Strokes of Genius

When Jim Hautman was a little boy, his father, Tom "Tuck" Hautman, regaled the family with tales of days gone by, when vast flights of canvasbacks could be counted on to arrive each fall on Minnesota waters. The seeds of fascination had been planted.

"He was a big duck hunter and we grew up hunting every weekend of duck season," Hautman says. "My father collected all the duck stamps, beginning with 1934. He also painted some, and had done a dozen paintings before I was born-all from a duck hunter's perspective.

"But by the time my brothers and I got into hunting, there weren't as many canvasbacks around anymore. The canvasback was like a mythical creature. We probably hunted four or five years before we even saw one. They've always had a mystique to me."

That mystique paid off big time when Jim Hautman flipped through a file of 10-year-old sketches and decided to finish a painting that he had put on hold. The result was First Light-Canvasbacks, voted the winner of the 2011 Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year competition.

"I had an idea of what I wanted to do for a long time, but just never dialed it in," Hautman says. "I was originally working on a long, thin piece with six or seven canvasbacks in it. I decided to focus on three of them.

"I thought by doing that, I could get the birds big enough for people to appreciate the detail. They're unique birds-the shape of their heads, their bills, their coloring. It was fun to get them life-size."

This painting focuses on three canvasbacks-two drakes and a hen-resting comfortably in a marsh in the early morning. The lighting is impeccable and serves to create a moody marsh scene.

"I wanted to do something that would really stand out," Hautman says. "Thinking about all the years of going to shows and people telling me what they liked about my work, a lot of the comments were about the lighting, the sun hitting the birds.

"I wanted to go all out and create that dramatic effect that you get in the morning, especially on canvasbacks. They light up like a light bulb. The main idea was to paint the light. That, and make them life-size, which is something I don't do that often."

Members of the Hautman family are hardly strangers to the wildlife art world. This is Jim's second DU Artist of the Year title. In October he won a fourth federal duck stamp competition. His brothers, Joe and Bob, have also taken top honors in this prestigious contest. It seems that their Minnesota roots played a major role.

"I think a lot of our artistic success has to do with our upbringing," Hautman says. "If we weren't brought up in the family we had, we probably never would have tried it. We were always hunting and fishing.

"And there were so many pioneers of wildlife art from Minnesota, people like David Maass and Les Kouba ... seeing their work on the cover of Ducks Unlimited magazine. In the early days we did not have a lot of reference material, so we looked at others' paintings."

Hautman was headed to Manitoba in late October to hunt waterfowl. Such trips often provide the spark for future paintings.

"I always bring a camera and used to bring a sketchbook along, too," he says, "but then I thought about the order that I grab things-shotgun first, camera second, and then the sketchbook sits there. I don't bother with it anymore.

"But I do try to get ideas when I'm out there. When I'm working I try to piece together ideas that I had and the memories that I brought home. Photos help, but memories are just as important."

More than 20,000 Ducks Unlimited supporters voted in the most recent Artist of the Year competition. Hautman not only had the winning entry, but also had a second painting chosen for the national art package.

"To be picked by DU members means a lot because they are the people who have been there and know what it looks like," Hautman says. "I can quickly tell just by talking with people if they have ever really seen a flock of ducks coming into the decoys."

Having already ascended to the top of the wildlife art mountain, what challenge remains for Hautman?

"It's kind of a chasing-history thing, I guess," he says. "Maynard Reece is the only artist to have painted five federal duck stamps. And I'm pretty competitive."

The wildlife art world is on notice.

To view an online gallery of federal duck stamps, go to the Ducks Unlimited website at www.ducks.org/duckstampgallery.

Ducks Unlimited's National Art Package

Art Prints a Cornerstone of DU Events

For more than 35 years, wildlife art has been a key ingredient to the success of Ducks Unlimited fund-raising events. DU's art program has raised more than $35 million in support of continental wetlands and waterfowl conservation. In addition to the exceptional art, DU events also feature decoys, sculptures, and other sporting collectibles. Firearms, particularly shotguns, also take center stage. This year's Gun of the Year is the Beretta AL3901 semiautomatic. The AL3901 12-gauge is chambered for 3-inch shells and features a custom polished receiver with the DU logo and "Ducks Unlimited" proudly displayed. Renew old friendships and share in the camaraderie that has made DU events the blueprint for all others in the conservation community. Better yet, introduce a newcomer to the DU flock.

DU's Gun of the Year, a Beretta AL3901 with a polished receiver and custom engraving, will be available at most DU fund-raising events in 2011.

Contributing Artists

"Early Arrivals"
by Phillip Crowe
The pintails are in. And their numbers are up. That's always good news for fans of the graceful sprig.

"Evening Refuge"
by Cynthie Fisher
Arriving just before the sun goes down, these mallards are settling in for the night on quiet water.

"Mallards at Sundown"
by Jim Hautman
It's hard to say who used to live in the abandoned farmhouse. But the residents left too early. They missed one heckuva show.

"Working Lab"
by Jay Kemp
Drive? Check out this big fella's get-up-and-go attitude. An impressive retrieve seems inevitable.

"Marsh Masters"
by Jim Killen
It's pretty tough to beat three of a kind. Particularly when they're working Labs. Pick your favorite color.

"Dropping Fast - Wood Ducks"
by David Maass
Sometimes you hear woodies coming, sometimes you don't. Their arrival is often accompanied by a swoosh.

"Teal Reflections"
by Peter Mathios
This lonesome green-winged teal drake looks to be making himself comfortable in the marsh.

"Surprise Approach"
by Ralph McDonald
Whoops. These mallards must see—or hear—something they like. But will the youngster and his dad see these sneaky birds in time?