Artist Jim Hautman wins Federal Duck Stamp Contest for seventh time
By Joe Van Ryn
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Minnesota (WCCO) — In his Chaska, Minnesota, studio, Jim Hautman added a few finishing touches to his latest painting of a bobcat in the wilderness.
“The scene of this one is in southwestern Montana,” he said, while painting some moss onto a tree.
The painting is small, but the detail is substantial. It’s just one of thousands of paintings Jim Hautman has created in his lifetime, nearly all of them centered on wildlife and the outdoors.
“I like to fish, I like to hunt, I like to bird watch,” Jim Hautman said when talking about his inspirations. “Everything I like to do seems to happen outdoors, so painting nature was just kind of natural for me.”
Jim Hautman’s artistic ability was first recognized at a young age. He recalled a painting assignment in kindergarten. He impressed his teacher. He impressed himself.
“I thought, ‘Wow, I’m good at something,'” he said.
Jim Hautman grew up in an artistic family.
“My mom was an artist and my dad did some painting, too, so we had the materials around and the encouragement,” he said.
Today, his subjects range widely.
“A lot of mammals, songbirds, just anything that I see,” he said.
But it’s his duck paintings that brought him national recognition. This year, Jim Hautman won the Federal Duck Stamp Contest for the seventh time.
“Can’t believe it’s still happening, but it’s been quite a ride,” he said.
He first won in 1989, a victory that changed his life.
“I mean, the phone did not stop ringing for it seemed like a week,” he said. “They called me that day and told me to come meet the president the next day in the Oval Office. And I was just thrown into a whirlwind of PR and excitement.”
The Hautman family is well known in the competition. Both of Jim’s brothers are also painters.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of competition between us,” he said.
Joe Hautman has won five times and Bob Hautman has won three.
“For now, I’m in the lead,” Jim Hautman said. “But it really helps us because we compare our paintings to each others’ and then we help each other with suggestions.”
For Jim Hautman, the work doesn’t stop with one painting or one victory.
“I feel like it’s something I have to do. It’s a lot of hard work and it kind of drives you crazy. But as soon as you finish your painting, you get the itch to try to do a better one on the next painting,” he said.
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