ABOUT ME
Cole Kluesner
I grew up around the Milwaukee area and I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. Since graduating back in 2010, I returned to my Milwaukee roots, where I currently reside.
I have artwork hanging in numerous local establishments, most notably the Fiserv Forum. I've worked alongside many different organizations and corporations, sold work to celebrities, and have shipped artwork internationally to private collectors.
I've performed at over 125 Live Painting Events and have contributed and donated works to various organizations, including the Susan G Komen Foundation, the Vince Lombardi Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Kidney Foundation, the This Time Tomorrow Foundation, Aurora Healthcare, Ascension St Joseph Hospital, and Project Bubaloo (Congenital Heart Disease Research).
I'm a pretty simple dude who just likes to create art. I like switching up my styles, combining techniques and always trying new things.
I love hearing what anyone has to say about my work, whether that be good or bad. So feel free to reach out to me anytime. If you've made it this far, I appreciate you for taking the time to check out my art.
Best,
- Cole
Milwaukee Brewers - Official Home Opener Poster (2025)
This project was a major milestone for me both personally and professionally. After reaching out to the Milwaukee Brewers, I was connected with their Marketing Department - where, to my surprise, they were already familiar with my work through previous collaborations with the Milwaukee Bucks. They asked if I’d be interested in illustrating the official poster for the Brewers’ 2025 Home Opener at American Family Field.
Once things were underway, the team gave me tremendous creative freedom. They knew they wanted to feature three key players: Yelich, Chourio, and Contreras - and the rest was up to me. I created a small concept piece and sent it over to them - they loved it and we moved on to the final piece.
The finished artwork was a 27” x 40”, full-color illustration that I photographed, digitized, and delivered ahead of schedule. As part of the agreement, I was also given the opportunity to sell 75 limited-edition signed prints, which later sold out through my website.
Everyone I worked with at the Brewers could not have been kinder or more sincere, and it meant the world to me to create a piece for the hometown team I grew up watching.
Conniption: The Theatre of Invention (2025) - Mixed Media
In late 2024, the Milwaukee-based metal band Conniption reached out about creating portrait artwork for their upcoming album, The Theatre of Invention. I was working my full-time day job at the time, and we had less than two weeks to finalize the visuals - but the opportunity to help shape a full album’s aesthetic was too exciting to pass up.
The band’s music blends thrash metal energy with an 1800’s twist, which became the creative anchor for the album’s artwork. After sending over an early concept for the cover, Conniption chose to move forward with it - and I expanded the vision to include the full inlay layout, disc tray design, and cohesive back cover.
Every element was designed, illustrated, and formatted for print in under two weeks. Seeing the artwork come to life during the album’s release show - where the band performed in front of giant backdrops featuring the pieces - was one of those rare, full-circle moments that made the long nights worthwhile.
"The Killer" Series Book Covers (2022 - 2024) - Mixed Media
When my father, author Kevin Kluesner, signed his first three-book deal with Level Best Books, he asked if I’d be interested in designing the covers. The publisher initially went with their in-house graphic designer for his debut novel, The Killer Sermon (2021), but I kept exploring visual concepts behind the scenes.
By the time his second novel, The Killer Speech (2023), was in production, we pitched one of my illustrations - and the publisher loved it. I went on to create the final cover, and later had full creative control over the third installment in the series, The Killers’ Terms (2024).
Working professionally alongside my father remains one of my proudest creative experiences. To visually represent one of my dad’s passions - and to help shape the visual identity of his series - is something I’ll always honor and cherish.
#34 (2018) - Acrylics
Before the Milwaukee Bucks officially opened Fiserv Forum, they partnered with Sports & The Arts to commission artwork for the new arena. More than 1,200 artists across the country had submitted - fewer than 30 were selected, including just a handful from the Milwaukee area. My piece was one of them.
Around that time, live painting at Rogue’s Gallery had become a regular rhythm in my life. One night, I decided to paint a Bucks legend - partly for the crowd, partly as a long-shot submission.
I sent the finished piece as an example of my style. I heard back and the Bucks wanted the actual painting and requested it exactly as it was, fresh off the easel. No refinements, no changes. What started as a spontaneous live piece became a permanent installment in the new arena.
This was a beautiful reminder that sometimes the work we create in motion, without overthinking, can carry a huge amount of authenticity. And sometimes the right opportunity just happens to introduce itself.
Kurt Cobain (2013) - Acrylics
Where do I even start with this one? This painting represents a major turning point for me - both artistically and personally. Stylistically, it builds on the experimental energy of the Marilyn portrait before it.
At the same time, I found myself really connecting with Kurt Cobain and Nirvana’s music on a deeper level. Like a lot of people, I’d grown up hearing a good handful of their songs, but this period in my life was the first time the lyrics and rawness really meant stood out to me. Grunge became an anchor - something honest and imperfect, and it helped me navigate a difficult stretch and reminded me why expression matters.
When I finished this piece, I shared it on Reddit - not expecting much - and it ended up landing on the front page. It spread across Reddit, Imgur, The Chive, all sorts of sites and sparked hundreds of comments and conversations. For the first time, it felt like my work had reached people far beyond my immediate circle, and it meant the world to me.
To this day, it remains one of my favorite pieces - not just for what it looks like, but for what it represents.
Marilyn Monroe (2012) - Acrylics
My very first live painting event was at a local bar in downtown Milwaukee - Rogue’s Gallery. They took a chance on me early in my career, and over the next seven years, the space became something of a second home. I ended up doing over 100 live painting and promotional events there, and I still look back on those nights fondly.
With this portrait, I was experimenting with a looser, more expressive style, moving away from my earlier charcoal work and exploring how color could impact my work. It was an exciting turning point for me - learning to balance hints of abstraction with realism while still capturing the essence of the subject.
Lil Wayne (2010) - Charcoal
College felt like opening Pandora’s box for me creatively, and it was during this time that I really began exploring realism. There’s something about capturing a person’s likeness, whether they’re a public figure or not, that continues to pull me in; It’s the challenge of translating character, expression, and presence onto a blank page and finding that balance between technical accuracy and emotional resonance.
I still remember posting this piece on DeviantArt back in the day - at least for a while, it was the top search result under Lil Wayne while his career was skyrocketing. I was ecstatic - small wins like that meant a lot for me, especially early on, and field my drive to continue experimenting and improving.
Looking back, this portrait represents a turning point - the moment when I realized I could combine technical skill with personal passion, and it set the stage for how I approach portraiture to this day.
Iron Man (2006) - Ink & Colored Pencils
Comics were my first gateway into art and were an enormous factor in sparking my curiosity into the art world for me very early on. Comic artists’ mastery of anatomy, storytelling, contrast and shadows, foreshortening, and dynamic poses absolutely blew me away. Work from artists like Jim Lee, Bill Sienkiewicz, Barry Windsor-Smith, Jae Lee (to name a few) continue to inspire me to push the boundaries of putting my ideas onto paper.
Even now, I still sketch comic-style works in my free time - it’s a way to explore ideas, experiment, enjoy the creative process and reconnect with the passion that first set me on this path.