{"id":4673,"date":"2013-12-12T14:19:56","date_gmt":"2013-12-12T19:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/dev-mag\/?p=1337"},"modified":"2016-02-02T12:03:25","modified_gmt":"2016-02-02T17:03:25","slug":"an-artists-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/2013\/12\/12\/an-artists-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"An Artist\u2019s Eye"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Artist\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eric Strauss (\u201885) is an artist who knew he had passion and talent; however, when he graduated from Georgia Southern, he was unsure if he would ever make a living as a full-time metal sculptor. Fast-forward to 2013, when Strauss is in demand as an artist commissioned by clients to create original works that can cost tens of thousands of dollars.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t always been easy, but I have really worked hard and that is the key,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has taken an amazing amount of effort, persistence, drive, enthusiasm and being in the right place at the right time,\u201d he said as he explained how his career blossomed after Fay Gold, the legendary Atlanta art dealer and gallery owner, began showing his pieces. \u201cI used to call myself the low end of the high end art world, but after putting my work on exhibit in Gold\u2019s gallery, my lowest work was selling from $2,200 to $20,000 and that was within five years of my leaving Georgia Southern.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sculptor entered college as a business major because he expected to one day run his father\u2019s manufacturing company. Nevertheless, a class in photography led to a startling discovery that changed his life. \u201cMy photography class was across from the Sculpture Department and they always kept that door shut to keep the dust down,\u201d he said. \u201cToward the end of the year, I opened the door, and saw this wonderful chaotic feast of materials and tools. What I saw spoke to me; it called me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an instant, Strauss was drawn into the worlds of metal, fire, hammers and welding. After he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in bronze casting and ceramics, he studied in Italy and apprenticed for two years with Caroline Montague, the Georgia sculptor known for her monumental stainless steel and wall sculptures. Eventually, Strauss opened his own studio in Atlanta, and made art from scrap metal he foraged from his uncle\u2019s scrapyard.<\/p>\n

He has exhibited in Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, California, Arizona, New Mexico and several other states. Today, his pieces can be found in museums, companies, schools and the collections of private collectors such as legendary musician Elton John and a founder of Home Depot.<\/p>\n

\u201cElton John saw my work in an Atlanta gallery and he bought a few pieces,\u201d said Strauss who estimates his art has also helped raise at least $400,000 in almost 30 years. \u201cI do a lot of charity work because it is the only way I can give back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Looking back at his career, Strauss said if not for University teachers like Professor Emeritus Pat Steadman he would not have made it as a full-time sculptor. \u201cThe whole way I create, I credit to my education at Georgia Southern; more than just the technical skills of how to weld and how to grind, the professors were great and really molded me to what I am today. I didn\u2019t know it then,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took me years to discover it, and come back and say \u2018wow\u2019 I now know what they were talking about then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Currently he employs contemporary blacksmithing techniques such as forging to assemble many of his pieces, which can range in size from a small ornamental leaf to a 15-foot sculpture. \u201cI am not a traditional blacksmith because I was not trained as one,\u201d he said. \u201cI use their technique but because I\u2019m from the fine arts world, I think a little differently than they. It has helped me to diversify and build a whole new career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strauss grew up in Atlanta and currently lives on a small blueberry farm in the Chattahoochee Forest in Ellijay with his wife and two children. Living at the foot of the Smoky Mountains inspires his creativity. \u201cMy work is organic and I am constantly surrounded by nature. I live in it, I live with it and my kids grow up in it… I just love it. I look at everything through an artist\u2019s eye.\u201d – Sandra Bennett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How a Closed Door Changed a Sculptor\u2019s Life<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4590,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[42],"class_list":["post-4673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-fall-2013"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ww2.georgiasouthern.edu\/news\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}