Federal Duck Stamp Contest to be held at Maumee Bay State Park



 

 Artwork of Bob Hines

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in partnership with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, is proud to announce the 2013 Federal Duck Stamp Contest to select the 2014-2015 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, also known as the Duck Stamp.

The most prestigious federally-recognized art contest in the nation, the Federal Duck Stamp Contest will be held Sept. 27-28, 2013 at the Maumee Bay State Park Conference Center in Oregon, Ohio.
The Federal Duck Stamp Program is the most successful conservation program in our nation’s history, and has generated more than $850 million to help protect and conserve more than 6.5 million acres of wetlands and grasslands for wildlife habitat. By purchasing a Federal Duck Stamp, hunters, birders and wildlife enthusiasts continue to contribute to the conservation of America’s natural resources.

The Federal Duck Stamp Contest will this year honor 1946 Duck Stamp artist and conservation leader Bob Hines. Biographer John D. Juriga, M.D. is author of the book Bob Hines: National Wildlife Artist. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will honor Hines by hosting a public dedication ceremony for the Bob Hines Refuge Ranger Station at Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, September 26, 2013. Learn more in an interview with Juriga about his interest in wildlife artist and conservationist Bob Hines.

 

Duck Stamp by 1946 Artist and Conservationist Bob Hines

The contest will culminate in selection of the nation's 81st Duck Stamp and will be a celebration of one of the world's most successful wildlife habitat conservation programs. Viewing of the artwork and judging process is free and open to the public.




 

Bob Hines
1912 -1994

 

Ohio native Robert Hines (1912-1994) holds the distinction of being the only National Wildlife Artist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hines developed his love of nature growing up along the verdant banks of the Sandusky River in Fremont, Ohio. Despite almost no formal art training, Hines’ innate talent led him to become an internationally recognized wildlife artist and a pioneer of the conservation movement. His work illustrated a weekly newspaper feature, and numerous wildlife guides and books – including those by author Rachel Carson (a close personal friend) and Robert McClung (of Grizzly Adams fame).

 
In 2012, the Hayes Presidential Center hosted the exhibit The Wildlife Art of Bob Hines in celebration of the 100th year of Hines’ birth. The exhibit featured more than 100 pieces of original Hines artwork, published works, and manuscripts from the private collection of John Juriga, M.D. Juriga published his biography of Hines as part of the centennial commemoration.  

 



 

 

Exhibit: The Wildlife Art of Bob Hines

Ohio native Robert Hines (1912-1994) holds the distinction of being the only National Wildlife Artist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Hines developed his love of nature growing up along the verdant banks of the Sandusky River in Fremont, Ohio. Despite almost no formal art training, Hines’ innate talent led him to become an internationally recognized wildlife artist and a pioneer of the conservation movement. His work illustrated a weekly newspaper feature, and numerous wildlife guides and books – including those by author Rachel Carson (a close personal friend) and Robert McClung (of Grizzly Adams fame).

The Hayes Presidential Center created The Wildlife Art of Bob Hines in celebration of the 100th year of Hines’ birth. Set for exhibition February 15 through August 14, the exhibit includes an array of original artwork from private and public collections. It is made possible through sponsorship from The Fremont Co., Diversified Insurance and Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife.

Bob Hines: Wildlife Artist

Bob Hines
(Courtesy of U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

For Bob Hines, the Sandusky River Valley’s wildlife proved an endless source of fascination. Camping, fishing, and hiking consumed his boyhood days. Little did he know that these experiences would dictate the course of his life.

Born in Columbus in 1912, Hines moved with his family to Fremont, Ohio, at the age of nine. He quickly transformed the Hines property into his personal “backyard zoo.” At any given time he could be found tending a menagerie of wild creatures – turtles, toads, fish, woodchucks, skunks, ducks, quail, and crow.

After graduating from Ross High School in 1928, Hines worked as a cook, inspector, and shipping clerk. Later, through a correspondence course, he learned taxidermy. Forced to rest during an illness, he took up drawing and painting the wildlife he so cherished.

In 1939, Hines was offered the position of staff artist of the Ohio Division of Conservation. When he discovered that his work would involve painting with oils, a medium he had never used, Hines contacted his high school art teacher Mary Williams. She provided a four-day crash course in oil painting. It was the last formal training Hines would ever have.

For nearly a decade, Hines illustrated the agency’s “Ohio Conservation Bulletin” and “Under Ohio Skies,” a wildlife education feature that appeared in 250 newspapers. Hines’ work caught the eye of Frank Dufresne, Chief of Information at the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Before long, Hines was in Washington working as an artist-illustrator for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

From simple pen-and-ink line drawings to large murals, Hines’ artwork graced brochures, newsletters, wildlife guides, scientific articles, posters, prints, books, and buildings. He created the first series of wildlife postage stamps. Hines also managed the celebrated Federal Duck Stamp competition. Especially gifted at painting and describing waterfowl, Hines' Ducks at a Distance became a classic waterfowl primer, selling two million copies.

Atlantic Salmon

(Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

In 1991, Hines completed his final commission – the 50th anniversary edition of Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind. Carson, marine biologist and founder of the modern environmental movement, came to know Hines during their years at the wildlife service. In 1955, she commissioned her friend and colleague to illustrate her second book The Edge of the Sea.

When Bob Hines died in 1994, an admirer of his work wrote that “he had left behind a visual legacy of the wonder and beauty of the natural world.” His exceptional talent and knowledge of pose, plumage, and habitat merged to create living, breathing works of art.

Hines’ work was the subject of a special exhibit at the prestigious Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury, Maryland, in 2003.

Acorn Woodpecker
(Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)