Ty Hallock didn’t get his lab notebook back from his college ichthyology teacher at the end of the class. The teacher kept the notebook full of Hallock’s drawn and labeled pictures as his new demonstration notebook. Hallock’s created pictures of fish ever since, though he’d been creating artwork of wildlife and the outdoors since high school.
Hallock started college as an art major at Northern State University in South Dakota. But he switched to wildlife science and earned a minor in art.
“I became a starving biologist instead of starving artist,” he joked. Now Hallock is a fishing guide who paints and sketches wildlife. The subjects of his artwork often are the fish his clients catch. He’s most known for drawing colorful, detailed pictures of fish with Sharpie markers on tackle boxes and coolers. His artwork can be seen and bought in the Ugly Bug Fly Shop and at his website at www.tyoutdoors.com.
Hallock’s day-job provides constant inspiration, because no two fish are alike, he said. Even fish within a species have unique features, spots and body shapes, he said.
“So there’s always something that kind of catches my eye,” he said. “It’s like, ‘hmm, I might try to paint that.’”
Personalizing a memory
Clients awed with a big catch often ask him if they should have the fish mounted, Hallock said. He always tells them he doesn’t like to kill his business partners. He lets them know he can paint the fish for them instead.
When clients started asking for decorated tackle boxes and coolers, that’s when he took to Sharpies. The “80’s Glam Pack” is what he uses most for bright colors, he said. He often paints on fly boxes manufactured by Casper-based company Cliff Outdoors.
Cliff owner Matt Cassel said other artists have painted his fly boxes, but Hallock brings an especially unique perspective. His attention to detail and accurate colors are part of what make his work stand out, Cassel said. Hallock’s guiding experience also allows him to see and depict what makes each fish special, he added.
Fellow fishing guide Blake Jackson owns several artworks by Hallock, including a marker-decorated cooler his clients always notice, he said. He’s wowed by what Hallock can do with markers to capture the colors and character of trout. His style doesn’t try to be overly realistic, yet Hallock creates a good representation of the animal, Jackson said.
One of his favorite artworks by Hallock is a painting of a brown trout he caught and released at Miracle Mile in Casper. The painting includes an image of the fly a friend made that baited the fish. Like a lot of anglers, Jackson has numerous photos of fish he’s caught that all look about the same. But Hallock personalizes the memory, he said.
“If you were to catch the catch of your lifetime and instead of a fish-mount, he creates a replica painting or sketch of your trophy and your memory,” Jackson said. “It’s a pretty unique treat.”
Blended passions
Hallock’s passions for the outdoors and art began in childhood. He fished with his father while growing up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. His mother and grandmother’s artistic hobbies and trips to craft fairs inspired an appreciation for arts.
He’s worked temporary jobs with state and government agencies across the county and learned skills from fly tying to duck decoy carving along the way. He’s taken something artistic from each experience. For instance, working close to ducks and fish at Oregon’s Malheur Wildlife Refuge sparked his fascination with close-up pictures.
A typical day for him starts at 6 a.m. at the Crazy Rainbow Fly-fishing & Wing Shooting lodge. He spend about nine hours guiding anglers and returns home to take his two older girls to soccer, dance, volleyball or swimming, he said. After they and the baby are asleep, he’ll draw or paint until midnight or later.
The smallest boxes take about 40 minutes to create, while a large cooler with a lot of color work may take up to 3 ½ hours, he said.
His basement working space reflects the blend of Hallock’s life. A box with dozens of markers and some blank tackle boxes rest on his desk near loose feathers and thread for tying flies. A duck-call whistle lies near the issue of American Angler magazine that recently featured his art. The desk is surrounded by girls’ toys in the den, which doubles as his daughters’ playroom. Also nearby are his paintings, sketches, carvings and his first big game Sharpie artwork of an elk on a large cooler.
“As in all areas of my life I am always striving to expand and improve my artwork and willing to try new things,” Hallock said on his website.
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