Golden Autumn Lake

"Golden Autumn Lake"  9"w x 12"h

Golden Autumn Lake is the title of this 9"w x 12"h landscape. It may be summer, but amongst all the vibrancy of the greens and blues I often paint the season that's near and dear to my heart ... Autumn. This little landscape offers the colors of the season in vibrant golds and complementary blues, with some stones scattered amongst the foreground enjoying the colorful golden display. I don't want time to fly too fast as summer is the time for making memories...This piece is part of my show at the Art of Hair in Duluth now through September 2015.

Three 'Dees in the Trees

"Three 'Dees in the Trees"

On a bright sunny Monday morning, I thought I'd post a painting titled Three 'Dees in the Trees which is currently available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. This piece is full of vibrant spring colors which reflect subtly on the chickadee feathers. Or should I say chickadee - dee - dee feathers??  Please contact Sivertson Gallery for more information on this and similar artwork.

Gold Moon Rising

"Gold Moon Rising"  6"w x 6"h

This cardinal may have a rich gold moon behind him lighting up the night sky, but the cardinal knows he doesn't need no rich gold moon to light up the forest with his brilliant red color and song that will soon hearken the return of spring. But for now, the snow quietly falls in the forests surrounding my home in Duluth, MN.

Cobalt Winter Birches

"Cobalt Winter Birches"  6"w x 6"h

This 6x6 inch piece, titled Cobalt Winter Birches, is part of a series of paintings I began several years ago. My intent with this series was to feature rocks and birch trees, with the emphasis on the birch trees growing amongst the rocks, almost as if anchored in and supported by the stones. The rich blues of the rocks, ridges, and winter sky all play against eachother to keep your eye moving, and while I don't quite remember the reasoning for this series, the series has pulled me back to itself many times over the years. Perhaps it's times like these when I'm fighting a nasty flu virus during the darkest week of the year that the significance of the birch trees and their stone anchors becomes apparent. -Aaron

Silver Moon

"Silver Moon"  6"w x 6"h

Painting the moon as a subject is so relaxing and intriguing all at once. A round object in the night sky with tiny stars sparkling and the reflection of the moon over the water and rocks is a subject I could paint for quite some time without tiring of it. Perhaps this has to do with my interest in minimalism, or how to communicate what I'm trying to say visually with the least amount of distraction. An analogy would be listening to someone speak to you in a quiet cafe, or trying to listen to someone speak with crowd noise distracting and distorting the message. So the soothing cool blues of the night speak volumes to me in a calm, quiet voice.

Colorful Sparkles

"Colorful Sparkles"  6"w x 6"h

This 6"w x 6"h painting, titled Colorful Sparkles, features a lake with several jewel toned autumn ridges. The color of the ridges reflects in the water in the foreground, giving that fun mirror image effect to this piece. The rocks on the water break up the plane and add some character to a painting which otherwise pushes the edges of abstract. -Aaron

Glistening Snow

"Glistening Snow"  6"w x 6"h

While you may notice the white snow and birch trees in this new piece, titled Glistening Snow, 6"w x 6"h, my favorite piece of this wintry puzzle is the blues. Winter landscapes can be stark, barren, void of life and filled with whites, grays, and leafless listless trees. Or, the landscapes can be filled with rich blues of ice, shadows, and distant ridges. While this piece doesn't use a complementary color, a warm sky often makes for quite a visual punch, giving color to the bleak midwinter landscape. This painting is part of my ongoing art show at Amity Coffee in Duluth, which will be available for viewing through early January 2015.

Summer Dream

"Summer Dream"  12"w x 4"h

In the midst of winter I couldn't help but reminisce about summer, if only for a few moments. I love the snow and changing seasons of Minnesota, but can't take the cold temps as I get frostbite within minutes at sub zero temperatures. So a summery painting was in order, this one titled Summer Dream, 12"w x 4"h. Seven birch trees in the foreground with a rich green ridge and deep cobalt blue sky in the background. The birch trees reflect a bit of this color in their bark, almost as if they're enjoying the warm colorful season as much as I am. This painting can be found in Grand Marais at Sivertson Gallery.

Gabby Gathering

"Gabby Gathering"

Recipe for Gabby Gathering:
Acrylic on 12"w x 4"h canvas

Ingredients:
Red cardinals
Evergreens
Birch trees

Directions:
Combine ingredients until composition has reached completion. Repeat if you like the result.
Nutritional information is not available for this recipe.

Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for this and many other tasty visual treats.

Get Your Kicks On Scenic 61

"Get Your Kicks on Scenic 61"  16"w x 40"h

While this painting, titled Get Your Kicks on Scenic 61, may remind you of a classic song, this painting features a familiar landmark to those who travel north out of Duluth ... the Scenic 61. This road represents many things to many people, and to me it best represents nostalgia. From a childhood trip up to Lutsen resort, to many trips to Grand Marais ... Boy Scout adventures in the BWCA, and simple Sunday afternoon drives to a secluded picnic spot, this road has taken me away from the hustle and bustle of life and for that I'm grateful. As far as this particular painting, I thought quite a bit on this before attempting to paint. First of all, how to you make a road sign interesting? And how do you place it in the landscape? The sign is square, but I wanted to add more color to the painting, and so I featured autumn color behind the signpost. A lone cardinal sits atop the sign, balancing the color between the warm tones below and the red cardinal feathers. A cool cobalt blue distant ridge and sky finish off this piece, all color working in harmony with the blues and golds of the sign. Well it winds from Duluth to Grand Marais ... over 100 miles all the way ... get your kicks on Scenic 61. This painting can be found in Grand Marais at Sivertson Gallery. I suggest taking the scenic route. :)

Early Winter

"Early Winter"  12"w x 4"h

The title of this 12"w x 4"h acrylic on canvas piece, Early Winter, sums up the piece well, along with the weather here in frosty northern Minnesota. This morning we were at -10f with a -25f windchill. Brrr. Hopefully temps moderate here soon so we can play outside in the snow. For not, I'm cooped up in the studio, painting a winter wonderland filled with thousands of shades of blue and white.
Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece.

Autumn in Northern Minnesota

"Autumn in Northern Minnesota", 8"w x 24"h NFS

Here is a piece inspired by the season it was painted in. This was for some friends who reside in Washington D.C. who are originally from northern Minnesota, and I thought this piece would remind them of home. We left Minnesota in upper 30 degree temps, as was pleasantly surprised by summer in D.C. I wasn't reminded of home as we arrived and felt the mid seventy degree temps and pouring rain, coupled with humidity, we must have looked like tourists in our cold weather gear. :)

More ironic today is the 10 plus inches of blowing snow currently outside. Sometimes I imagine the autumn season lasting six months, with summer lasting four, and winter and spring taking one month each. (Can't skip Christmas and Easter!) What would it be like to live in a landscape that is in perpetual warm vibrant color? Each year, we get to experience this season of harvest for a couple short weeks where I live before we get blasted with six months of winter ... I can't live in autumn color indefinately but I can capture it on canvas and make it last forever.

Walk With Me A While

"Walk With Me A While"  36"w x 24"h

Today's piece is a take on a familiar theme of mine which harkens back to my earliest work. While I was pondering what to paint as an aspiring landscape painter, I took frequent hikes with my family in the wilderness around my home in Duluth, MN and came across some breathtaking vistas that would would guide me on my artistic path for years to come. I was drawn to the warm colors of fall and especially to the shadows cast across the forest floor from the setting sun. The rich warm colors and complementary deep blue skies have frequently found their way onto my canvases, and this piece, titled Walk With Me A While, which is 36"w x 24"h beckons you to visually walk through the maple and birch forests and get awestruck by the color and beauty ... who knows, maybe it will inspire you to paint too!

Please contact Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece which is part of my Landscapes show Sept. 25 - Nov. 8, 2014

Where it all began

 

Here is a new piece titled Where It All Began, 7"w x 5"h,  which is part of a large group of smaller work brought in to Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais recently. This piece features maples and the color gold, along with a blue sky. This color combination is what really caught my eye as I began painting years ago, and whenever I paint in this palette I have fond memories of the good old days, hence the title of this piece. Please contact Sivertson Gallery for more information on this piece and many others.

Placid Lake Triptych

"Placid Lake Triptych" 90"w x 40"h, Sivertson Gallery, Grand Marais, MN

Today's piece is titled Placid Lake Triptych and is available at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. This painting is the largest I've ever attempted at 90"w x 40"h. I worked on this painting over a two week period and I've excited to share it and so happy it's finished all at the same time. :) I've been working in a recent compositional theme of birches in the foreground, and smaller birches across a lake, with the two blues of the skies and waters complementing the warm golds of the birches. I found myself staring at this painting quite a bit as it was nearing completion, feeling the effect of the thousands of brushstrokes and wondering at what it all means ... so I looked up placid in the dictionary and in closing, I'll share some meanings of this word with you ...

Placid:
calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity.

"the placid waters of a small lake"

synonyms:

quiet, calm, tranquil, still, peaceful, undisturbed, restful, sleepy "a placid village"

A Far Off Forest

"A Far Off Forest" 24"w x 8"h

Here is an interesting piece titled A Far Off Forest which features birch trees with a distant gold ridge and background. What makes this painting interesting is the glazing of the cadmium gold paint in the background which really gives the piece depth. Another important element that I work to incorporate into my work can be best described by me as simplicity. With art, you often find people trying to put artists into boxes called 'realism', 'impressionism', 'abstraction' etc. With me, the box people try to put me in is 'pointillism'. I don't see my work as pointillism, though, as I paint with brush strokes, not points of color as pointillists have done. 'Minimalism' is another ism that I shy away from, as I'm trying to speak my mind visually as clearly as possible, not just take things out of my work to be more minimal. All this to say I'd rather not have to live in a box as it has to be dark and stuffy. I'd rather enjoy the journey of expressing myself on canvas with paint and blaze my own trail ... not to be stuck in an ism box. Perhaps I'd like to walk in a far off forest, with rich golden distant ridges providing sparks of light...
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.