Spring Morning

"Spring Morning"

Today's piece is titled Spring Morning, acrylic on 8"w x 10"h canvas, and features a spring forest with green foliage, birches, and rocks. The birches cast shadows from the rich blue spring sky which backlights the distant green ridge. I've been working in a spring series lately, and using a lot of green and blue paint, but I'm not complaining as the bright color really brightens up the studio, just like a landscape on a beautiful spring morning.

This piece is part of my ongoing art show titled Landscapes at Amity Coffee, located at 
4429 E Superior St, Duluth, MN 55804.

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

The Landscape of Summer ... commissioned painting

'The Landscape of Summer'  36"w x 36"h

Today's featured painting is a commissioned painting titled The Landscape of Summer, which is 36"w x 36"h. This piece was inspired by a previous painting of mine titled Summer Encore. I've actually been asked to paint a previous painting again a few times already this year, and each time it's a fun challenge. I primarily work from memory and emotion, so to work from a reference painting or photo is a different process altogether which often makes for a challenge. In the case of today's painting, the challenge was a great reminder that summer will soon be here again, and the frozen landscape will give way to the rich blues, greens, and golds of the summer landscape.

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

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.

Spring Ahead

"Spring Ahead"  30"w x 15"h

Today's painting, titled Spring Ahead, 30"w x 15"h, may have been influenced by a certain time change that leaves groggy people wishing they had an hour of sleep back, but to me the time change signifies a new season. I often paint seasonally, modifying my color palette to reflect the color of the landscape while I'm working. But this spring has influenced me in a profound way to paint with green in such a way as I never have before. I've enjoyed exploring this color in all it's hues and saturations. This piece features many greens and golds. The birch forest offers you a colorful glimpse into the spring color that is marching across the land and casting bright green shadows on the forest floor. And the sky mimics the blues I'm currently viewing out the studio window as I type this post. Spring. The season of green, the season of new life, the season of songbirds, leaves and leaves. I don't know about you but I'd trade an hour of sleep for warmth, color and life any day of the week. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece. 

The Season of Green

"The Season of Green"

Another piece from my ongoing spring series titled The Season of Green is 9"w x 12"h. This painting feels appropriate today as we had some lively thunderstorms roll through northern Minnesota yesterday, bringing some much needed rain. It's ironic living by lake Superior, viewing so much water and yet needing rain, but we've been dry this spring. Hopefully it won't be too long before the landscape resembles the one featured here today with the abundance of rich blues and lush greens.
Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Fields of Spring

"Fields of Spring" 24"w x 18"h, Lizzards Gallery Duluth MN

Just for fun I thought I'd paint fields as opposed to lakes and trees. This is the painting I came up with, titled Fields of Spring which is 24"w x 18"h. This piece features repetition of form and color as design elements with the many shades of green in the fields and distant spring ridges. Large white puffy clouds form a break between the foreground and cobalt blue sky. It was fun to paint these fields ... it would be even more fun to run through them like a child without a care in the world. Please contact Lizzards Gallery for more information.

Spring In The Forest

"Spring In The Forest"  24"w x 18"h

This piece, titled Spring In The Forest, 24"w x 18"h, features a birch forest with rich green leaves on the trees, and a selection of green and gold foliage beneath on the forest floor. Looking through the birch trees, a bright blue spring sky beckons you to stay and enjoy the spring vista. I think I'll hang a hammock between a couple of these trees and take a nap. :) Please contact Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this painting.

The Music on the Lake

"The Music on the Lake"  36"w x 36"h

This painting, titled The Music on the Lake, is the first reflective composition painting I finished with this new group of spring themed landscapes. This piece features a deep blue water and tree reflection, and trees leafed out in many shades of bright green. I find myself comparing the treeline on the top with the reflection below, looking for similarities yet noting the differences. I've mentioned it before here, but I can't help but think the reflective water speaks about our memories. There are distinct memories, and then vague memories where try as you might, you just can't quite place an event or person in the past. So the reflective trees are a bit distorted and broken. But they are also bright and cheerful, perhaps noting the memories of the past one reflects on that bring a smile to the face, that ease the worry and concern of the present day and hearken to a better place. The title of this piece is from a childhood song in my memory, and the lyric goes: 'listen to the mandolin rain ... listen to the music on the lake ...' it was a beautiful song about a childhood memory, one I relate to. And I love to listen to the music on the lake. This painting can be heard at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. Please contact the gallery for more information.

Springscape

"Springscape" 48"w x 30"h

Featured today is a new favorite of mine titled Springscape which is 48"w x 30"h. This piece continues the concept of water reflections and spring birches that is new to my work this year. The bright colors in the horizontal landscape with the large foreground birches and distant trees is very compelling. Perhaps this painting represents a place I long to be, or a feeling of growth and life. I know I've felt a renewed sense of purpose in my work as of late, almost as if a wave of ideas hit me and I can't wait to capture these ideas on canvas. Whatever it is, it's an exciting ride that draws me to paint, and I can't wait to get to the studio once every day to see what happens next. For more information on Springscape, please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN.

Budding Birches

Spring fever has hit me hard this year and I've responded in the best way possible for an artist. I've picked up the brush and started slinging the colors of the season in paint onto the canvas. Many works will be posted here in the next several weeks, as I'm behind in art blogging but not in painting. This piece today is titled Budding Birches, 36"w x 36"h, and features .... birches. These trees are full of lush greens, and a sun in the center of the sky gives the leaves an extra golden sparkle. New this year in my work is the reflection of the water. Typically, I paint the water a deeper blue than the sky, but not this time ... I've become fascinated by water reflections lately and this fascination has found it's way into my artwork. The water reflecting with ripples causes a slight distortion, and I associate this with memories of the past that I know are there, yet hard to grasp or articulate. This reflection theme will run it's course until I've said all I have to say, but until then, I'll be reflecting on my past in my work literally. Hope this piece helps shake off those winter blahs and gets you ready for warm skies and green landscapes. All my best, Aaron.
Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais for more information on this piece.

Summer Encore

"Summer Encore" 36"w x 36"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

As winter has officially begun here in Duluth, MN with several inches of snow, and low temperatures approaching zero by early next week, I thought I'd fight back with a summer themed painting. This piece is titled Summer Encore and is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN and measures in at 36"w x 36"h. While this piece incorporates some familiar themes of mine, it also has a hefty dose of cadmium yellow, a color I often refer to the color that makes me smile. :) I'm sure I'll paint some winter paintings soon, but for now I'm reminiscing of summer, missing the hiking, biking, walking and swimming with family. I could go for a summer encore right about now. Now where did I put those Vitamin D tablets ...
Please contact Sivertson Gallery for more information on this piece, which will arrive in Grand Marais later this week.

A Little Slice of Heaven

"A Little Slice of Heaven" 8"w x 24"h

 

What can I say about this piece? It was so easy to paint, the composition and color just appearing effortlessly on the canvas, making me wish the painting continued on. Some paintings are quite a struggle, as any artist would know, but this piece was just meant to be I guess. The summer greens with the sun shining off the lake amongst a bright cobalt blue sky and lush birches. With the heat and humidity we've had here, maybe I'll just go jump into this lake, a little refreshing swim in a secluded lake ... a little slice of heaven.
Please contact Siiviis Gallery here in summery Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Ahhhhh ... Summer

"Ahhhh Summer"  36"w x 24"h Siiviis Gallery, Duluth, MN

The title of this piece, Ahhhhh Summer, describes this piece much better than I can with a paragraph. It's that time of year where people wish the days would never end, days filled with beautiful weather and memories of outdoor adventures with family and friends. This is also the time of year you'll often hear the question asked 'why can't every day be like this?' ... I wish I could answer that one, but here in northern Minnesota where you have literally a few weeks of hot sunny weather in any given year, you have to take advantage of the summer weather and get outdoors to soak up that vitamin D from the sun and enjoy the season for all it has to offer. Ahhhh summer ... why can't every day be like this?
Please contact Siiviis Gallery here in summery Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

June Birch Forest Lake

"June Birch Forest Lake Triptych" 12"w x 4"h

Here is a sparkly little 12"w x 4"h triptych titled June Birch Forest Lake. The deep ultramarine blues of the sky and waters lighten in color value all the way to titanium white. The intensity of the contrast makes for an eye-catcher. The birches is the foreground are having a tough time competing with the background, while the distant summer greens enjoy the lazy days. I've enjoyed working in this color palette and have several new works to roll out here in the coming days. Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Maples Dressed in Green

"Maples Dressed in Green Triptych" 30"w x 10"h

Blue and green are two colors that are just so soothing to the eyes. After working with a yellow or red color on a canvas, it's always a treat to paint with the blues and greens of the summer landscape. Perhaps I like to stare at these colors, or I like to observe landscapes such as this one titled Maples Dressed in Green. Or both. Either way, someday I'd like to move to a place that's green and summery all year round. Such a place doesn't exist here in Minnesota, oh but maybe it does .. when captured on canvas. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece and many other works in all shapes and sizes ... and colors ... like blue and green ...

Spring Maple Forest

"Spring Maple Forest" 20"w x 16"h

It won't be long until the maples are budding, there's warm southerly breezes and the songbirds are singing ... I kept telling myself today as I shoveled the last of the snow off the deck this afternoon on a cold gray 40 degree day. Please contact Lizzard's Gallery for more information on this painting.

Budding Birch Forest

"Budding Birch Forest" 20"w x 16"h Siiviis Gallery, Duluth MN

Today's painting is a 20"w x 16"h canvas titled Budding Birch Forest. This piece is along a series I've enjoyed working with recently that features a lake and places the shoreline across the lake right across the middle of the composition. I find the distant shoreline, along with the foreground rocks, birches and shrubs to be a very interesting visual play of elements. The lake and sky are also fascinating to me, each having a different saturation of blue. The snow is melting fast around here today, it won't be long before the ice is off the lakes and the birches are budding.
Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

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.

Through the Summer Birches and Four in Blue

"Through The Summer Birches" 12"w x 12"h

"Four in Blue" 4"w x 4"h

Here's a couple of birchscapes on a rainy June day. Fun to revisit these after dropping them off at the gallery. Every once and while I seem to hit the perfect shade of cobalt blue with the blend from light to dark that I'm always seeking after. There are two layers of greens in the piece titled Through the Summer Birches. The landscape is so lush around here with all the rainfall, I could have put in several more layers just to be more realistic lol. But there's an element of minimalism in my work that always years to capture the true essence of the image. My life and my artwork is a work in progress. So far, so good. :)

Please contact Siiviis Gallery in Duluth for more information on these pieces.

Spring Sky and the arrival of summer ...

"Spring Sky" 16"w x 20"h

After endless weeks of cold and rain, it appears that summer will finally arrive this week here in the northland. Temps are forecasted to be in the 70's with sunny skies, which is a tropical heat wave for us who live here lol. I thought this piece titled Spring Sky would be a nice transition from spring to summer. The birches and distant ridges have lightly colored green leaves which are a sure sign that the leafing out process is well underway. The foreground has many shades of green as the undergrowth makes it's way through last year's autumn leaves and will soon cover the forest floor in thick lush greenery that is sometimes impossible to walk through. All this and a sparkling blue sky.
As far as this week, new work will be posted here and sent on out to the galleries and hopefully we'll be finding more people around town with a smile on their face now that summer has arrived. -A