David Maass

An avid sportsman and ardent contributor to conservation organizations, David Maass has been actively painting game birds for more than forty years. After growing up exploring the bottom lands of the Mississippi River valley in Minnesota, he became an illustrator and produced images for Brown and Bigelow calendars for twenty-seven years. In the early 1950's, Maass met and became friends with wildlife artist, David Hagerbaumer (also in the NMWA collection), while stationed in San Diego with the Marines. After his service, he returned to Minnesota and has lived there ever since, dedicating himself to painting full-time in 1961.

He has designed more than thirty-five conservation stamps and prints for various state and organizations. His 1982 winning canvasback painting marks the second time that a Maass design has appeared on the Federal Duck Stamp and Print. In 1997, US Art honored Maass with the title of Master Artist. Working mostly in oils, his artwork reveals an amazing understanding of light and a diligent study of subject matter. Three books have been published on the painting of David Maass, the most recent being Wildfowl of North America released in December of 1999.