AVAILABLE WORKS | |
 Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Love on the Red Cedar Oil on canvas-panel 8 x 10 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Off County EE Oil on canvas-panel 10 x 14 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Midnight in Menomonie, WI Oil on canvas-panel 9 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Ice Fishing Houses and Northern Lights Oil on panel 8 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Hugo Farm by Moonlight Oil on panel 16 x 20 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) I Gryningen (At Dawn) Oil on panel 30 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Dawn in Driftless Wisconsin Oil on canvas on board 11 x 18 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Winters Eve in Dusty Rose (Artist's Residence) Oil on aluminum 18 x 24 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Sleeping Bear Bluff, Moments to Sun Up Oil on canvas on board 28 X 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Mellowing Oil on aluminum 8 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Zion Before the Storm Oil on panel 10 x 8 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Big Marine Farm Portrait Oil on panel 28 x 34 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) All is Calm Oil on panel 30 x 40 inches Signed and dated 2022 |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Dusty Rose in Hugo, MN Oil on panel 9 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) A Place for Cooper and I Oil on canvas-panel 12 x 16 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Morning Whispers Oil on canvas-panel 8 x 10 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Bues Bay, Door County, WI Oil on canvas 8 x 10 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Winter Hush Oil on canvas 6 x 8 inches Signed with initial |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Shorsey and the Bovines Oil on canvas 30 x 30 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) A Morning in Savage, MN Oil on panel 24 x 29 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Door County Pumpkins Oil on Artefex Panel 20 x 24 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) An Arizona Magic Moment Oil on panel 24 x 30 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Winter Hills of Somerset, WI Oil on panel 28 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Midwestern Primaries Oil on panel 28 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Blowing Snow in Buffalo County, WI Oil on panel 36 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Backyard in Hugo Oil on panel 24 x 30 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Rediscover Oil on panel 16 x 24 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Dusk Falling Over Somerset Oil on panel 28 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Landscape in Zorn's Palette Oil on canvas 24 x 36 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Morning Light on the Trimbelle River Oil on aluminum 18 x 36 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Silent Morning in River Falls Oil on aluminum 12 x 20 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) On Menomonie Winds Oil on panel 28 x 40 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Minnesota Fall Landscape Oil on canvas on board 20 x 26 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Slow Thaw Oil on aluminum 10 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Snow Burst Over Dunn County Oil on aluminum 9 x 12 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Afternoon at Baha'i Honda State Park, Florida Keys Oil on canvas 30 x 36 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) St. Croix County Farm by Moonlight Oil on panel 28 x 34 inches Signed |  Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Perfect Winters Day Oil on panel 28 x 36 inches Signed |
|
BIOGRAPHY - Ben Bauer (Born 1980) Ben Bauer’s deep roots in the landscape of forests and high plains in the upper midwest are the source of his commitment to “recording a natural history” in his paintings. Like many people who have witnessed the continuing depletion of open land in once-pristine regions, Bauer is acutely aware of how quickly ecosystems can be damaged or destroyed; and how easily that loss can be justified under the auspices of economic development. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1980, Bauer grew up in a family that introduced him to the pleasures of outdoor living, whether enjoying a summer weekend in the countryside or participating in annual duck-hunting expeditions. The sense of camaraderie among the men in his family as they tramped through river valleys and wetlands provided the younger boys, including Bauer, with both an education in the natural world and a personal awareness of the cycles of each season. Seen from this intimate perspective, the shift from spring to summer reveals a gradual unfolding, just as the tonal shifts from white to grey and brown in a winter landscape can only be understood when studied over time. This sincere connection to the natural world ultimately led the young Bauer to turn his fondness for cartooning on his school notebooks to focus on drawing wildlife scenes instead. As he noted in a recent interview, “I’ve always had a pencil in my hand since fourth grade.” By eighth grade, he discovered wildlife painters and printmakers, such as David Maass, who specialized in waterfowl imagery; and soon thereafter, Bauer created his first entry for the Minnesota Junior Duck Stamp competition. The federally sponsored Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Contest (the “Duck Stamp”) was initiated by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934 as a source of funding for the conservation of wetlands and upland habitats throughout the US. Since that time, the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System has been able to conserve over five million acres of land. In Minnesota, this program is complemented by the Department of Natural Resources which sponsors the Junior Duck Stamp competition as well. Although Bauer did not win the competition, he did place first among his age group--no small accomplishment in a field of 1100 student entries. This early predilection for drawing provided the impetus for Bauer to take “every art course that was offered” in his North St. Paul high school, and ultimately led him to an art major at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, where he majored in painting. Although he was not overly impressed by what was then considered fashionable painting at the University, Bauer was introduced to a variety of technical and intellectual fields that would benefit him as an artist in the future. In addition, two of his professors, Tamara Brantmeier and Charles Lume, were especially instrumental in guiding Bauer to develop his own style. Not surprisingly, Bauer has continued his art education on the internet. Like many artists, he has discovered art history online and has absorbed the work of artists as divergent as George Inness (1825-94) and the California landscapist, Edgar Payne (1882-1947). Bauer also notes that online sites for connecting with other contemporary artists have been an important source for sharing information and establishing a network of like-minded professionals. Bauer’s work continues to evolve as he explores the imagery of the landscapes around him. A primary objective remains the preservation of these landscapes, whether it is a prairie restoration or the creation of land stewardship trusts to protect existing farmland from development. Because of this profound awareness of the land, Bauer’s paintings capture a strong sense of place, whether it is early spring along Elmo Creek or the vast horizon of a winter wheat field. Most recently, his oil paintings have also become studies in what he describes as “ever-changing and temperamental oil paint.” These works are further explorations in the nature of his medium, as well as reflections of the transitory qualities of seasonal cycles. Janet Whitmore, Ph.D.
2012 The Russell Show and Auction, CM Russell Museum, Great Falls, MT 2011 6” Squared, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA 2011 Oil Painters of America, Eastern Regional Exhibit, ,Addison Gallery, Orleans, MA
2011 Door County Plein Air, Featured Artist, Fish Creek, WI 2011 Icons of the West, Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT 2011 Scottsdale Salon on Fine Art, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale AZ 2010 Oil Painters of America, Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ 2010 Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX
2010 Door County Plein Air, Featured Artist, Fish Creek, WI 2009 Oil painters of America, Sage Creek Gallery, Sante Fe, MN 2008 Small Works North America, Greenwich Workshop Galleries 2008 Oil Painters of America, Dana Gallery, Missoula, MT 2007 Oil Painters of America, Whistle Pik Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX 2007 Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery, San Antonio, TX 2007 Small Works North America, Greenwich Workshop Galleries 2005 Wild Wings Fall Festival, Featured Artist, Lake City, MN
2015 Art Renewal Center International Salon, Honorable Mention ,Landscape 2011 Gallery Award, Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA (Judge: Jean Stearns) 2010 Salon International, Honorable Mention for Artistic Excellence, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX (Judge: Everett Raymond Kinstler)
|