Biography courtesy Ilanka Cultural Center
Hoover was born in Cordova in 1951, into a fishing family. The whole family fished together from early childhood to their late teens. Over the course of Hoover’s fishing career, he has been involved in many fisheries from wild harvest herring roe on kelp, herring sac roe seining, salmon seining and now relies on salmon drift gillnetting. He studied photography, animation and other multimedia art disciplines in the early 1970s at Evergreen State College.
Hoover’s family is known locally as a family of artists. His father, John Hoover, was a world-renowned painter and sculptor in both wood and bronze mediums demonstrating a unique and singular style. Barbara McAllister Hoover, Tony Hoover’s mother, was an expressive, colorful and talented painter. John and Barbara Hoover’s artistic vision and expression heavily influenced Tony’s art. Early memories are of time spent in the studio listening to jazz music, carving with his father and observing his mother painting on brown craft paper.
Hoover’s art and commercial fishing are intrinsically linked. The seasonality of salmon fishing provides uninterrupted creative time in the offseason. That time spent on the water has also provided a lifetime of inspiration. His paintings are filled with images that harkens to the many hours spent on the ocean, sea life, birds, salmon, mountains, beaches and sunsets.
“I enjoy time at my art table. It is very relaxing and rewarding. I always find new designs and hidden shapes in my art. I hope you do too. I believe that somewhere in this vast universe, there is a place where my art is reality,” Hoover said.
