I am Matt Tollner, founder and president of Mark Tollner Art, LLC. My dad, Mark Tollner, is the artist behind the company and brand.
Growing up, my brother and I hunted and fished with my dad all the time. We also painted and made metal sculptures along with him when we were young. My dad recently retired from 30 years of teaching art at Grand Island Senior High School, and he is now a full time artist. He's been selling his paintings and sculptures all his life, and has established a successful following at art shows around our hometown of Buffalo, NY, as well as the Thousand Islands, NY region, where our family owns a cottage in the town of Cape Vincent. My dad’s original oil paintings and metal sculptures are deeply inspired by his love of fishing, hunting, and the outdoors.
As a kid I remember always being involved in his art show productions, helping him with shipping, stocking, and showing his art. Fast forward to today- I moved to Miami for my full time job, and commissioned my dad to paint 9x12 original oil paintings of a variety of fish, to be printed on apparel, hats, stickers, and magnets.
I developed a love of peacock bass fishing down in Miami. The peacock bass is a colorful Amazonian fish stocked in Miami canals to control the invasive species that thrive in the warm climate. I remember my first time catching peacock bass, and just how unique their colors are- unlike any fish in New York. I knew that they would look amazing as original oil paintings, so I asked my dad to come down to visit me, catch some, and work his magic to recreate this fish as art.
Our original art on active apparel is perfect for performance fishing & hunting and for casual wear, with sizes and styles to fit everyone’s needs, from kids to adults. So far we’ve partnered with social media influencers in the fishing industry, to wear and promote our apparel. We've sold our apparel, hats, prints, and stickers in bait shops, galleries and shops in Miami and New York. We are expanding into more bait shops, local stores, galleries, and larger retailers in the fishing/hunting industry. The business has been a huge success. My dad has created original oil paintings of 23 different species of fish, and continues to create new pieces. The main focus of the brand is the fish.
Our original fish art has been sold internationally, and we will soon offer the same options with hunting themes!
