Tom Holder
painting

Chair

Office: HFA 155
702. 895. 1396
thomas.holder@unlv.edu

Website: thomasholder.com

I had always regarded the desert as a place one should drive through at night to avoid its heat, since there was nothing to see anyway. To imagine living in its arid vacuum would simply be out of the question. The Mojave, which has been called the definitive American desert, it hot, vast, dry and empty--not exactly what you would call endearing qualities. To appreciate it at any level we are forced to look. Looking is what artists do. Invariably it makes us change our minds.

My recent paintings are inspired by landforms found in desert regions, particularly in the vicinity of Death Valley, where the visual evidence of geologic activity is not obscured by vegetation or manmade structures. Intriguing names such as, Bad water Basun, Cottonball Marsh, Deadman Creek and Dirty Sock Springs conjure up images which eventually find their way into my paintings as well as information derived from aerial photographs and topographic maps.

MFA, University of Washington
BA, San Diego State University

 

Selected Exhibitions

2005
"Tom Holder, Bill Leaf," two-person exhibition; Southern Nevada Museum of Art; Henderson, NV "Nevada Triennial," Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV (Invitational, catalogue).
"Mojave," an exhibition of recent work; Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV (solo exhibition, catalogue).

2003
"BOSS," Juried Exhibition; Clark County Parks and Community Services; Las Vegas, NV
"Annual Juried Exhibition," Contemporary Arts Collective; Las Vegas, NV. juror: Steven High, Director, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV

2002
"Faculty Exhibition," Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV

1999
Y2Khaos, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1998
H2O, Small Works Gallery, Las Vegas, NV

1997
Tom Holder, Recent Works, Richard E. Beasley Art Museum and Gallery, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ Five Easy Pieces, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1996
Tom Holder, Past and Present, Retrospective, Barrick Museum, UNLV, Las Vegas, NV
Tom Holder, Paintings and Drawings, Fire and Water Gallery, Boulder City, NV
Pushing the Envelope, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV
ABSOLUT Las Vegas Invitational, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1995
art3, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1994
Las Vegas, U.S.A., Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1993
Zooid, Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV

1992
Brendan Walter Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
Solo exhibit, Northern Arizona University Art Museum, Flagstaff, AZ

1991
UNLV Faculty Invitational, Harris Fine Art Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT Solo exhibit, Brenau College, Gainesville, GA
Tom Holder–Recent Work, Pensacola Art Museum, Pensacola, FL

1990
Solo exhibit, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA

1989
Breneau College National Invitational, Breneau, GA

1988
Faculty Exhibition, UNR/UNLV, Sheppard Art Gallery, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

1987
11th Annual National Drawing Exhibition, Norman R. Eppink Art Gallery, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

1986
Nevada Biennial: Nevada's Contemporary Artists, Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV and Alta Ham Fine Arts Gallery, Las Vegas, NV

1985
Recent Work by Tom Holder, Sierra Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV

Selected Corporate and Public Collections

KNPR, Las Vegas, NV
SITEL Corporation, Omaha, NE
Harrahs Hotel & Casino, Reno, NV
Harrahs Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
JMA Architecture Studios, Las Vegas, NV
McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, NV
Rio Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Household Credit Services, Las Vegas, NV
Nevada Institute for Contemporary Art, Las Vegas, NV
Brenau College, Gainesville, GA
Bank of America, Nevada
Wells Fargo Bank, Nevada
International Athletic Club, Kansas City, KS
Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, NV
State Capitol Building, Carson City, NV
City of Las Vegas, former CETA bldg. Las Vegas, NV
Pacific Northwest Bell, Seattle
San Diego Museum of Art, San Diego, CA
Sea-Tac International Airport, Seattle, WA
Metoro-media Corp. Los Angeles, CA

 

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