Bridge Reflections

Bridge Reflections

Oil on Canvas

8 x10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 24, 2009

Off of Bent Creek road in Auburn there is a beautiful new neighborhood. All the large trees were kept during construction and all the homes are architectural gems, very old world. Perhaps the nicest part is the bridge at the entrance. It is an old style stone bridge with three arches.

I decided to load this painting with paint and try a new impasto gel. It was fun and is something I may do more often.

If you would like to buy "Bridge Reflections" please contact Ronald Bayens

bayens@bellsouth.net

334-740-1750

Little Bit of Cotton

Little Bit of Cotton

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 21, 2009

This is the field behind the Jule Collins Smith museum. They have a crop rotation there and every few years they plant cotton.

I liked the look of the road. It was a cloudy day as so many have been so I moved toward big shapes. The cotton is the “little bit “to the right of the painting

If you would like to buy "Little Bit of Cotton" please contact Ronald Bayens

bayens@bellsouth.net

334-740-1750

5 Guys

5 Guys

Oil on Canvas

9 x 12 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 18, 2009

Occasionally I will take suggestions on what to paint for the 100 paintings of Auburn. This suggestion came from my daughter Savannah. 5 Guys is a new hamburger restaurant on College St. It’s very good and usually crowded. Her intentions were for me to paint the outside and while painting treat her to a hamburger and fries.

When I got there I couldn’t really find a good outdoor view but I could see a spot to paint the inside. I could park myself outside the window and paint the inside. It was a near impossible scene. People were in constant motion, there is light everywhere and I had no room to move back from my easel. It was challenging me so I decided to give it a try.

I painted by just spotting color everywhere I could and painting what didn’t move, which wasn’t much. Then I put in the people. While I painted I met several old friends and entertained children who always see a painter as a performer, which I guess I was.

I tried to eat some fries while painting, but they started to taste a bit like paint. In the end I couldn’t really make out what I had done until I got back to the studio. Busy group scenes can be fun but I promised myself to find a nice pastoral scene the next day.

If you would like to buy "5 Guys" please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

334-740-0077

Stormy on the Plains

Stormy on the Plains

Oil on Canvas

8 x 10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 19, 2009

I think this game day in Auburn will always be remembered for the big storms that rolled through right before the game delaying it for an hour.

This painting was done earlier in the day just outside the university library near Samford Street. I started with the relaxed feeling a painter gets with an overcast day. I didn’t have to rush because there was no light to make shadows to chase, however the relaxation didn’t last long.

Soon it got darker after I was well under way then the skies opened up and the rain came down heavy. What do you do when it rains while painting, keep painting oil and water don’t mix. Sometimes I like the strange rough texture I get went water runs through the paint. It would have been fine but then out comes the sun! I saw an opportunity to catch it on the white tent to add some drama to a day that would see much more.

That was the only painting I did that day after that I was off to kayak the Tallapoosa. I different kind of thrill that included a 15 foot drop over a waterfall.

Sorry about the lack of paintings recently

My internet has been out the past few days.

Daytime Lights

Daytime Lights

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 12, 2009

It was a very overcast day on game day and about half an hour before the game the stadium lights were put on. They are so powerful that they outshone the sun that was trying to creep through the clouds behind.

I thought the small section of the corner of the upper decks would be interesting. The people in all their orange and blue became just a series of dots from far below.

If you would like to buy "Daytime Lights", please contace Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

334-740-1750

Tiger Walk

Tiger Walk

Oil on panel

8 x 10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September,12, 2009

On game days I put my painting gear in a back pack and walk the campus of Auburn University. The whole place is alive with tailgaters waiting for there beloved Tigers to play. One of the traditions at Auburn id the Tiger Walk. Outside the stadium there is a walkway set up down the middle of the street and a couple of hours before the game the team walks down it so the fans can see them and show their appreciation.

What possessed me to paint thousands of people moving about I don’t know. When I started there weren’t that many. But more and more came. I painted everything around the crowd and then held my breath and just put the crowd in.

I was a very exciting place to be. The painting gathered a lot of interest and I am happy to say a couple from Montgomery bought on the site.

If you would like to buy "Tiger Walk", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

(334)-740-0077

Evening at the Farm

Evening at the Farm

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 10, 2009

It was evening at the horse farm and I decided to sit and paint. I was tired from working on a portrait all day and thought this could be a relaxed painting.

Little did I know I set up on a colony of ants, also the sun was setting quick. Between being bitten and chasing the light it was not the relaxing time I had hoped for, but who says painting is suppose to be relaxing. Viewing the painting should be

If you would like to buy "Evening at the Farm", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Season Opener

Season Opener

Oil on panel

8 x 10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

The opening game for football season is a huge event here. Everyone is brimming over with anticipation for the new season. Today the game started later so most of the crowd were also brimming over with alcohol.

This made for many interesting conversations with passers by as I painted. Everyone was very complimentary toward my painting. I just hope they remember me the next day.

If you would like to buy "Season Opener", please email Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Flags and RV's

Flags and RV’s

Oil on Canvas

8 x 10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 5, 2009

On game days the fields around the university campus fill with RV’s. It is an instant village. It always amazes me that everyone can maneuver the trailers into such tight configurations.

On every RV there is a flag. Over the years there seems to have been a contest to see who can produce the tallest flag pole. The result is dozens of flags at all different heights over the campers, making it the modern equivalent of a medieval tournament.

If you would like to buy "Flags and RV's", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Campus Tailgating

Campus Tailgating

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 5, 2009

This is the view from in front of the Presidents mansion on the Auburn Campus looking north. I have always loved this long view with the building with the cupola at the end. It has a majestic quality about it.

On this day the football season opener the street was filled with cars and there was activity everywhere and food everywhere! Tailgating is a tradition that is unique to the U.S. Growing up in Canada I never experienced it. Perhaps tailgating for hockey games in -40 degree weather wouldn’t be such a good idea.

if you would like to buy "Campus Tailgating", contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Walking Trail

Walking Trail

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 4, 2009

I think I will put in my future plans to dedicate one year to painting trails. The way the sun filters through the trees onto a forest trail never ceases to dazzle me.

This trail is at the Forestry Ecology Preserve in Auburn.

If you would like to buy "Walking Trail", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Tree Study #1

Tree Study #1

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

September 4, 2009

Just like a golfer can’t go to the driving range enough a painter can’t make enough studies. I’ve looked at this tree out my studio window a thousand times but by painting it I learned a little more.

All trees have their own distinct characteristics, by studying them you can be true to them with paint instead of reverting to a stereotype tree like we all drew when we were five.

If you would like to buy "Tree Study #1", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Apple Grapes

Apple and Grapes

Oil on Canvas

8 x 10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

This was a demonstration for my painting class. I probably wouldn’t be doing so many still lives were it not for teaching. I have found that the more I do the more I like them.

I teach three of the same classes each week so there are two more paintings just like this. Each time I paint them I learn a little bit more about painting.

If you would like to buy "Apple and Grapes", please contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Hardware Co.

Hardware Co.

Oil on Canvas

5 x7 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

August, 29, 2009

It was a grey rainy morning in Auburn and once again I had no idea what to paint. I decided it would be best to just backpack around with my gear and see what caught my eye.

I had a street scene in mind but just couldn’t commit to a view. After getting some art supplies at J&M I headed down to Taylor’s bakery for a coffee. I saw a nice interior in there that I will have to paint some day, but I left with just a coffee. I went out the back door and walked through the parking lot and saw the back of the Hardware Co.

Everything was in drab grays with a spot of color here and there. It looked to me like part of an old fishing village. Halfway through painting a UPS truck parked right in front of me. The driver was nice enough to move it back and I promised to intercept the parking ticket person should they come by. I had a nice talk with a police officer as I painted too.

I always like painting in town, it is a nice way to see the familiar in a new way.

If you would like to buy "Hardware Co.", contact Ronald Bayens at

bayens@bellsouth.net

Pepper and Pear

Pepper and Pear

Oil on Canvas

8 x10 inches

2009

Auburn, Alabama

This was done as a demonstration for a painting class.

If you would like to buy "Pepper and Pear", contact Ronald Bayens

bayens@bellsouth.net