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.

Frost Cardinals Nos. 1-3

Just a few frost cardinals recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery for a frosty Monday. We received 6 plus inches of fresh snow yesterday here in Duluth, MN. Now I'm off to shovel before the snow freezes. Have a great week! -Aaron

All the Colors of Autumn

All the Colors of Autumn is the title of this colorful new 36x24 acrylic on canvas recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth. I painted the lake in the foreground a deep blue to make the colorful tree reflections pop off the canvas. This continues my series of reflections which focus on memories and how can be fuzzy and bit distorted, but the memories are also a reflection of who we are. Deep thoughts for an artist who isn't quite awake yet today. Have a great weekend! All my best, Aaron

Sunset Strip

Sunset Strip

On the last day of an unseasonably warm November, I thought it fitting to share a fun new piece titled Sunset Strip, recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. This painting is 12x36, acrylic on canvas, and features white pine flanking a rocky river, with distant pine ridges in the background. But what really sets this painting apart is the dazzling gold sky, casting gold shadows on the foreground river banks and brightening the overall feel of the piece. I don't need to go to California to see the Sunset Strip, I just need to go out on the Lake Superior Trail on any given summer evening. So long summer, hello winter.

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.

Winter Frost Chickadees

Today's painting is titled Winter Frost Chickadees, and is part of my ongoing series of winter chickadees. This series features a pale blue sky, lots of white, and gray tones, basically what winter looks like. These hardy chickadees don't mind the cold, they reside in Minnesota year round, unlike their migratory songbird friends who skip town when the cold rolls in. Sometimes I'm tempted to head south, but then I'd miss the winter frost chickadees. This piece was recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN.

Sunset Sky Triptych

Here's a delightful little piece titled Sunset Sky Triptych, acrylic on 12"w x 4"h canvas, recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. These bright cardinals on gold and crisp birch are sure to liven up any space. Have a great day, Aaron

Tiny Fall Forest

Here is a fun little triptych titled Tiny Fall Forest, 12"w recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN ... because I wish fall would last just a few months longer. :) Happy Wednesday!

Three Frost Dees

Here's a first of many chickadee paintings titled Three Frost Dees, acrylic on 8x10" canvas. The chickadee is a favorite of mine, residing in Minnesota year round, their familiar call and markings distinguishing them from the flock of songbirds that migrate annually. Long live the chickadee. This piece was recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN.

An Autumn Hike

Today's painting is titled Autumn Hike, 36x24, and is a take on a favorite theme of mine, which is birch trees with colorful ridges behind them. What I also love is the space between the subject/foreground captures the eye ... essentially becoming the part of the piece that grabs the eye. We had a wonderful autumn season this year, and it looks like it's going to be another great week to spend time outdoors with temps approaching 60 by the end of the week ... which is a heat wave in this northern part of the world.  This painting was recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN.

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.

Reach For The Stars

Reach For The Stars, 12x36", acrylic on canvas

This new 12"w x 36" acrylic on canvas is titled Reach For The Stars. Every once and a while an artist hits a home run with a work of art, and this is a home run. Whatever your dream is ... go out there and get it. That's what this lone white pine represents, as it's backlit by golden light and a starry sky which reflects in the waters in the foreground. This piece is part of a new group of work at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN

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

Colorful Maples

Colorful Maples is the title of this new 30x15" acrylic on canvas. This piece was a donation to a local charity. While the leaves are bright and colorful in this painting, last night's powerful winds have stripped many of the trees of their fall leaves in the area. But it was a good color season, and I'm looking forward to the winter snow and upcoming holiday season. Happy Monday!

Walking Through Autumn Birches

"Walking Through Autumn Birches"  36"w x 24"h

Today's piece, titled Walking Through Autumn Birches, measures 36x24" and is one of those pieces where the title just says it all. We've had an incredible fall season here in Duluth, MN, and I regret that I've been so busy working that I haven't been able to enjoy it like I would want to. But I can always paint where my heart is at, and apparently, that is in a golden birch forest in northern Minnesota, which is a great place to be. Enjoy your weekend! A.Kloss
This piece was recently brought in to Lakeside Gallery in Duluth MN.

Treetops No. 1 and 2

Today's paintings feature a male and female cardinal, titled 'Treetops No. 1 and 2' respectively. They measure 6x6" on canvas, and I painted them on deep profile canvas so that they can be displayed on a wall or stand alone on a shelf. I often think of pairing paintings as bookends, perhaps to start and finish the story of a work of art as it progresses from the thought of the artist, through their hands to completion of the canvas (or whatever art form they are expressing themselves in). These little sweethearts are recently displayed for sale at my gallery, Lakeside Gallery, in Duluth, MN.

Blue Jay Moon Rays

This piece, titled Blue Jay Moon Rays, measures 8x10" and is a new acrylic on canvas recently delivered to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais. There has been many blue jays flying around my house, making lots of noise and chasing all the birds away. They sure are a pretty bird with their blue coloring, and impressive in size, and they are fun to paint. In this case, this blue jay is backlit by a moon, and is perched on a golden maple tree ... what a peaceful setting for such a noisy bird. :)

Falling Leaves

'Falling Leaves'

Today's piece, titled Falling Leaves, is a new 40x30" acrylic on canvas recently brought in to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. This fun piece features a rich brown maple forest with colorful red, orange, and gold leaves. The maples at the top are decked out in color, and their leaves are quietly falling across the painting towards the forest floor which is covered in leaves. The distant ridges match the colorful spectacle, and the rich windsor blue provides a complementary background to the whole piece. The color saturation is intense in this piece, pointing towards the most colorful time of the year, the autumn season, and the deep blue sky is a reminder of the snowy season that follows. Hope you get to enjoy all the seasons have to offer this year.

Golden Dee Series

Today's paintings are titled Golden Dee Numbers 1-3 respectively, and measure 6x6" each. These acrylics on canvas have for a subject the chickadee, perched on a golden birch branch with a rich cobalt sky behind them. I paint a lot of birds, and always enjoy the expressions the birds often take. Usually this is by accident, but just a slight angle of the brushstroke can determine if a bird happy, sad, angry, or curious. I'll let you decide what you think these birds are feeling, and if you're feeling like collecting these, they were recently delivered to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, 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.

Cardinals on Gold

'Cardinals on Gold'

Today's piece is titled Cardinals on Gold, and is 18"w x 6"h, acrylic on canvas, and recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery in Duluth. This painting is just a fun take on warm color with the red cardinals and gold background, and the cardinals appear to be in conversation. I'm busy painting several commissions at the moment, but I also make time to share the little paintings I love to paint, I often think that these small scale paintings are insignificant, but they are affordable to paint and collect, and I don't have any plans on stopping creating them anytime soon. Have a great week! -Aaron

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

Warm Autumn Moonlight

Warm Autumn Moonlight

Today's painting is titled Warm Autumn Moonlight and is a new 6x18" acrylic on canvas recently brought in to Lizzards Gallery here in Duluth. This piece is playful take on the fall season, with oranges and golds shimmering agains a bright blue night sky. Central to the piece is the moon, and it's one of those moonlit nights where it's bright and colorful. There's a fall festival in town today that I'm planning on visiting, so I thought this piece was appropriate for the day's activities. Have a great weekend. -Aaron

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

Golden Birch Rays

This painting is titled Golden Birch Rays and is 8"w x 10" acrylic on canvas. While I anticipate the coming fall season, I reflect on the many adventures I've had hiking through the woods much like the woods portrayed in this painting. The setting autumn sun casts long shadows and the leaves sparkle and dance in the crisp fall air. It's a special time of year, one where you look at the trees in amazement, wondering if it's a dream, wondering where all this color came from. It's a short and sweet season, can't wait ... so I paint. :)  Please email me to check on availability or to commission a special painting, thanks!
-Aaron

Red Maple Lake

This piece is titled Red Maple Lake, and is an 8x10" acrylic on canvas. The maple tree is very interesting with it's large leaves and array of fall colors ranging from gold to brown, and red and orange. This particular painting features red maples and a rich blue lake and sky. Please email me to check on availability or to commission a special painting, thanks!
-Aaron

Shimmering Sparkles

Shimmering Sparkles is the title of this 12"x6" acrylic on canvas painting recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. This piece features some of my favorite subjects along with my favorite season. A rugged birch forest is backdropped by golds, browns, and a bright blue sky. Beautiful summer weather here recently will give way to autumn soon, and I can't wait. I'm off to the easel, busy getting ready for the fall leaf travelers and ultimately the holidays. This year I'll be ready. But I'll make sure I make time to enjoy the forest as well, already planning several hikes, excursions, and adventures which will yield new paintings and make golden memories. Have a great week. -A.Kloss.

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

Cardinals in Gold

Cardinals in Gold is the title of this new 12"w x 4"h triptych recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth. It's fun to hear there's still a demand for paintings like this after creating so many over the past several years. They're versatile in display options with wall and shelf options, and the three panel format is also unique ... but you know the real reason people enjoy them ... it's the cardinals. Who doesn't love cardinals? Especially when they're perched on golden branches.

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

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

A Return to the Woods

A Return to the Woods

Today's new acrylic painting on canvas titled A Return to the Woods (8"w x 10"h) is just a friendly reminder that autumn is on the horizon and soon the forest will be a blaze in warm colors, and I can't wait. :)  This piece was recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth.

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

One Last Summer Splash

One Last Summer Splash

While a couple of my kids went back to school last week, my oldest starts this week, and I know many other kids head back to school this week. For many parents it's a time for celebration as their stir crazy kids now have something to occupy their energy, but for me it's bittersweet. I've always enjoyed having my kids around and their absence around the house and studio takes some adjusting. But in many ways it's good for all, as we all do better with an occupation, and we play hard all summer long, burning both ends of the candle and waking up exhausted every day, riding bikes, playing games, swimming, hiking, exploring, bbqing and ... you get the idea. Today's painting is titled One Last Summer Splash, (6"w x 18"h in honor of the weekend just passed where people have one last chance to enjoy summer before school. Hope you had a chance to take a splash this past weekend. This piece was recently brought in to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth.

Wingmen

"Wingmen"

Wingmen is the title of the fun new acrylic on 10x8" canvas which features three vibrant cardinals perched on a summer birch tree. There's a hint of autumn in the air as the sky is filled with cadmium yellow which gives this piece a bright visual punch. A wingman, as you may know, is what guys frequently call a close friend, someone who has their back, someone they can call in the middle of the night and they'll be there. Friends like this are hard to come by in life, but I've found one in the cardinal, through the past six years they've been there, always appearing on the canvas and getting the job done even during the tough times. They'll never go out of style, they light up the canvas, and they've got my back. And when they call, everybody listens. This piece is one of many recently delivered to Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN.

www.aaronkloss.com

Shazam!

"Shazam!" 

Today's post, titled Shazam!, is a playful birch landscape featuring vibrant golds and an autumn lake in northern Minnesota, two things that go together just like peanut butter and chocolate. Or pickles and ice cream if you happen to be pregnant. Don't know where that last comment came from, anyways ... I've enjoyed working in the theme of reflections this past year or so, and there just seems to be no end to the interest I have in water reflections. The color and distortion of the reflection make for some creative compositions, and I'm convinced this reflection idea is what caused Monet to stay on the same theme late in his painting career. Hopefully my painting career will continue late in life as well, but if now, at least I've painted an awesome landscape titled Shazam! ... and mentioned pickles and ice cream ... and that's got to be worth something. Have a great labor day weekend. -A.Kloss

Oasis - Commissioned piece

Today's painting titled Oasis (36"w x 24"h triptych) is a commissioned piece for a client that wanted a special painting for their home. The client chose the composition, color, and size, and also requested a pair of cardinals. So if you look at the left panel, near the top you'll see a pair of cardinals perched on the birch enjoying the scenery of green and gold birch leaves and lake reflections. The fun thing about those cardinals is it gets you looking elsewhere in the piece of other surprises. Are there other surprises? Well, I'll leave that to the viewer to decide. It's been a summer full of commissioned pieces for wonderful collectors and I'm thankful for each and every one.

Summer Shores No. 2

"Summer Shores No. 2"

Today's painting is titled Summer Shores No. 2, and measures 8x8". This new acrylic on canvas is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais and is part of a series of three featuring my latest greatest theme of lake reflections. 

Cheers

Cheers - 36"w x 12"h

I recently finished this 36x12" acrylic on canvas and thought "wow, what a cheerful painting." So I kept that thought with the title which is Cheers. I'm eagerly awaiting the autumn season of colorful leaves, and pacing my anticipation with colorful fall themed originals. This piece brings a smile to my face .. please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais for more information on this and many other originals. Oh, and I almost forgot: Cheers!

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

Summer Shores No. 1

Today's painting is titled Summer Shores No. 1, and measures 8x8". This new acrylic on canvas is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais and is part of a series of three featuring my latest greatest theme of lake reflections. Ahh the summer greens and blues, they are with us so such a short time, it's just great to capture these colorful trees on canvas.
www.aaronkloss.com

Sing a Song (Numbers 1 & 2)

These colorful cardinal paintings are titled Sing A Song Numbers 1 & 2, and are 8x8" new acrylics on canvas. Just when I think I've painted my last cardinal a collector or gallery asks for one, and the stories told about this colorful little bird are always amazing. People really connect with the cardinal ... the bright red color, the song they sing, their antics in the trees ... I've painted them for years but only recently do I have a pair that nested by my house. Perhaps that pair of cardinals wanted to tell me to keep painting them, I don't know, but I've enjoyed them as a subject matter, and it seems like a lot of other folks do too. Thanks to everyone who owns one of my cardinal paintings. These cardinals were delivered to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN recently.

Into The Forest

Into The Forest is the title of this piece which is one of a three part series of summer birch landscapes recently delivered to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. While the compositions aren't overly complicated, the colorful punch these pieces deliver is quite pleasant, even if I didn't get the best of photos and this appears a bit on the dark side. Oh well, you can't win them all, but you can enjoy the process, and the summer season, while you're at it.

www.aaronkloss.com

Summer Through the Birches No. 1 - 3

Today's paintings are part of a new group of work at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais titled Summer Through The Birches No 1 - 3. These birchscapes measure 12"w x 4"h on deep profile canvas and feature the colors of the summer forest when viewed through birch trees. The background was fun to paint on these, I enjoyed the greens and blues, and hope you do too! Have a great week, all my best, A.Kloss

An Autumn Day in Grand Marais

"An Autumn Day in Grand Marais"

I'm happy to share a new large original today titled An Autumn Day in Grand Marais, 40"w x 30"h. This painting is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. This painting is a continuation of my reflections series, where the reflection of the trees in the water is the subject of the painting, representing rich memories we all have, yet the memories are often hard to articulate, yet reflect the actual event that formed the memory. This is different for every person, so I leave it up to the viewer to decide how to process the image. For me, the memories are important, but for many, this painting could just be a rich golden autumn birch forest on a bright, crisp autumn day at a lake in northern Minnesota, and that's just fine with me. To purchase prints of this piece please visit my online store: http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/p115/An_Autumn_Day_in_Grand_Marais.html

On The Western Skyline

Today's post is titled On The Western Skyline, and is an 8"w x 10"h acrylic on canvas. This painting was purchased for a wedding gift, and I'm sure the wedding celebration on Minnesota's north shore was filled with color, warmth and life just as this piece is. I don't know where 99% of all the pieces I've ever painted end up, but maybe that's ok, just the thought that I've brightened someone's day and brought a smile to their face is all I need. :)

Whimsical Robin

Whimsical Robin 

This fun painting is titled Whimsical Robin and was a commission by a local Duluth business. The client wanted colors that match their logo in the background, and a robin on a nest with her mini robins. I added a worm in the robin's mouth for good measure. Seriously though, have you ever watched a robin yank a big juicy nightcrawler out of the ground and swallow it whole? It is enough to wrench any stomach, especially in the morning. But what I love about robins isn't their eating habits but their song. High up in the trees I hear them singing spring through fall when I'm working out in the yard. Have a great day, make sure you don't forget to eat breakfast.