Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/496918
where you sink in over your boots in marsh muck or the sudden storms that can catch hunters off guard. These are the details that earned him widespread admiration and contributed to his legendary status as both artist and waterfowler. As acclaimed gamebird artist David Maass once said of his good friend: "Dave was truly a sportsman's artist and has done it all, both with gun and brush." Dave's paintings touch us with that which is basic and elemental, the attraction of his art lying in the arousal of primal satisfaction within each of us. It might be the sight of bluebills raking the decoys with afterburners at full thrust; mallards in that peculiar slip-sliding motion, adjusting their wings for a proper landing; the quick buzz and dash of teal; or pintails dropping in soft descent against a graying winter sky. In essence, Dave's paintings unite birds, landscape, and viewer in a tapestry of perfect harmony. During his lifetime, Dave showed great versatility in his art, mostly stylistic variations reflecting changes in attitudes and goals. Many earlier paintings are minimalist works—serene, contemplative, and marked by oriental simplicity, with birds portrayed against the sky in austere W ith David Hagerbaumer's passing in February of 2014, the world of wildlife art lost one of the great pioneer painters of the 20th century. Celebrated for his art and revered as a man, his legacy is both rich and enduring. He was indeed a remarkable man who over his 93 years enjoyed a remarkable career. Dave Hagerbaumer's art reflects the way he lived. A self-professed river rat, he never lost his love of the outdoors, which started as a boy roaming the swamps and river-bottoms of Illinois. As one writer observed, Dave liked to "slug it out in the mud." Slugging in the mud is an apt description and indirectly touches on a chief characteristic of Dave's art—namely his accurate portrayal of landscape and habitat. Adding to the excellence of his art is a sure knowledge of the terrain, not overlooking the hazards familiar to any seasoned duck hunter—the bad spots GATHERING STORM – PINTAILS