Man Of Steel Eric Holt, Who Fashions Scrap Metal Into Art, Among The Artists At Inland Craft Warnings Sale

Eric Holt is 36, and he still skateboards. That should tell you something about his art.

So should the fact that the studio behind his house on West 29th Avenue is littered with surfing pictures and punk-rock posters.

But before you jump to conclusions, take a look at the ruggedly delicate teapots, vases and candle holders he fashions out of scrap steel. Because behind the baggy shorts and tattooed arms is the soul of an artist - even if Holt doesn’t have the MFA degree to prove it.

Holt’s work and that of 53 other artists will be exhibited and sold this weekend during the 17th edition of Inland Craft Warnings.

Among the artwork on display will be jewelry, ceramics, photography, fiber art, glass, carved stone, basketry, woodwork and leather.

The annual three-day juried event takes place in Bay 3 at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, 404 N. Havana.

It begins Friday night with an intimate piano performance by Kendall Feeney, artistic director of the Zephyr 20th century music concert series. Admission to Friday’s concert and 6 to 9 p.m. preview sale is $25.

The sale continues Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., when admission drops to $4.

This year’s Inland Craft Warnings features 20 new faces from throughout the Northwest.

Holt was invited to apply after organizers saw his work at Cheney Cowles Museum’s ArtFest in June.

The fact that he was accepted must have felt like a vindication of sorts.

“When I first got into this a long time ago,” recalls the California transplant, “a (professional artist) friend told me people would never take me seriously unless I had a master’s degree in art.

“But I kind of reject that notion,” says Holt. “I find (other artists) are quite friendly and open to me. You don’t have to go to school to know what you like - the minute you see something, you know. And a lot of people tell me they like my work.”

The first artwork Holt created was a copper-pipe plant holder - a gift for his wife, Maria.

“I remember being incredibly pleased with how well it turned out,” Holt says. “Everyone else said, `You should sell this stuff.’ So I made more things out of copper and put them in San Francisco stores. And they sold like crazy.”

It wasn’t coincidence that Holt chose cutting, bending, welding and grinding metal as a creative outlet. His father worked with metal in the construction trade, “and as soon as I was old enough, he put me to work.”

Holt says he spent his post-high school years “chasing waves” and working in construction.

After he and Maria’s second child arrived, the couple decided to move somewhere they’d feel more comfortable sending their children to public school. They chose Spokane.

Eric is the full-time parent during the day. When Maria returns home from her commodities-trading job, they switch roles and Eric heads out back to wrestle metal until midnight.

The medium is not without risk. “I’ve had metal fragments picked out of my eyeball,” says Holt. “Lots of cuts and burns. There’s definitely a lot of hazards, but somehow I’m drawn to it. I love working with metal.”

The best thing about being an artist, Holt says, is “starting with an idea in your head, going through the whole process, winding up with the actual thing, and then hearing good reactions.”

And the worst thing?

“The erratic income,” he says. “It’s tough having a table sit in a store for a year waiting for the right person to come along and buy it.”

Holt’s prices range from as little as $25 for a candle holder to $1,000 for a coffee table.

And each piece is unique. “Even if I tried to make two identical things, their textures and finish would be different. When you’re working with welding and chemical reactions, you get what you get.”

Lately, Holt has taken on more commissions. “People see something I’ve done and get their own ideas. That’s how I got into garden art,” such as the 3-foot-tall sunflower cluster he’ll bring to Inland Craft Warnings.

Holt finally took his first college art course last fall - an introduction to art offered at Spokane Falls Community College.

“I really got into it,” he says. But don’t expect him to start working toward that master’s degree anytime soon.

“I almost feel being untrained forces me to tap into my own creativity more,” he says. “Not studying other people’s work allows me to be a little bit more free in my approach.”

Holt says calling himself an artist when he lacks formal art training “still sounds funny to me.

“But I guess I’m as much an artist now as I’m ever going to be.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: EXHIBIT Inland Craft Warnings Inland Craft Warnings begins its three-day exhibit and sale at the Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. with a benefit concert by Kendall Feeney. Tickets are $25. The sale continues from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, when admission is $4. Artists will demonstrate skills both days. For more information, call 466-2973.