Brightscapes: The Way To Beauty
Vision Quest XL
acrylic paint on canvas board
8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm)
201710101
© copyright Michael Kraus
What are the benefits of buying original art? Generally, most reasons fall into one of the categories of Style, Originality, Texture/Depth, History, Emotional, Investment and Fun.
Investment - Original artwork can appreciate in value. As I mentioned before, an artist's popularity rises and falls cyclically. If this is important to you, take that risk into consideration. What kind of risks should you consider? Pablo Picasso isn't alive and making any new paintings. His work is very popular and expensive. Will that scarcity cause his pieces to continue to rise in value or has it peaked? An established artist has some very reasonable prices on her work. Her career has been praised and well documented along with rumors of a major retrospective show. Perhaps now is the time to buy? A mid-career artist came onto the scene like a rock star many years ago and continues to make work even though his fame has waned lately. The work is still incredible and he continues to have gallery shows. His "stock price" may be low right now, but a "comeback" seems inevitable. What about the biggest risk/reward scenario in the art world, the emerging artist? You didn't know of them a few weeks ago, but now you see their work everywhere. Where will their career lead? Who knows? But, getting on the ground floor early in an artist's career could be like winning the lottery. And, isn't an investment in your favorite piece of art way more interesting to look at than your 401(k) statement?
Please visit: http://mikekraus.blogspot.com/p/art-investing.html for some advice to consider in purchasing original artwork.
Mike Kraus was born on the industrial shoreline of Muskegon, Michigan. After earning his Fine Arts Degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, he attended Grand Valley State University for his graduate degree. From there, he gained varied experiences from the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Art Institute of Chicago, Hauenstein Center For Presidential Studies, Lollypop Farm Humane Society, and the Children's Memorial Foundation. And every place he worked, he had his sketchbook with him and found ways to be actively creative. In 2014, Kraus became a full-time artist by establishing Mike Kraus Art. Since then, he has sold hundreds of paintings that are displayed in nearly every state and dozens of countries. Currently, Kraus lives in Rochester, New York with his beautiful wife and goofy dog.
For more information or custom order, please visit:
Jakelin was a 7-year-old fleeing gang infested Guatemala.
Felipe Gómez Alonzo died of an infection and the flu at 8-years-old
Juan de León Gutiérrez was 16-years-old when he died from an infection.
A 2-year-old died of pneumonia.
These are just a few of the 15,000 children imprisoned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other United States Government Agencies and their for-profit contractors. They are being kept in concrete cells, deprived of basic necessities, and starving from hunger. The filth they are forced to live in has led to flu, lice, and respiratory outbreaks, that are purposefully being neglected. And guards punish these children for minor offences
by taking away their blankets, mats, and forcing them to sleep directly on the concrete floor (
Southern Poverty Law Center)
I am extremely disturbed that a country that has shown me and my family such kindness is so cruel to others. This is not about politics. This is about justice, kindness, and truth. These children and parents are fleeing Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala because government-supported gangs are violently attacking them (United Nations)
. After a dangerous journey, we deny them their rights to asylum (Amnesty International), we kidnap and lose their children (
American Civil Liberties Union), cage and sexually assault kids (
New York Times), and deny them due process and indefinite imprisonment at
detention/internment/concentration camps (Los Angeles Times). We're allowing them to die in these terrible conditions (
NBC News). And we arrest and try to imprison good, Christians who provide food and water to those in need (
The Guardian).
I don't care about politics and find involvement in them to be humiliating. I do care about honesty, fairness, and respect. I ask that you remember your family roots, that you search your heart, and confront cruelty in all its forms.
For ways to help, please visit:
