Duane Hada: Artist of the Ozarks

Decades ago, rural Ozark schools didn’t offer art classes. But that didn’t keep young Duane from drawing underwater scenes and Ozark landscapes to impress his teachers and fellow students at school. As a native of Boone & Newton Counties, AR, Duane was immersed in the ecosystems and habitats of the Buffalo Wilderness and Crooked Creek, growing up fishing and hunting.

When he went to college to pursue fishery and wildlife management, he took his first art class. Before then, he’d been a frustrated artist, without the opportunity to be trained and take his natural talent and grow it into a life-changing skill.

But that one art class was like kerosene on the flame that lit his world, and soon he switched paths and began studying art at UCA, graduating with a BSE in Art Education. With that training he shared the beauty of Ozark heritage and the skill of the brush with many high school students by cultivating a rich, competitive art program in the public school at Mena, Arkansas.

But after a time, Duane began to feel a pull to the outdoors and determined to make his living through his talents: art and fly fishing. And so he flourished for over 30 years as a fly fishing instructor and guide, all the while continuing to paint the scenes he saw every day in the wild. In his fly fishing shop, he displayed his latest watercolors and acrylics and sold them to his clients who cherished an original piece of art or to commemorate a catch, or the scene of the day.

There’s something magical about these Ozark landscapes and our deep attachment to the land and water, and the experiences we have in them.

And that’s what people began to notice about Duane’s art. His paintings perfectly captured the feeling of standing on an Ozark ridge, standing waist-deep in a cool stream, or the unmatched beauty of a fine catch fresh from the river. His ability to create the depth and atmosphere that defines the Ozark landscape is depicted in his misty watercolors.

And so, Duane’s artistic journey continued.

Duane’s work experience then took he and his wife, Marlene, to Fort Smith, AR, where he travelled the world in his role as a Frontiers tour guide, hosting destination tours focusing on fly fishing. During this time in Fort Smith, he also continued to guide fly fishing tours through the local Woodsman store. Throughout Duane’s travels, his paint box always accompanied him, each new destination broadening his horizons and subject matter.

But then it was time for a change. Duane and Marlene moved back home to Yellville, Arkansas, and opened their own art gallery in the Ozark town of Mountain Home, the perfect location for Duane’s business. Now, Duane can be found working at Rivertown Gallery, painting, creating stunning fish replicas, and hosting art workshops for aspiring students who appreciate his talent and the beauty of the Ozarks.

Achievements & Accolades

As a native of the Arkansas’ Ozarks, Duane’s passion for painting is inspired by the beauty of the landscape and its wildlife, and is recognized and sought after by serious art collectors across the nation. He is a highly sought after guide on local waters and has led many guided adventures throughout many of the angling world’s great destinations. Duane’s achievements and accolades are numerous; and collectors, who know Duane’s work, know him to be true to his passion and knowledge of the natural world and seek after his paintings.  

Explore Fly Fishing, Duane’s Art, & Outdoors Education: