| Eldon Holmes poses with his sculptures and metal silhouettes. |
Eldon Holmes is a natural born artist. Other than art classes in high school and a correspondence art course, he hasn’t received any formal art training. His interest in art probably began during his school years. He enjoyed drawing muscle cars. His high school teachers relied on his abilities to help them with visual aids.
Eldon enjoys drawing cartoons. His cartoons have been printed in the Emery County Progress and the Western Horseman. Many cartoons have also popped up at the power plants and doctor’s offices. Many people and organizations have called on him for T-shirt designs or artwork for book and magazine covers. He also did drawings for a coloring book for RJ the Clown.
In 1994, Eldon decided to try his hand at sculpting. He attended art shows and researched sculptors and their styles. He went to work on his first sculpture titled “The Dance.” His second piece, “Gone Fishing” gives the illusion of the Indian being in the water. The “Hunter” is the title he gave to his third statue. He also jokingly refers to this piece as the “Utes and Cougars.” Eldon’s fourth statue is called “The Craftsman.” The Museum of the San Rafael has recently purchased one of these statues and has it, as well as some of the other pieces, on display in the museum.
Eldon entered his statues in the Emery County Fair where he received blue ribbons for all, as well as three Best of Show ribbons. He also showed them at the Utah State Fair where he received fifth, fourth, and third place ribbons. For the past several years, Eldon has been a part of the Emery County Folk Art Festival.
| Eldon Holmes poses with his piece entitled, “The Hunter.” |
In April of 1996, Eldon was a featured artist at the annual Celebration of Art and Soup at the Salt Palace. He has displayed his statues at schools and was honored to have one displayed at the Utah State Capitol for a while.
In 2004, the Huntington City Beautification Committee approached Eldon and asked him to design a welcome sign for Huntington. He not only came up with the design, he also oversaw and worked on these signs as they became an Eagle Scout project for Caleb Jones and Skylar Carpenter. He also did the artwork you see on the Huntington City afghans.
Eldon has most recently been doing some metal silhouettes. This process requires his art talent, the use of a plasma cutter and his remarkable welding abilities.
Eldon’s desire and dream to become a professional artist lives on. While he is labeled a “natural” he will tell you without hesitation that his ability is definitely a gift that he is grateful for. He is a great example to his wife and children. They are proud of him and his accomplishment. They know that someday his dream will come true.