timely one for you hockey fans. The Minnesota State High School Boys Hockey Tournament is a highlight of winter for me, and during the tournament nothing seems to get done around the house. :) My high school is in the tournament (Wayzata) and they defeated Centennial High School last night to advance to the second round of the tournament. What does this have to do with painting you may ask? Well, not much really. Except that the Wayzata Trojans school colors are blue and gold, and the triptych featured here today is titled Blue & Gold Cardinals Triptych. I didn't plan it this way, it just kind of worked out that I wanted to post some new work at a wonderful new gallery in Ironwood MI called Z Place Gallery. There's a nice selection of cardinals and some other landscapes at Z Place ... and they'll be receiving a handful of blue jay paintings early next week as well.

Please contact Z Place Gallery for more information on today's pieces. 

... And if you'd like to follow the hockey tournament, here's a link that will give you all the info: Hockey Hub

Have a great weekend!
-Aaron

Cranberry Capers

"Cranberry Capers", Acrylic on 8"w x 8"h x 2.25" deep canvases (4)

This series is a one-of-a-kind. The blue jays were painted on deep 2.25" museum profile canvases and have quite a presence either on the wall or on a display shelf. While they were painted in a series, I thought it best to sell them individually.

Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information.

Nestled In

"Nestled In" 12"w x 6"h

This blue jay is nestled into the birches, basking in the glow of a sparkling golden sky in the background. :)

For more information about this painting please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Wings of Gold

"Wings of Gold", 8"w x 8"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

"Red Wing", 4"w x 4"h, Sivertson Gallery

Today's post features two works that have *surprise!* complementary colors. The gold and blues ... the blues and reds ... even the white birch bark and the black markings of the trees ... all provide contrast and punch to these colorful bright works.

Nice sunny day here in Duluth, MN ... 35 degrees today, which is a heat wave for February. :) So nice to see the snow melting and the birds singing. Spring is just around the corner.
-A

For more information about these painting please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Cobalt Forest Friends

"Cobalt Forest Friends" 10"w x 10"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais MN

"Gold Sparkles" 4"w x 4"h

This painting is a favorite ... one I wanted to keep to myself, yet felt like at the same time I wanted to share with the world. I just love the cobalt blue jays on the cobalt blue background. This is a theme that is just asking ... just begging ... to be pursued. I'm drawn to cobalt blue like a moth to a flame and have a hard time resisting grabbing the paint every time I work. I have to admit that I have cobalt blue by at least three different paint companies and each has it's unique color qualities. One is a little more gray, one more vibrant, one more deep and I love them all. Vincent Van Gogh was obsessed with chrome yellow ... I don't know what draws what artist to what color, but this I can assure you ... you will be seeing a lot of cobalt blues in the near future. I'm just shy of 60 paintings completed in the last two months and I'm taking a few days off to catch my breath and help an old friend work on his house ...
I don't want to burn myself out before I've said what I want to say via the brush and the canvas. :)

For more information about this painting please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. 

Departure

"Departure" Acrylic on 18"w x 6"h canvas

"Tiny Green" 4"w x 4"h

Don't let the title of this post scare you .. I'm not leaving now lol. I suppose after taking a little break from the blog and then posting 'Departure' you might wonder what people may think. ;)

This piece is part of new series for me featuring the beautiful blue jay. I'm super excited to see how people will react to this new forest friend ... not sure how the cardinal in today's painting feels about the blue jays though. He's thinking 'I'm outta here!'.

To see more blue jays please visit my website and check out the new work at Sivertson Gallery under the Paintings section.

For more information about this painting please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Gold Maples

"Gold Maples" Acylic on 6"w x 6"h canvas

Here is a painting in a familiar series I like to work in that I refer to as twilight maples. The texture in the golden leaves on the trees and foreground is always a joy to paint. :)

For more information about this painting, please contact Stone's Throw Gallery in Bayfield, WI.

Stones Throw Gallery and Key Lime Cardinals

"Key Lime Cardinals", 10"w x 10"h, $100

I'm pleased to announce that my work will now be available at Stones Throw Gallery in Bayfield, WI! Twelve new works ranging in size from 18"w x 18"h down to 4"w x 4"h are on their way to Bayfield and should be arriving today. :) To view all the work online please visit my website. Today's piece is titled Key Lime Cardinals after the background color. While I love complementary color in my work, I just couldn't resist having a little fun with the title for this piece as the background color had me thinking about key lime pie. Must have been hungry while I was painting it. :) Over the next several weeks I'll be posting new work to my blog .. please stop back soon. -A

For more information about this painting, please contact Stone's Throw Gallery in Bayfield, WI.

Cardinal Song

"Cardinal Song" 6"w x 6"h

I talked to my mom this morning and she mentioned how nice it was to be able to hear a cardinal singing in the trees this morning, so I thought this work was appropriate. :)

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about this painting.

Incognito Cardinals

"Incognito Cardinals" 6"w x 6"h

I originally was going to paint an evergreen ridge with a bright green background but paused and thought 'why not' and painted the ridge crimson red. The result is a cardinal that is cleverly disguised and a cardinal in complementary color and properly titled Incognito Cardinals. :)

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about this painting.

Three In A Row

"Three In A Row" Acrylic on 12"w x 6"h canvas

I'm having so much fun painting cardinals as of late, and I especially enjoy the compositions that feature multiples of these delightful little birds. How their bright red color interacts with the colors of the composition is for me almost addictive when I'm painting. Whether the red compliments or contrasts ... it's just so easy to paint the cardinals and I'm always so happy to post them and to hear feedback about how others love them and connect with them.

In the coming weeks I'll be working on some prints that will feature many of my favorites that will be affordable and easy to collect and frame. Please stay tuned ... so much to do, so little time! Today I'm off to put the finishing touches on some new works featuring landscapes of Lake Superior's South Shore. :) -A

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about this painting.

Autumn's Song

Autumn's Song • 8"w x 8"h

Over the weekend I dropped off eight new canvases at Siiviis Gallery as they had sold five the previous week and requested some more. I have to admit I was a little surprised as this is the part of the year when sales are slow for artists and you have to paint ahead for the summer season. But something happened in working fast to complete the works in a timely manner. They ended up on the bright side, brighter than any I can remember in recent history. I love the color, the crispness, the life in these works. Please stop by Siiviis Gallery if you're in the Duluth area to check them out. Today's post titled Autumn's Song is one of the new works at the gallery, more will be posted later this week.

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about this painting.

Fab Five

"Fab Five" 10"w x 10"h $100

The title says it all. :) ... oh, and TGIF! -A

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about this painting.