Featured Artist Mike Kraus
Rochester Fine Art Market
1210 Culver Rd.
May 1, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Mike Kraus has been making art for as long as he can remember. As a child, he filled sketchbooks with drawings, covered school assignments in doodles, and even created magazines and flyers for his friends’ bands. But like many emerging artists, adulthood brought pressure to pursue a “serious job,” and he spent years in a cubicle performing uninspiring tasks for a modest paycheck.

Art, however, was always his constant. He began selling his work in junior high, creating original pieces between classes and taking commissions instead of doing homework. His unconventional academic path ultimately led him to the prestigious School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Drawing on that early history, he eventually left his career and took a part‑time retail job with minimal responsibility so he could devote more time to painting. Within months, even that job became an obstacle to his creative work — so he left it behind as well.

Kraus committed fully to life as a professional artist, dedicating his days to painting, collaborating with patrons and galleries, and maintaining his studio practice. Since then, he has sold thousands of paintings now displayed across nearly every state and in dozens of countries. He considers himself fortunate to spend his career adding beauty to the world — and he looks forward to sharing that experience with others.