Cardinals in the Trees

Today's piece is titled Cardinals in the Trees, and is a new acrylic on 12x12" canvas. This painting features three female cardinals set amongst red maples somewhere in northern Minnesota. Working in this brown and red color palette is a nice lesson in camouflage. These birds may be beautiful but they are difficult to see with their muted feathers. Good for them, the vibrant male cardinals will have to work harder to find them. This piece was featured recently on my dailypaintworks site, and may be purchased there if still available. Have a great week!

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.

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 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. 

Twilight Gathering

I painted male cardinals almost exclusively for at least a year before I added in a female cardinal. It had more to do with the striking red color of the male cardinal, but when I add in the the more muted colored female cardinal, there seems to be even more color, and more interest in the composition. In this 12"w x 9"h piece, titled Twilight Gathering, the dark starry sky behind the cardinals in the birches cause the birds to really pop off the canvas. It catches your eye and draws your interest, just like that woodpecker did this morning as I was walking my dog through the deep snowy deer trails this morning. The forest was filled with birches, white pine, cedar and large blue outcroppings. Everything was quiet, the sky was overcast, and it was just peaceful and beautiful. And then there was that woodpecker, banging away as if he wanted to make sure everyone was awake. And after all his racket, everyone was. :)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Love Birds

I just couldn't resist. I just had to paint a this one ... the female cardinal with an open beak talking the other male cardinal's feathers off. I had some fun with this 12"w x 9"h piece titled Love Birds, and while I put so much emphasis on the subject of this piece, the background ended up quite interesting as I felt as though I could have fun with it due to the strength of the foreground birds and birches. The moon in the center adds that third element and anchors this piece. I wonder what that female cardinal is saying ... we could ask the male cardinal, but I don't believe he'd be of much help, as he probably isn't even listening ... ;)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Tic Tac Toe

Here is a playful twist on a game I like to play with my kids called Tic Tac Toe. While I always let my kids win, it's fun to see their strategies for winning. Especially when they were younger, but now they always take the middle spot and know just how to beat me. The female cardinals in this tiny little painting measuring 4" square know how to play the game too. Painting a cardinal that's half an inch tall is quite a tall challenge for me, but fun nonetheless, just like that game. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece.

Selfie

"Selfie" 4"w x 4"h

I must admit I've never liked the term 'selfie'. Perhaps it's due to the fun poked at people taking photos of themselves and posting them on internet websites such as Facebook. "Oh, so and so takes too many selfies." I prefer the term self portrait. Self portraits are artists' ways of expressing themselves in a given state of emotion, and are frequently very powerful images in of themselves. Photographers take self portraits using special lighting and techniques that express their emotion as well. In art school, I drew a self portrait of myself with a simple twist. Since we were studying life drawing at the time, looking at muscle and skeletal structures in order to be proportionally correct, I drew my face on one side as realistically as possible, and the other side I drew the muscle and skeletal structure. I thought it was pretty cool, but it did freak people out, so I don't think I kept it very long. Long story to say that self portraits are important, and the slang term 'selfie' just doesn't do the self portrait justice. I thought I'd have a little fun with the 'selfie' myself in this painting of a close up female cardinal. She's wanting you to see how pretty she is ... striking a pose in front of a crimson and pink background ... she's even batting her eyelashes, isn't she flattering? I'm sure all her friends will say '"oh, she takes too many selfies." Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this selfie.

Snow Queen Series

"Snow Queen No. 1-4" 4"w x 4"h each

I had fun painting this series of female cardinals with the birch trees and snowy background providing a high contrast field of white to make the birds really pop. When you're dealing with a more subdued color, such as the mottled browns of the female cardinal, you have to do something to the background or else the birds just don't stand out. So these lovely little ladies are enjoying the snow, as are my kids. Not so much for me though, I'm ready for spring. 8 below zero this morning and my cocker spaniel was hobbling around on frozen paws.... and so was I. 

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

Night Lady

"Night Lady" 4"w x 4"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

...just another lady cardinal perched on a birch and out enjoying the stars. This piece, titled Night Lady, is part of a series of female cardinals. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this painting.

Cardinal Star

"Cardinal Star" 4"w x 4"h

The cardinal beak and head shape with it's distinctive sharp point make for quite a directional element. With it, you can point interest in a composition in regards to where the cardinal happens to be looking ... or talking to. In this piece titled Cardinal Star, the cardinal is looking up, gazing at the stars, perhaps wondering as I often do how many stars are out there and how far away they are. The vastness of space ... in a tiny 4"w x 4"h painting.  Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this painting.

Divas

"Divas", 6"w x 6"h, $65, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

Here's a fun little painting of a couple female cardinals ... er divas ... perched on birches. I enjoyed the four layers of deep ultramarine ridges in the distance. Might want to keep your distance from these divas though ...
In case you're wondering what a diva is, as my 3rd grader is asking as I type this, here's what Websters has to say:

di·va - noun \ˈdē-və\ 

: the main female singer in an opera company : a famous and successful woman who is very attractive and fashionable; especially : an attractive and successful female performer or celebrity

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

Solitaire

"Solitaire" 8"w x 10"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

I've been quiet as of late on my painting diary ... must be the weather. I've been painting, just not feeling too inspired. This is normal for me, the sub zero weather zeroes out my energy and I feel like I'm going through the motions. But I'm keeping the brush going, painting cardinals which always cheer me up, and other landscapes as well. This piece is titled Solitaire and features a single female cardinal framed by birch trees and a single distant pine ridge anchoring the piece with rich greens. The sky is a fun lime green, all to complement the cardinal's red accent feathers. Here's to warmer weather. -Aaron
Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece.

Ladies' Night Out

"Ladies' Night Out" 72"w x 36"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

Since I was working on painting a new bird recently, the female cardinal, I thought it would be fitting to work them into a large scale piece. I've been enjoying night paintings lately, and so the two subjects were combined in this painting titled Ladies' Night Out. This painting was on the easel for quite some time, as I was not only working out the composition, but due to the sheer size of canvas, it just took thousands of brush strokes. This piece features birches with a blue undertone to go with the night lighting, and the foreground is also well lit, as obviously in a true night landscape you wouldn't be able to see the birds very well. But these ladies are all dressed up and up to no good, no doubt. They are probably talking about those silly bright red male cardinals, or they're just enjoying the moon sparkling in the sky and shimmering on the lake. There are some other subtle elements in the distance as well ... blue spruce rise above a rocky shoreline on a quiet lake somewhere north of here ... well, maybe not too quiet, with all these ladies perched amongst the birches ... ;)

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