Today we’d like to introduce you to Ross H. Hier.
Hi Ross H., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew-up in the small southwest Minnesota town of Jackson. I was part of a much loved family with 2 sisters and 2 brothers. We were raised to work hard, be humble and be kind to all humans. Music and art were a large part of our household. I loved the outdoors from a very early age and my parents, especially my mother, helped me absorb much Nature. When not in school or doing temporary jobs, I gravitated to fishing and bird hunting. Later, I added harvesting wild rice to my list of favored outdoor activities. I started painting with watercolors around the age of 10.
After graduating high school, I attended the University of Minnesota-St. Paul and earned a B. Sc. degree in Wildlife Management. I worked some temporary waterfowl banding and research jobs in northern Minnesota before heading to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces for graduate school. It was a long way from my home state but I loved it as there were so many new habitats to study. The multi-ethnicities and new cultures were so important to my young adulthood; it was exciting. I also found some of my very best friends there; some are still my closest friends today. I completed my M. Sc. degree in Wildlife Sciences and was fortunate to get a full-time job with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the waterfowl research office in Bemidji. I met my wife, Leela, at this time and we were married in 1985. A few years later I left wildlife research to become the Assistant Wildlife Manager in Crookston. We felt at home here with a more rural atmosphere and much public land featuring beautiful native prairies. I continued to paint, mostly with watercolors but also acrylics. I’ve also made cork and wooden duck and goose decoys over the years. I ended-up retiring after 35 years with the Section of Wildlife; at that time I was the Area Wildlife Manager in Crookston. In retirement, Leela and I love to travel, be with our 2 dogs, read, watch movies and enjoy each day. I am able to paint a great deal in retirement. I keep as busy as I like with commissions, donations and exhibits. I’m such a lucky guy … standing on the shoulders of all those who helped me get to where I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
After being privileged to travel to all the continents on our amazing planet, I’ve seen people living in some very difficult situations and feel that my road has generally been relatively easy. There were certainly times of anxiousness and very hard work but I could always fall back to my wife and families for support and love. Many people in the world do not have that and I am so thankful that I do. Regarding my artwork, it has basically always been the result of the need for a creative outlet. I never had to worry about trying to make a living on an “artist’s income”, which I know is not easy to do.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
My love of Nature, especially birdlife, has always brought creativity to the forefront for me. When I think about my career as a wildlife biologist, I don’t know if I could’ve done anything else. I was lucky to do that. That part of me and the creative part of me are basically one being. My love of Nature led me to a working career and also a never-ending mental observance of all the natural things on the planet. I always have ideas for paintings swirling about in my brain. Some come to fruition but many do not. I started painting with watercolors because of their accessibility and low cost. I haven’t had any formal training and sometimes I wonder if I understand watercolors at all. I am often in awe of other watercolorists who create a painting or parts of a painting and I have no idea what technique they used to do it. I guess I’m basically saying I have learned watercolor painting via the “school of hard knocks”. I’m certain I have a very distinct style; people tell me I do. Nearly all my watercolors have some sort of wildlife or native flora clearly visible or as a very subtle part of the overall painting. The biologist in me craves detail whereas the creative part of me wishes I could paint more loosely at times. Being a prairie kid, I love painting individual prairie plant species or scenes taken right from a piece of prairie. In fact, my artist’s moniker is The Prairie Painter. People are also drawn to my paintings of birds, fish, and hunting and fishing scenes. I’ve been privileged to have numerous solo exhibits and exhibits with other artists. It’s fun to see so many different styles and thought processes. I’m a pretty small fish in a big pond but I have been lucky to receive some thoughtful awards. In 2020, I was awarded The Wildlife Society’s national award for artwork. It’s called The Jay N. “Ding” Darling Memorial Award for Wildlife Stewardship Through Art. I’m proud of that as I studied Ding Darling’s life a great deal. He was a cartoonist for the Des Moines Register but also served on FDR’s staff where he did remarkable things for our nation’s natural resources and he created the first-ever Federal Duck Stamp. Another award that made me smile was being named The Northwest Minnesota Artist of the Year in 2022 by the regional arts council. There are a large number of tremendous artists in northwest Minnesota. A couple years ago, Prairie Public Television featured me on an episode of Prairie Mosaics. It was interesting to do as the television crew came to my little studio where I paint in our home. They did a really nice job and were easy to be with as they filmed and interviewed me.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Let your passions, whatever they may be, lead you. Try different types of creative activities. Be kind; life doesn’t need to be lived in a hurry or with jealousy or grievance. Work on being content and your artwork (and life) will be the better for it. Regarding my own “art road”, I certainly wish I had taken some classes in basic color. It took me a long time to fully understand pigments and their individual qualities.
Contact Info:
- Email: magpiehornbill@yahoo.com
