Review of the 2022 Federal Duck Stamp Art Competition: Joseph Hautman once again impresses people with his exquisiteness

Speaking of the Federal Duck Stamp Art Competition, it may not be as glamorous and well-known as the Oscars, but in the American wildlife art circle, it is undoubtedly a hall-of-fame event. In September 2022, a slightly low-key but powerful acrylic painting once again put Joseph Hautman’s name on the podium – yes, for the sixth time, he won again.

This game is not just a game

Let’s start with the background. Even if you are not a stamp collector, you may have heard of the Federal Duck Stamp. Since 1934, it has been more than just a “ticket”, but a commitment – to ecology and the future. Its sales revenue has quietly raised more than $1 billion for the protection of wetlands and wild bird habitats in the United States. No joke, it’s real money to feed and protect real life.

So you see, this seemingly quiet competition is actually a plea for nature in an artistic way every year.

One painting, three swans, many silent admirations

Back to Hautman’s paintings. This year’s winning work – three flying swans, drew a light and powerful figure against a vast wetland in the background. The picture has a quiet power, like a low cry in the morning mist, gentle but firm. The judges almost did not hesitate. It was not because Hautman had an aura, but because he used his pen to capture a kind of “fading” beauty – a wild, but extremely fragile picture of life.

This painting will be issued in late June 2023 and will appear on the new year’s duck stamp. Some people say, isn’t it just a small picture? But if you look closely, there is the sound of wind, the texture of feathers, and a certain indescribable sense of freedom hidden in it.

The Hautman Brothers: Three Men and Their Paintbrush Legend

Interestingly, this is not just Joseph’s stage. His brothers, James and Robert, have also won the same competition many times. Together, the three have won 15 federal duck stamp championships. They are like the “Musketeers” in the wildlife art world, with a tacit understanding but different styles.

Their success is not accidental, but a kind of delicacy and persistence that is almost melted into their blood. What they paint is not just birds, but the emotions of an ecosystem – the poetry when they are quiet, the tension when they are startled and fly. This kind of thing is not copied, but seen, waited, and felt.

Stamps are not something you can just stick on.

You might be wondering, what are these duck stamps for? Actually, calling them “stamps” is a bit misleading. They are not for sending letters, but a federal hunting license and a symbolic cultural monument. For many collectors, they are like an annual ritual: a new stamp is a new conversation with nature.

Not to mention, every sale of it directly provides financial support for wetland protection in the United States. In other words, when you buy a stamp, you are actually quietly adopting a small piece of wetland.

Epilogue: The flying birds in the painting have their own home

To put it bluntly, the 2022 competition is a reaffirmation of the “relationship between man and nature”. This painting by Joseph Hautman makes us look up at the sky again, and see the silent but ever-present life forms.

If you love nature, or just like beautiful things, this stamp is actually worth keeping in your drawer. Not for investment, not for decoration, but for a certain kind of “seeing”.

Have you also collected duck stamps from a certain year? Is there a painting that made you stop and stare for several minutes? Leave a message to chat, maybe we just happened to remember the same bird flying by.