Ladies & Gentlemen

Today's post is playful take on a familiar phrase ... these new spring cardinal paintings are titled Ladies & Gentlemen, and there is a total of six originals in this series measuring 4"w x 4"h. I just love the color of these cardinals, so vibrant and full of life ... normally I have a tough time photographing my work and getting color just the way I like it, but these turned out great. Back to the studio now ... many canvases in progress to finish this week. If you're interested in these, please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN to check on availability. All my best, Aaron

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

Robin's Nest

Robin's Nest is the title of this new piece which is 6"w x 6"h, acrylic on canvas, recently delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. This lovely little robin is resting in a nest amongst vibrant spring colors of blues, greens, golds and oranges. We hit 59 degrees this weekend and broke a record here in Duluth ... a real tropical heat wave for March around here! Won't be long before the trees leaf out in vibrant green, transforming the barren grey and brown landscape to lush blues and greens of summer.

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Cardinal Nest

"Cardinal Nest"

It's such a gorgeous sunny warm spring day here in Duluth, MN that I don't want to take too much time blogging and make sure I go outside and soak up more Vitamin D. Today's piece is titled Cardinal Nest, and features a female cardinal in her nest ... perhaps enjoying the nice spring weather just like the fella that painted her. This piece was recently delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN.

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Nesting 'Dee

"Nesting 'Dee"

I was watching a pair of chickadees yesterday at the feeders, standing just a couple feet away and they didn't seem to bothered by my presence. They were having a hard time deciding between the thistle, suet, and seed feeders and were eating off of all. They strike me as hardly little birds, always playful and fearless. Hopefully I can be more like them. :) Today's painting is titled 'Nesting 'Dee' and was recently delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. TGIF!

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Goldfinch Nest

"Goldfinch Nest"

Continuing my spring nest series today I'm featuring a piece titled Goldfinch Nest which is 8"w x 8"h, acrylic on canvas, recently delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. These delightful little birds have brown plumage during the winter but their feathers make a transition to a vibrant gold as the colors of the spring and summer season fill the landscape. The females remain a bit muted in color, as with most songbirds, to help conceal them from predators as they guard the nests. It was fun last year to watch some goldfinches nesting by my house, hopefully this year I'll see some more, so far it's mainly chickadees and crows.

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Nesting Cardinals

"Nesting Cardinals"  8"w x 8"h

Spring is in the air early this year and I've been working on a nesting birds theme. It's a subject easy to identify with, and who isn't fascinated by tiny little birds emerging from tiny eggs in a nest? Well, at least I'm fascinated by them. :) Today's piece is titled Nesting Cardinals and is 8"w x 8"h, acrylic on canvas, with a female and male cardinal at a nest. The background is a colorful array of blues, purples, greens, and a few golds .. all the colors of the spring season which will soon be upon us. This piece was delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN recently. Think spring!

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Tiny Blue Jays

"Tiny Blue Jays"  8"w x 8"h

Today's painting titled Tiny Blue Jays, is 8"w x 8"h and currently available at Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. This spring painting brought back some pleasant memories as I worked on it. One particular spring, I found a good deal on suet and set out several suet feeders for the birds as the winter had been harsh and the migratory birds were arriving to a frozen tundra and no food. I had blue jays, robins, goldfinch, starlings, and cedar waxings nesting all around my house, and in the mornings I would go outside later in the spring and hear what sounded like thousands of tiny feeble squeeks and squawks from freshly hatched chicks. The starlings stayed all summer, there had to be 30 chicks that would call for their parents to feed them all day. It was a season to remember for someone who loves birds. This week I'll feature spring bird paintings all week here, please stop back soon and think spring! -A

Prints of this painting are available on my online store: 
http://www.aaronkloss.com/store/c5/Spring_Bird_Prints.html

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com

Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Autumn on the Lake

"Autumn On The Lake"  48"w x 36"h

Today's piece is titled Autumn on the Lake, and is a larger acrylic on canvas measuring 48"w x 36"h which was delivered to Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN this past weekend. This painting follows along a familiar reflections theme of mine ... something I've been working with over the past year. The reflection abstracts the image in the water, and provides a unique distortion of the landscape above. While the abstraction of the reflection speaks to distant memories, the autumn themed landscape brings powerful memories to mind. The blazing colors of fall are splashed across the canvas and are further energized by the rich windsor blue waters and skies. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery

Many other painting options are always being added to my website: http://www.aaronkloss.com
Feel free to contact me for more information ... and I'm also available for commissions if you'd like a special size or subject. 

Colors on the Lake

"Colors on the Lake No. 1"  10"w x 10"h

"Colors on the Lake No 2"

These pieces, titled Colors on the Lake, are part of the latest group of works available at Your Arts Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. These paintings are a colorful celebration of the season of autumn ... and follow along the theme of water reflections. I'm particularly drawn to the browns and blues and how they play off each other. Autumn is so full of color I find I'm never at a loss for inspiration this time of year. Please contact the gallery for more information on these and other original acrylic landscapes on canvas.

The Song of Spring

Today's painting is titled The Song of Spring and features a bright red male cardinal amongst the greens of spring birches and bright blue skies. On my morning walk I heard a mourning dove, starling, goldfinch, crow, and robin. I also watched a pigeon in the yard whom I think has taken up residence in my roofline somewhere, and doesn't appear to have an inclination on paying rent. Haven't seen a cardinal yet, though. I have the feeder stocked with safflower seeds, suet, and thistle for the finches and chickadees. You can't always see the birds, but you sure can hear them in the morning. In stark contrast to the violence, upheaval and uncertainty in the world there's one thing that's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face .. it's the song of spring. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Spring at Lake Minnetonka

"Spring at Lake Minnetonka" 48"w x 30"h

Today's painting is titled Spring at Lake Minnetonka, 48"w x 30"h. This piece continues my recent series of spring works that feature vibrant blues, greens, golds, and water reflections. Lake Minnetonka is filled with islands and is quite an interesting lake with all it's bays and towns surrounding the lake. I have many childhood memories of this lake, from YMCA summer camp to driving around the lake and swimming, boating, and fishing. My memories of this lake are warm and colorful, and I really wanted this painting to reflect those memories with a bright gold sun in the center of the piece and light reflections off the water and surrounding landscape and foliage. I imagine the maples are leafing out now around the lake, and it won't be long before other children are making summer memories of this lake. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be. -Whitney Houston. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka for more information on this piece.

Spring Cardinal Song

"Spring Cardinal Song"  6"w x 6"h

Here's a sweet little something titled Spring Cardinal Song, which is 6"w x 6"h. I've heard about cardinals singing a particular song when spring is arriving, and by looks of the budding trees and migratory birds in the forest, spring has sprung! We've had some rain here in northern Minnesota, now with the warmer temps next week, we'll finally get some greens in the landscape. And hopefully some spring songs from the cardinals. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery for more information on this piece.

Reflecting Spring

"Reflecting Spring"

This new small work on canvas, titled Reflecting Spring, continues my series on water reflections. I opted for some symmetry with this piece, with the water line down the center horizontally and the three spring birches on either side forming a vertical line. I'd never get away with a symmetrical work when I was in art school, but now I enjoy the challenge of making a piece interesting and symmetrical at the same time. Plus I love lakes, rocks, birch trees and anything blue. How bout you?

Please contact Your Arts Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Glowing Birches

"Glowing Birches"  6"w x 6"h

Glowing Birches is a new 6"w x 6"h landscape featuring .... well, glowing birches, of course. The moon in the center is shining and sparkling off the birches and waters. While I've used my favorite color in this piece, cobalt blue, I've also used something that you'll be reading a lot about on this blog if you're a regular reader. That something is my goal for this year, which is to accentuate my singular brush stroke by using color. To say it another way, I'm intentionally leaving the black canvas ground that I paint on exposed around my brush strokes to give more visual texture and interest to my work. In order to keep growing as an artist, I assign myself new tasks every year, and that's my task. So you'll be seeing new colors, brighter colors, and more contrast, texture, and distinctive brush strokes. I find that setting an annual goal gives me time to explore that goal and stay consistent, because I'd be more prone to try new landscapes, colors, compositions, sizes, etc. on a weekly if not daily basis. While that may be exciting, as an artist, I do have to take into consideration those who collect my work or are viewing it for the first time. I endeavor to have consistency throughout my work in terms of style, color palette, subject, size, etc. And that consistency has helped me stay on track when I'm compelled to explore every deer trail I encounter while on the road. That road is leading me towards more color and expression, more interest and continuity, and in this case, glowing birches. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka for more information on this piece.

The Song of the Season

"The Song of the Season"  36"w x 36"h

This piece, titled The Song of the Season (36"w x 36"h) is one of many new pieces available at Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN. The gallery is gearing up to celebrate it's tenth anniversary May 2, and I'm thankful to be amongst such great art company at the gallery. This particular painting is about as bright as I've ever painted in terms of the color green. The bright red cardinals complement the color and jump right off the canvas with the reds and greens playing off each other. The rocks and distant evergreen ridges anchor the piece, and provide a deep color punch to highlight the bright background and birch trees. The cardinals steal the show, though, as they always do ... you can never miss a cardinal in their bright red feathers and beautiful song of the season. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Icy Forest Cardinals"

"Icy Forest Cardinals"  6"w x 6"h

I love complementary colors. Green and red, blue and gold, orange and blue, and in this case red and blue. In this 6"w x 6"h painting titled Icy Forest Cardinals, these bright red cardinals are probably oblivious to their beautiful icy blue background, because they are busy talking about rising property taxes. Ha ha, I often place elements into compositions as if they are relating to each other, perhaps it's the human emotion that I'm always wanting to address in the landscape ... that powerful emotion that a certain landscape can bring out. Not everyone is as visual, many people have a favorite song or food that will trigger a strong memory. For me, the cardinal will always trigger the response I had when I first observed a cardinal in the woods. The vibrant red color and song of the cardinal is second to no bird in my opinion, and their vibrant color speaks volumes to me in terms of being who you're supposed to be in contrast to a culture that wants you to conform. Perhaps that's what these guys are gabbing about today, it's for you to decide. Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery in Minnetonka, MN for more information on this piece.

Frosty Forest Cardinals

24"w x 12"h Frosty Forest Cardinals

On a frosty November morning here in Duluth, MN, I thought I'd post an appropriate landscape featuring cardinals, birches, and deep shades of ultramarine blue titled Frosty Forest Cardinals. These little fellas don't seem to mind the cold, but it takes me longer to get used to winter. By the time I get used to winter it's time for spring. Ha ha. Well, for now I'll enjoy painting in cool blues, capturing the captivating blues of winter while adding in complementary colors for interest ... like cardinals. :)
Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery for additional information on this piece.

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.

Serenity

"Serenity"  6"w x 12"h

Here is a lovely little landscape titled Serenity featuring five golden birches, and the shadows in the foreground have a nice almost transparent quality to them .. almost like rustling leaves. Every painting has a sweet spot as I like to call it, a place in the painting that draws attention, or accomplishes something. I'd compare it to a carpenter finishing a piece and noticing a nice woodgrain that wasn't obvious until the final varnish was applied. Sweet.
Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery for additional information on this piece.

Colorscapes

"A Colorful Place" 8"w x 8"h

"Colorscape No. 1" 4"w x 4"h

"Colorscape No. 2" 4"w x 4"h

"Colorscape No. 3" 4"w x 4"h

...Just a nice selection of small colorful landscapes for today.
Please contact Your Art's Desire Gallery for more information on these colorful pieces.