Meet the Artist

On November 4, 1999, Adam Grimm fulfilled his lifelong dream, a dream shared by most professional wildlife artists.  On this unforgettable day, Adam was named the winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Competition.  More impressively, Adam achieved this recognition at just twenty-one years of age; making him the youngest person ever to win this prestigious honor in America’s only federally sponsored art competition.  The winning entry, featuring a drake mottled duck (a mostly brown species) flapping his wings on the water, appeared on the 2000-2001 Millennium Federal Duck Stamp.  Adam’s inspiration for this design came on a crisp autumn morning, as he watched a hen blue-winged teal flapping her wings to rid her feathers of excess water while bathing in a South Dakota marsh.  The strong light and dramatic action made this otherwise drab little bird as beautiful as any colorful drake; offering a unique composition and a dynamic form to drench with golden light.  Adam quickly began working on sketches, and soon his design was complete.  “It just seemed to fall together”, Adam said.  “I ended up going with the first sketch I did.”

Adam’s artistic ability began to emerge at the age of three, when he set aside his coloring books and crayons in favor of a sketchpad and pencils.  By the age of thirteen, he was already selling out at art shows.  He recalls drawing everything that boys like to draw, but soon realized he had a passion for wildlife; birds in particular.  In fact, he devoured books on birds and before long he could identify all bird species native to the United States.  He especially enjoyed annual family vacations, which afforded him the opportunity to observe many new wildlife species firsthand.

When Adam was old enough to take a part-time job, which his parents believed would teach him how to earn and manage money, convincing them that he would benefit more from working on his art at home than from taking a more traditional job.  After all, he was already earning money from the sale of his art.  Mom and Dad agreed, provided that he rise early each morning to convert the family kitchen into a makeshift studio, where he would work on his art until it was time to clear the table for dinner.  From the age of fifteen, Adam maintained this work schedule for eight hours per day, five days a week, every summer.

Early success in youth art competitions offered encouragement to Adam as he began his career.  He was very excited to learn that the National Rifle Association sponsored a junior wildlife art competition, and proceeded to win first place in 1993, 1995, and 1996.  His ’96 entry was so well received that the NRA produced prints and collector plates from it. To this day Adam still credits the NRA youth art competition with giving him the confidence to continue with his art career.   As Adam began to follow his true calling, and to make more of a national name for himself, he soon looked for new challenges.  The prestigious Federal Duck Stamp Competition quickly captured his attention.  Setting his sights high, Adam eagerly awaited the day he would be old enough to participate.  He first entered the contest at the age of eighteen, just hoping not to finish at the bottom of the pack.  He certainly exceeded his expectations by finishing a very respectable sixteenth.  He then went on to finish eighth place the following year.  Adam was very satisfied with his progress up to this point, but no one could have imagined what would occur the following year.  Someone once said, “The third time’s a charm”, and in the case of Adam Grimm this has never been more correct.

Adam was attending art school in November 1999, when he received the phone call that would change his life forever.  “I had heard I was in the final round and couldn’t believe it! They told me the competition would likely be complete within the hour.  I sat by the phone for an hour and a half, thus assuming I hadn’t won.”  When the phone rang, and Adam learned that he had received the highest honor in the world of wildlife art competitions, he realized he had wasted an hour and a half never once thinking about what he should say if he actually won.  While on the phone, Adam’s reaction to his win was broadcast over a loudspeaker to everyone attending the final judging session in our nation’s capital.  Although he was at somewhat of a loss for words, Adam managed to compose himself and remembered to do the one thing he had vowed to do if he ever won – dedicate the win to his recently deceased grandfather.  “My Grandpa Grimm was my biggest supporter.  He was the first one to tell me that he thought my art was good enough to get paid for. …And he made the first of many purchases. I don’t think there was ever a doubt in his mind that I would one day win this competition.  I know if anyone would loved to have been there, it would have been him.  Dedicating the win to my grandfather was the least I could do in honor of his years of support.”  Adam received a standing ovation from the audience, as they had just witnessed a prime example of how dedication and passion for one’s work can be rewarded regardless of age. 

Adam was always focused on his goal of becoming a professional wildlife artist.  While attending art school, that goal was disrupted as he found it difficult to dedicate the time required and necessary to do his paintings.  When he revealed this frustration to his parents they responded by saying, “The only way we would support you leaving school without your degree is if you ….win the Federal Duck Stamp Competition!” Of course they thought this was a pretty safe bet, but they were more than happy to live up to their end of the bargain when the unimaginable actually occurred!  Immediately after winning the contest, Adam left art school to concentrate on his work full time and to fulfill his obligations as the winner of the Federal Duck Stamp Competition.

When the Millennium Federal Duck Stamp was released, Adam’s hometown of Elyria, Ohio held a celebration in his honor.  Adam worked to organize several fund raising events to take place at this celebration for the purpose of supporting a wetlands and prairie grass restoration project. Ducks Unlimited and Pheasants Forever both matched the eleven thousand dollars raised by Adam, and along with a generous contribution from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, this money has funded the restoration efforts, which are now complete. Today 155 acres of emergent wetlands and native grasslands now flourish in what has officially been designated as “The Adam Grimm Habitat Restoration Project”.

The National Rifle Association also honored Adam (a proud life member of the NRA) at its 2000 National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, along with five other young people who had demonstrated outstanding support to the NRA as members of the organization.  While at the convention, Adam was honored to have the opportunity to spend time talking with Wayne LaPierre and to meet legendary actor and President of the NRA, Charlton Heston.  Adam has always taken a proactive stance in supporting hunting and conservation organizations like the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, and the NWTF.  He has donated his time, as well as tens of thousands of dollars worth of original artwork, all in an effort to foster the preservation of the wildlife he loves.

Since winning the Federal Duck Stamp Competition, Adam has also been awarded the commission of several state duck stamps.  Among these states were Alaska in 2000 and 2003, Washington in 2001, and New York in 2002.  In 2003, Adam was commissioned to create a special painting to be featured as the Ohio Division of Natural Resource’s Bicentennial image.   Adam also fulfilled another dream of his in 2004 when he won first place in the Ohio State Duck Stamp Competition.  The winning image (to be featured on the 2005 Ohio wetland habitat stamp) depicted a lone drake wood duck swimming through the thick patches of duckweed and cattails found in Ohio marshes during spring. Being a resident of Ohio, this was a very special honor.  To make this accomplishment more personal, Adam photographed his dog, Dakota, to be featured on the souvenir card portion of the state’s stamp.  Following his success with the Ohio program, Adam decided to try for another National award.  In 2006, Adam was chosen as The National Wild Turkey Federation’s National Stamp Print ‘artist of the year’.  In addition to these outstanding accomplishments, Adam has consistently placed as a top finalist in the Federal Duck Stamp Competition since his was eligible to re-enter in 2003.  Currently, he is working on several privately commissioned projects, and taking advantage of every photographing and hunting opportunity.    

From the time he was old enough to carry a gun, Adam has hunted alongside his father, and he credits this experience with helping to build his appreciation of nature.  During his many hunting adventures he has learned a great deal about the wildlife that he loves.  He has spent countless hours studying the anatomy, behavior, and habitat of birds and other wildlife while in the marshes.  “It provides me the inspiration and the passion to create my paintings.”  Adam also earned a black belt in Shaolin Ssu Kempo when he was thirteen, and continues to practice this particular style of martial arts to aid in the development of the discipline, patience, focus, and determination he needs to accomplish his lofty goals.

 Aside from Adam’s many career achievements, his family life continues to be a blessing.  Adam and his lovely wife, Janet, were married in 2005.  In the summer of 2006 God blessed them with Madison, a beautiful baby girl. The new family recently moved to South Dakota, one of the most beautiful states our country has to offer, where they are constantly surrounded by wildlife and breathtaking scenery. 

In summary, Adam’s mission through his artwork is to celebrate the awesome beauty and power of nature. His ultimate desire is to channel his love of the outdoors into his paintings, to be shared with all those who view them.  Adam pays rigid attention to even the smallest details in his work because as he says, “If God thought it was important enough to create it, then it would be disrespectful if I didn’t make the extra effort in my attempts to paint it accurately.”  Adam would like to offer his sincere gratitude to those who saw enough promise in a young artist to purchase his early works.  According to Adam, “I vowed at that time that I would work very hard to make them proud of their purchases.”  It would seem that Adam is more than living up to this simple promise, which has and will continue to play a profound role in his future success.