Everywhere Artist: Ward Hooper

BY ARIANNA CRETEAU

How did Ward Hooper become one of Idaho’s most unrecognized famous artists? Distilled, the answer is his pure, raw talent and humble beginnings.

Over the years, Hooper’s portfolio of public works, logos, signs, and art has grown so large that it’s become difficult for Hooper to remember and even recognize some of his own work.

“I have pride for all of the things I’ve done, but at this point, I’ll forget that I did something and someone else will have to remind me that I actually did it,” says Hooper.

All images provided by Ward Hooper

Originally from small-town Grangeville, Idaho, Hooper received praise for his innate, childhood artistic abilities. “My earliest memories are from the first grade. We would do art projects and I always seemed to excel a little bit more than some of the other kids, so I kept doing it. It’s basically been like that all my life,” says Hooper.

Hooper left Grangeville for Boise, Idaho, to pursue a degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Design from Boise State University. He graduated in 1987 and has been living in Boise ever since.

Despite his education, for the most part, he is a self-taught artist. From playing around with computer software and studying other artists, Hooper honed in on his skills early on.

All images provided by Ward Hooper

He’s worked with all types of different mediums like chalk, acrylic paint, airbrush, and more. There was something about graphic design that he particularly liked: he didn’t have to clean brushes, oil paints, etc. “My goal when I started doing graphic design was to make it look as least as a computer as possible, to make it freeform and natural,” says Hooper. “If you look at computer graphics, even today, people do a lot of characters and cartooning. To me, I instantly think that it looks like it was drawn by a computer. My approach is to be more like if you were actually painting, something made by hand.”

Graphic design allows him to not only correct mistakes and remake his work, but also create projects a lot faster, with a turnaround time ranging from a week to two weeks. “I’m not a procrastinator.

That’s the problem, I’m too quick,” says Hooper.

Boise was a growing city even 20 years ago; however, finding a job proved difficult when Hooper graduated from college. “Back then, Boise was not near what Boise is now, and there weren’t near as many agencies early on. There were maybe three or four main agencies that were doing stuff and it was just difficult to get into that business,” says Hooper.

All images provided by Ward Hooper

Hooper is referring to marketing and ad agencies that specialize and create campaigns, branding, and communication materials. Today in Boise, there are more than 17 such companies specializing in this field.

At the time, Hooper’s work could be seen in many downtown Boise businesses while he worked for a sign company. Designing chalkboards and more, his eye-catching work was building his own brand daily. This experience would later influence his artwork and usage of lettering and words.“I did literally hundreds of chalkboards at all these different restaurants and bars,” says Hooper. “I can still give it credit, working for a sign company, for being a good influence on what I do now.”

Eventually, he landed in a graphic design agency and stayed for ten years. Like many original artists, the siren’s call of creative freedom made Hooper leave the comfort of a steady job and start a freelance business. That risk and change forced him to grow personally and professionally. By doing freelance work and his own art, Hooper learned he had a superpower when communicating directly with his clientele. “I kind of romanticize a lot of things. So I think people appreciate that,” says Hooper.

All images provided by Ward Hooper

When Hooper talks about the hundreds to thousands of pieces he’s done for Idaho and for private buyers, it becomes clear why he wouldn’t remember the entirety of his own work. Many locals are unaware that they’ve seen his creations throughout the Gem State in some very obvious places.

His artistic legacy is evident all over downtown. For instance, there’s a sculpture at the Basque block, posters of the 43 Idaho counties often hung on Capitol Boulevard, custom branding signs for state and local parks, an Idaho license plate design, a bronze medallion at Julia Davis Park, and local neighborhood signs, like “The Sunset” and “Historic North End.” Not to forget, there are thousands of Hooper’s Idaho-centric postcards and originals in people’s homes around the world.

Hooper began creating pieces for the city when he recognized a need and the value of art in empty spaces. More than 20 years ago, he proposed that the city do a series of large-scale posters at bus stops through the public arts program. He asked to fill empty advertising slots with a series of posters promoting Idaho. It was a confluence of art and commerce that provided a perfect opportunity to fill those spaces with distinctive and beautiful art.

Hooper was approved to do a series of pseudo-adver-tising and historic posters of Boise’s iconic landmarks. The city promoted the campaign with a signing of Hooper’s original small prints from the series. Suddenly, public response demonstrated to Hooper his own potential for success. “Peo-ple were lining up to get prints. When I realized and I saw how people were reacting to them, I decided it was probably something the people who live in a city and visit the city would really appreciate. There was nothing really like that at the time,” says Hooper. “I knew I had something that might have some legs to it.”

All images provided by Ward Hooper

Today, Hooper is well known for his striking images and posters highlighting Idaho destinations. As he explains it, his subject matter had never been represented before, and therefore, there was no standard style or format to follow. His work clearly emulates design styles from the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s–yet it’s also self-customized, like a modernized Deco. He draws inspiration from early American illustrators, yet can’t pinpoint his style to one name.

“I didn’t invent the style but I just use a mishmash of styles from hundreds of years ago,” he explains.

His artistic focus is dual-sided. Hooper enjoys the urbanized lines of architecture and history in cities, yet growing up in a rural environment, he finds endless inspiration from nature and spending time in the backcountry. Dedicated to his craft, Hooper’s process starts with a spark of an idea for direction. From there, he works with his client’s input, photos, even unusual memorabilia to formulate the final piece.

Despite the numerous commission requests he now receives, Hooper still dedicates time for charitable projects and youth mentorship programs. Often, he speaks at colleges about how student artists can realistically turn what they do into a living. He always encourages fledgling artists to take on public projects in order to gain notoriety and commissions. “It’s not always easy to get your foot in the door. A lot of artists get turned down and give up, so it’s important to encourage them to keep trying and get stuff in the public eye,” says Hooper.

All images provided by Ward Hooper

About 16 years ago, Hooper opened his first gallery in Eagle. After a successful year, he relocatedto downtown Boise, opening Ward Hooper Vintage. He’s since expanded and the store is now part art and part vintage shop. His store is reflective of his personality. “I combined my vintage artwork style with vintage clothing. The core things that I like,” says Hooper. “It’s not like any other store. It reflects Boise and Idaho more than any other store you might be able to go to. It’s kind of a destination place.”

Agencies don’t normally allow artist’s personal attribution of their work for clients. Any fan of Hooper’s can often find him behind the counter at his store. For this unique artist, the retail location on Idaho Street allows him to meet his clients directly and keep the new artwork rolling out the door.

Look closer and it becomes clear that Hooper has played a key role in contributing to Idaho’s artistic landscape in many mediums. No doubt, both Boise and our state are more vibrant and beautiful because of Ward Hooper’s ingenuity and talent.

To see more of Ward Hooper’s work and for his store hours, you can visit his website: wardhooper.com