Quiet Solitude

"Quiet Solitude" Diptych, 72"w x 24"h

Here is piece that endeavors to capture the feeling of a quiet birch and maple forest during the last light of the day. The foreground gold and burnt sienna underbrush fade to a deep rich black and so does the cobalt sky in the distance. The maple leaves sparkle on the trees as the sun dances off them, and the birch hide in plain sight in the foreground. Some of my favorite comments have come from people who don't notice the birch trees right way as they focus on the background ... neither of which is the focus of this work, in a busy, noisy, hectic world, the quiet solitude of the birch forest beckons to be seen and experienced. Nuff said.

Cardinal and Birch Companions

Featured here today is an interesting piece which is on two canvases that was by request titled Cardinal Companions and Birch Companions. On the left is a male and female cardinal with autumn birches and colorful ridges, and on the right is a similar painting that has more birches and color and complements the composition of the painting on the left. Paintings like these always make me stop and wonder if the vision I have is similar to the one the person requesting it has. Hopefully, with enough details, the end result accomplishes the goal. One thing I've accomplished these past few days being snowed in here in Duluth, MN is snow shoveling. Reports of over 24" of snow make this storm one for the record books. The kiddos have been climbing the walls but have also had a blast playing in the new snow. While it's nice to have an unplanned mini vacation, it's also nice to get back into the swing of things. Looking forward to more paintings and finishing the year strong. I think I'll go paint now. I wish. I'm going to go shovel some more ....

Please contact Your Art's Desire for more information on today's painting.

Bluestone Winterland, Blue Ice & Winter Blues

"Bluestone Winterland" 12" x 12"

"Blue Ice" 4" x 4"

"Winter Blues" 4" x 4"

If you love cobalt blues (like me), you'll love today's post which features three new originals currently available at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN. These were painted in a familiar theme of mine, that being birch trees amongst a twilight blue sky and blue stones. I decided to feature them together as they were painted simultaneously. I have a large scale work in mind featuring this theme in the future as I'm drawn to this color and subject matter. It also fits this time of year when the days aren't quite as long, and the forest floor resembles the blue ice that I used to title one of the smaller works. I'm off to work on some new canvases that feature a new theme I've never tried before, but it will be a challenge and will be posted next week. Have a great day! -A

Please contact Siiviis Gallery for more information about these paintings

Emerald Diptych

Emerald Diptych, Acrylic on two 4"w x 4"h canvases

Another nice little painting featuring the birch and evergreen summer theme I've been working in. I love the shadows, instead of the familiar golds the shadows are created with greens and burnt siennas.  This one is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

August Diptych

This piece was painted on 4"wx4"h canvases in a summer theme that I think I'll soon be leaving behind ... summer birches. But I bet I'll look forward to painting them next year! This one is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Greenland Diptych

"Greenland Diptych" Acrylic on 2 4"wx12"h canvases

This painting currently available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN features summer birches in a 3:1 vertical scale. Although this piece is on the smaller side, it has a nice vertical scale that is allows the birch trees to be in proportion to the trees I view in the forest. One thing I've noticed recently is that trees are often painted by artists (including me!) way too short. The reason for this, I'm sure, is how they fit the composition or artists are limited by canvas size. But when I walk in the woods, the scale of the trees is just awesome, especially when you stand at the base of the trees and look up. So to be more realistic and accurate, trees need to have longer trunks. I took some photos recently of some birch forests and I'll post them on this blog in the next day or two. This vertical scale is probably something I'll keep exploring ... when I'm not out exploring the fores. :)

Autumn Ambience

Another piece available at Tree to Tree in Two Harbors is this diptych painted on two 10"x30" canvases. This work was completed around the same time as yesterday's Summer Solstice painting. Like yesterday's; this painting features deep colors with many of the same richness. With today's painting titled Autumn Ambience, I took the color depth a step further and applied color as it was from the light filtering through the birch leaves above. I especially like how the light effects turned out on the rocks. The ground has a nice sparkle, and I'm glad I kept the browns just a little toned down to feature the light effects in the birch leaves and the rocks. The distant pine ridges and blue sky feature a wide range of color value, yet again, I didn't want them to compete, but compliment.
... Perhaps this was one of those paintings I had in my heart and I wanted to stay out of the way and just let it happen ... I'm glad I did. :)

Bluestone Birch Diptych

Acrylic on two 11"w x 14"h canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
$230.00 Please contact Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais to purchase.

A recent theme of mine has been bluestone birches. I gave the title to this theme based on the blue stones along with the deep cobalt blue skies. Bluestone outcroppings are scattered throughout the forests here where I live, and in the past chunks of the stone have broken off and tumbled down the hills to land together in big bluestone bunches. Often, they form little walls in the woods, making the explorer have to decide to climb over them or walk around them. In this piece, the foreground is a simple burnt sienna textured field which gives the composition a grounded feel. Well I suppose it should, being that it's the ground after all. The texture is thick, the brushstrokes are crisp and this bluestone birch theme is very peaceful to work in. I will have some new work along this theme in the coming weeks.

Tiny Winterberry Diptych

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

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.

Twilight Maples: Sunset Maples Diptych

Acrylic on Two 6"w x 6"h x 2"d Canvases
Click on image above to enlarge.

SOLD

These canvases look nice on a wall or together on a display shelf. I added a cool hillside in the background ... shades of purple grow deeper as the light fades down the hill to a deep purple. I'm going to be working in this theme for a while, exploring the effect of twilight shadows on the fall landscape.

Twilight Maples Diptych

Acrylic on 2-12"w x 36"h x 2"d Canvases
Click on image above to enlarge.
Reserved

This painting marked yet another step in my style progression. I've been working on keeping a consistent color saturation in my paintings, along with consistent brushstrokes .. yet I went off the deep end on this painting. I painted this one entirely in the square brushstroke style on black canvas and I really enjoyed painting this one. I love the negative spaces between the trees, the long shadows and transparency in the orange leaves. If you've ever seen sugar maples in the fall, you know what blazing color these special trees are able to achieve. Perhaps I'll linger a while here in this forest, enjoying the peace that this complete isolation can bring, listening to the leaves and twigs snap beneath my feet and smell the familiar fragrance of Autumn leaves and the changing of the seasons. Like a good book that ends too soon and you have to say goodbye to the characters in the story who have become like friends to you, I need to move on to the next painting. The next painting is calling me, and I think I'll continue in this brushstroke style for a while to see where it leads. Cheers. :)

Autumn Birches Diptych

Acrylic on Two 2'w x 3'h x 1.5"d Canvases
Click on image above to enlarge.
Please email me at aaronklossartwork@gmail.com for purchase information.

I had a lot of fun painting the negative spaces behind the trees in this diptych. As a whole, the two canvases measure 4'w x 3'h in dimension, so they have quite a presence in the room. The blue sky blends into golden fall foliage in this piece, with the cranberry color putting a solid ground in the bottom of the background. The birch trees have a lot of texture in their white and black areas, which is why this piece took me so long to paint. :) I think it was worth it, these will be featured in my upcoming show at The Vanilla Bean in Two Harbors. Now I'm off to stretch some more canvases!