Bluestone Birch Group

Acrylic on 12"w x 12"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.SOLD
Here's a work I completed recently, a part of a group of paintings on the same size canvas, each taking on a life of their own. I've been spending a lot of time on the rocks in my compositions, working on giving them a depth of color, using many shades of paint to give them the depth and texture I'm desiring them to have. This painting has a nice subtle light hitting the right foreground, reflecting off the rocks and the birch trees. I have one more 12x12 to post tomorrow, then I need to finish off my maple sunrise 30x40" canvas currently on my easel.

I'd be getting more accomplished but I've been fighting off the flu the last few days. No fun, but surrounding myself in colorful paintings helps brighten my spirits. :)

Serene Symmetry

Acrylic on 15"w x 12"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD


As I've been driving around lately I've been enjoying the Birch forests around my house and noticing small underbrush still holding onto their fall colored leaves. There are also many winterberry trees (I call them winterberry trees, but I'm sure they have other names too). I love the complimentary deep cranberry reds and deep greens of the evergreens in the distance. The birch trees and rocks scattered about this colorful backdrop are just too irresistible to paint! I'd love to explore this birch/red/green theme some more ... so many ideas ... so little time! I guess I'd rather have the problem of having too many inspirations versus staring at a blank canvas with no vision. :) I titled this painting 'Serene Symmetry' after a friend observed that my work felt 'serene' to them. The symmetry comes from the composition. Compositions are more interesting when they aren't symmetrical, but sometimes I beg to differ and intentionally center a composition horizontally or vertically. Symmetry can be serene if you know what I mean.
God bless, -A

All That Glitters

Acrylic on 12"w x 15"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD


These Birch trees were one of those images I had in mind to paint and finally just got around to painting it. I envisioned featuring several Birch trees with golden leaves, and the bright blue sky showing through the leaves. I used many shades of gold for the leaves, painting in several transparencies, getting the depth I was looking for. The dark gold of the distant tree ridge and gold-leafed foreground anchor the piece, while the sun rises in the sky with it's bright yellows, not to be outdone by the birch trees. I  have a stack of paintings I need to get uploaded to the blog and website, I'll keep posting 'til I have them all finished. Remember all that glitters isn't gold ... unless it's a Birch tree leaf. :)

Festive Fall Forest

Acrylic on 40"w x 30"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
Please email me at aaronklossartwork@gmail.com for purchase information.

On a cold weekend, I was feeling the need to paint a warm painting. So the beautiful golds and reds of distant maple tree covered ridges found themselves a home in the background of this painting that I've titled 'Festive Fall Forest'. This painting really nailed an 'optical illusion' I've been trying to accomplish with recent works. The foreground with it's sunset rays and rocks really pop off the canvas and the birches behind them contrast nicely with the background that incorporates complementary colors. The depth all these layers brings really gives me a lift and I'm already thinking of ways to carry the energy from this work onto subsequent works.

This painting just makes me feel warm ... like snuggling up to a nice warm fire with a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter's day. This one will be hard to part with ... I think I'll hang it in my living room and enjoy it a while before I bring it to the gallery. :)

2011: A Year In Review

   I'm excited about the latest paintings I've completed: several 12"x12" landscapes with different colors and compositions, and a couple large works, one that is very colorful and vibrant. While I enjoy working in series using the same palette of colors and subjects ... I often find the need to branch out into new ideas and the last several paintings have had a very punchy, colorful feel to them, and I'll be sharing them this week. But before I do, I wanted to share a year in review ... a retrospective of the goals I set for myself and how I accomplished them...

   First of all, I've been a full time artist my entire life, working mainly in the graphic design and commercial art side of the business. But I've always created art for my career and also for fun outside of work, often experimenting with a wide range of styles and subject matters. The commercial art side of my career influenced this, and I enjoyed the range of creative expression, often incorporating my art into commercial projects.

   But I also felt like something was missing. I found myself drawn to creating fine art and establishing myself in the art field as a professional painter. Having gone to art school, I was well versed in artistic styles and the business of fine art, but I also did not have a distinctive direction to pursue, kind of like standing at one of those signs that shows distant cities with an arrow and a mileage. I didn't know who I really was as a fine artist, only who I was as a commercial artist. I was so used to creating art for customers and businesses that I struggled to find clear direction with my art. I worked hard, though, finding the need to set for myself clear boundaries and objectives ... deadlines and goals. The goals are what spurred me on, even when I was unable to meet the deadlines.

   The first goal I established was painting on a regular, even daily basis. I accomplished this by painting small works on 8x10 canvases, keeping things simple, exploring landscape compositions.

   The second goal was selling a painting . The first serious painting I created sold, and I knew I must be onto something. It wasn't about the sale of the painting, more it was about the style ... I found something clicking on the canvas ... something was working.

   The third goal was having an art show at The Vanilla Bean featuring my paintings in the style and subject matter I was focusing on. I felt that the show would give me feedback on my work, helping me find more direction for my work .. and the show was a huge success for me. I sold several paintings and received a lot of helpful feedback. During a slow tourist season, the works sold to people who had never seen or heard of me before confirmed to me again that the direction for my work was sound, that I was identifying with people. Viewing my work all together in one place was so meaningful to me, I can't wait to have another show .. and I have several shows scheduled this year already.

   The fourth goal was finding local gallery representation. That was accomplished right after my show at The Vanilla Bean was complete, and my work now hangs in Lizzard's Gallery in downtown Duluth, and I'm exploring more gallery options ... excited for what the future holds.

   The fifth goal was selling a painting in an art gallery, and my large 60"w x 36"h work titled 'Autumn Equinox' found itself a home. That painting is a nice summary of my recent work with it's familiar brushstrokes on black canvas and twilight shadows stretching across the canvas.

   Another goal I had for myself was starting a blog, which you're now reading, and a website. I accomplished these goals early on, and I'm glad I did, as I can now look back at my work over 2011 and remember all the moments, all the art, the successes, the struggles, the story of finding my creative voice and how it intertwines with my life.

   I've found myself branching out into new websites, like MNArtists, and new opportunities, like exhibitions at Jitter's, Beaner's and the Duluth Art Institute ... and on-demand printing of my paintings.

   So that brings me to 2012. What are my goals for 2012? They are thankfully simple: to create art on a regular basis, keep my galleries stocked with paintings and focus on my upcoming shows.

   The five year plan I've set for myself is to paint full time, moving away from graphic design and commercial art and enjoying creating art full time, doing what I love and loving what I do. May you have a blessed and prosperous 2012!  -A

The Birch Forest Beckons

Acrylic on 40"w x 30"h x 1.5"d Canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
Please contact Lizzard's Gallery for purchase information.

The Christmas holiday season had me traveling and shopping and wrapping (and eating cookies), which occupied my time and thoughts so this painting was worked on over a longer period of time. The longer time resulted in another layer of birch trees behind the trees in the foreground. The birches in the background are a light blue and don't demand your attention .. they are content to hide in the hundreds of shades of blue in the sky behind them. Along with subtle twilight lighting, I enjoy adding 'leaves' to the foreground in many shades of burnt sienna and 'birch' gold. :) I'm really loving the crisp white birch trees, I think I'll continue exploring the birch tree as it's found in the landscape. The birch trees are beckoning me, gotta go...

Maple Valley

Acrylic on 12"w x 12"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.  

SOLD

Part of painting is limiting yourself. You could go crazy with hundreds of paint colors and brush stroke sizes, not to mention glazes, mediums, textures, etc ... but what you're trying to do is convey an image. And that image always packs more punch when simply stated. I suppose you could say a successful painting is like enjoying a beautiful summer sunset from a cozy adirondack chair while on vacation versus sitting in highway rush-hour traffic and watching a sunset. Which one would you prefer? I know there are some who prefer the latter but I favor the former. The lighting in this series emanates from the ground up, a phenomenon of the twilight sky in contrast to the bright daylight shining down from above. This series has been called 'Twilight Maples' and includes many paintings who have found their way into people's homes and hearts just like a peaceful twilight sky. There's no limit when your limit yourself.

Up next is another 12"x12" maple landscape, it features rock formations, trees, mossy green ambient lighting and cranberry colored leaves. It will make it's way from my easel to the web in a day or so .. and then hopefully into someone's home ... and heart. :)

Mossy Rock Inspiration Photos

During my hikes in the wilderness behind my house in Duluth, I've found myself drawn to elements in the landscape that I had previously taken for granted. Rocks. Majestic mountains get painted all the time but rarely does someone paint the smaller rocks found along trails and streams. I've been trying to incorporate more rock formations into my landscapes as of late because the rocks are so prolific in my area that it just seems like they belong in the composition. But, alas, people don't really notice them. They don't jump off the canvas, they're just there. And I don't want the rock formations to just be there, I want them to grab your attention just like the trees and skies I'm becoming known for do. I've been going back over reference photos and I've realized that I haven't been painting the rocks very ... what's the word ... authentically.

The rocks in the photos are covered with lichens and moss, not to mention leaves and sticks yet I've been focusing on their form and not so much their texture. This is just one of many things artists agonize over while they are working. People think we just paint pretty pictures but it's more than that, it's expressing yourself on canvas while being true to your subject matter and yourself at the same time. The image created must speak to the artist and I've often believed that if the work of art connects with the one who created it, it will also connect with it's audience. It's funny how the paintings that have quickly sold were also my favorites and I found myself not wanting to part with them. But I'm happy to be able to share my gifts with others, and the thought that my artwork brings the beauty of the land where I live to people's lives, then it makes the struggle of trying to capture the image inside of me on canvas all that more rewarding. It's this struggle that I've been facing lately, what to paint, how to paint it ... along with the change in seasons from colorful autumn leaves to bleak blue winter skies and endless oceans of white snow covering the ground like a thick blanket until the vibrant greens of spring and summer wake the land from it's slumber to produce life yet once again. I'm working on a couple 12"x12" studies at the moment, wrestling with those beautiful rocks in anticipation of incorporating them into a large 48"x36" canvas. Please return soon. God bless.
-A

Quite a Pair

Acrylic on 6"w x 6"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge. 
SOLD

A simple study of cardinals painted more expressively than usual. I'm planning on incorporating some cardinals into my Birch landscapes in the future, but due to their bright red coloring, I want to be comfortable with their size and proportion as they will definately pop off the canvas. These two mischievous little birds already found a home. Have a great weekend.

mis·chie·vous 
/ˈmisCHivəs/

Adjective:

(of a person, animal, or their behavior) Causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way: "two mischievous kittens".

Twilight Birch Triptych

Acrylic on three 10"w x 30"h x 1.5"d canvases
Click on image above to enlarge. 
Please contact Lizzard's Gallery for purchase information.

It's no secret that I've been working on capturing twilight lighting on my canvases in recent history. There's just something about the deep blues and shadows during the last light of the day that compels me to paint with the rich colors that I use. I can't imagine at this point painting any other subjects without the depth of colors. I just dropped off this painting at Lizzard's Art Gallery in Duluth, it was fun to see the gallery all decked out for the holidays. Lots of unique gift ideas in the gallery, and soon I'll be back to take some photos of all my latest work hanging together, can't wait. :)

For now I'm content to stay here, deep in the forest as the sun sets. The birches contrast strongly with the fading light and even though the birches are clothed in crisp white bark, even they too will soon be covered in a deep blue veil of night.

Blaze Maple Rays

Acrylic on 36"w x 24"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge. 
Please contact Lizzard's Gallery for purchase information.

The title is self explanatory. This was painted during an overcast couple of days and as usual, I seem to paint the opposite of how I feel. So the colors are bright and punchy and full of depth and texture. This one just makes me smile. :)

Bluestone Birches

Acrylic on 12"w x 12"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
SOLD
 

There's just something special about bluestone rock formations, birches, and deep blue skies. Maybe it's just the letter 'b' or it's the color and texture. I would opt for the latter, as I feel like exploring this theme with some larger compositions in the near future. :) Today was quite a productive day as I worked on a 24"x36" landscape and came close to finishing off a 24"x48" vertical landscape. While I anticipate wrapping both those works up tomorrow, I'm prepping a triptych of 10"x30" canvases which will feature cardinals on a rich green background ... and birch trees, of course. Now if I can just finish off my studio so I'm not spread all over my house with my artwork ... perhaps Friday will be the day I move into the new studio space ... can't wait. :)

Snow Falling in a Birch Forest

Acrylic on 48"w x 24"h x 1.5"d canvas
Click on image above to enlarge.
Please contact Lizzard's Gallery for purchase information.

I was so inspired by the first snowfall of the year that I just had to paint a picture of the snow. I chose a Birch forest on a cobalt blue background to feature the first flakes of frigid November. I had to laugh as I finished up this painting and the temperature hit 50 degrees, effectively melting whatever snow we had. But Winter is well on it's way, set to return soon, and even though I signed this work on a rainy day, I know that soon more snow will be falling in the Birch, Maple and Evergreen forests surrounding this beautiful little town I live in called Duluth.


I'm finishing up some highlights and shadows on a couple more paintings which will be posted in the next day or two .. please stop back soon. God bless. :)
-A

What's on my easel...

It seems as of late that I haven't been posting as much. Art can be a hobby, a career, a side job, a therapy ... for many people art is beneficial, bringing healing and a sense of peace and purpose to their lives. For me, the latter would be an accurate summary of why I feel the need to create. Art is interwoven with my DNA and I couldn't exist unless I was creating. You could say it's a passion of mine, but really it's just me. That's all. :)

I've been painting pretty much non-stop lately, and I've been working on a 2' x 4' vertical piece titled 'Three Trees' that has been for me a chance to create just for myself. Sometimes artists need to do that, and now that I've almost completed that painting, I'm feeling as though I'd like to share it with whoever reads my blog or stops by my website. So look forward to that painting being posted this week, along with a fun little 12"x12" birch landscape I've titled 'Mossy Rocks'. What's currently on my easel is another 2' x 4' Birch landscape, this one is titled 'Snow Falling in a Birch Forest'. I hate to admit it but this painting has really hit me and I've found myself pausing to let the adrenaline stop while I've been working on it. I feel as though it's the light hitting the edge of the Birches and the contrast with the deep blues and crisp whites. It's a painting that I can't wait to finish, yet I'm being cautious with it at the same time, wishing to finish it correctly, letting the painting present itself and not overwork it. Lots of exciting works coming soon, and with the studio remodel project taking shape ... it will be a short winter. :)

Please stop back soon! God bless,
Aaron

MNartists.org

I've recently joined MNArtists.org. While this site doesn't offer a comprehensive selection of my work, it does allow me to feature several works and offer more information about who I am and what I do. I hope this website will allow me to network with other Minnesota artists, collectors, and galleries. Please stop by my home page at MNartists.org for more information.  http://www.mnartists.org/artistHome.do?rid=301462

Photo reference for Aerial Lift Bridge Painting

I've been working on a 24"x36" (approx.) vertical canvas that I'm thinking will have the simple title 'Duluth'. I took this photo while standing on the shore by the Great Lakes Aquarium. I've been working hard on my last large scale work titled 'Solace Triptych' and also working on my new studio space, and I wanted to work on a simple composition and just relax and enjoy painting. Watch for this painting to be completed soon ... due to the complex nature of the bridge, this painting may take longer, but I want to get it right. I have a couple of other smaller works on my small easel that will be posted later in the week that show by their subject matter that snowflakes will soon be in the air and the Northland of Minnesota will once again be covered in a thick white blanket of snow. Time to find those wool socks....