VINTAGE MIXED MEDIA ARTIST
By Craig Couillard
“One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.”
If you’re a fan of the TV show American Pickers, you’re going to love the vintage artwork of Brad Holt.
Part painting, part photography, part welding, part sculpture — Holt’s work is as unique as the pieces he uses.
Raised on a heritage mixed farm that his great-grandfather homesteaded near Langdon, Alta, Holt was always interested in art, especially his grandmother’s oil paintings.
“We used to show 4-H cattle at the Calgary Stampede, but I wanted to spend all my free time at the Western Art Pavilion,” said Holt. “That’s really what piqued my interest.”
After taking some art classes at the University of Calgary, Holt started dabbling with old window frame art and selling them at Farmer’s Markets. His first big break was exhibiting at The Masters at Spruce Meadows, which gave him the confidence to work as a full-time artist for the past 15 years.
He eventually gained enough prominence to be invited to participate in the Calgary Stampede Western Art Show in 2014.
“Most years at the Stampede, I will sell out now, but I also get some great leads about old vintage materials farmers and ranchers having sitting around their yard,” explained Holt. “Sometimes it’s just a source of raw material for my art, but often it can lead to a private commission. Recently I got a lead on an old grain scale from a grain elevator that I’m making into a sculpture.”
One client had a tailgate from granddad’s truck and an old photograph of the homestead that they commissioned Brad to make a one-of-a-kind art piece for the family. Another family had a special window frame from their old farmhouse that was made into another family heirloom.
He loves photo-realism and utilizes an image transfer in the background of each piece to help highlight important aspects of his painting and to create depth and substance. Brad paints with acrylics and hand paints each work of art, creating rich and colourful textured sunsets and landscapes. Combining these different mediums creates a striking 3-dimensional look in his work.
“I actually work backwards. I start with finding the frame — an old window frame or car part — and see what speaks to me. I never really know where it’s going to take me.”
“One challenge I’m experiencing is that some farmers want me to take the whole vintage vehicle, not just the door or the bumper, so I’m amassing quite the old car collection at my parent’s farm,” he chuckles.
Holt is quick to give credit to his fiancé Vanessa Wesolowski who works full time now. “She looks after all my business affairs, allowing me to focus full-time on my art. She’s a huge help.”
Holt indicated that about 60 percent of his work is custom orders. So the next time you look at that old vehicle or farm equipment in your yard or the house that’s fallen into ruins, look closer. Maybe there is a piece of vintage art that Brad Holt can create for your family.
For more examples of his unique work, check out holtfineart.com
