Forging a future
By Tamar Russell - August 2, 2007
Serendipity. Anthony Holand was spending a summer on the Vineyard after graduating from college in 1997, when he noticed a newspaper ad for a sculptor's apprentice.
A native of Columbia River Valley, Washington State, Mr. Holand grew up on a farm where, between harvesting time on the family farm, he would create art from pieces of metal. Long before he thought about art school, he sculpted with Legos® staying up late at night, when he should have been sleeping. In high school, he welded farm machinery into art.
Anthony Holand examines his "School of Fish" one of a series of limited edition pieces. Photos by Jon Ollwerther
At Columbia Basin College, Holand began studying art. His work with found objects and stainless steel evolved into lost-wax bronze castings. Although he received encouragement from his father (head of the business program at Columbia Basin College) about pursuing a career in art, his mother thought a career in business would be more practical. "According to Mom, I needed to get a real job," Holand admits, explaining his decision to pursue a degree in business.
He first visited Martha's Vineyard in 1996 while still in school. A year later, after his second college summer on-Island, he responded to the advertisement for a sculptor's assistant to work on designing and making weathervanes from concept to creation. It seemed a perfect match for Holand, and out of the 15 applicants who interviewed for the apprenticeship, it was he who was hired by master craftsman Travis Tuck to work in the studio he had opened in 1974.
Mr. Tuck made a weathervane prop for the movie Jaws when it was being filmed on the Vineyard, and his business began from there, going on to earn reputation that extends beyond the Island.
Holand worked with Mr. Tuck close to five years, a period in which he crafted and consulted on over 40 custom weathervanes, including the largest full-bodied weathervane in the world: the Nittany Lion that sits over Penn State's Beaver Stadium.
Using the repoussé technique, Holand hammers on the reverse side of the copper.
In 2002, Mr. Tuck, who realized he had mesophelioma, a terminal disease, renamed his enterprise "Tuck & Holand Metal Sculptors," in recognition of his Holand's contribution to his success.
"It all worked out, and from him I learned a business sense as well as different techniques," Holand says.
He begins with a flat copper sheet, and handcrafts pieces that will become heirlooms, lasting for generations. Admitting he is a person who learns best by doing, Holand says, "One specific thing I learned from Travis was the traditional copper Repoussé technique." The name of the technique is a French term literally meaning to hammer from behind.
Working on a large stump pulled from Beetlebung Corner, he sets a block wood on it that is curved inward like a bowl. When a metal piece is ready to be shaped, he places it on the concave shape and hammers it from its reverse side to create the shape. The end result is a relief that will then be attached to the rest of the wind wane.
Another technique he employs on nearly every piece is annealing - a process used to make metals malleable. First heat is applied to the metal, then water is thrust upon it, to quench the heat, which makes it more malleable. Then as the metal is shaped, it hardens. Malleability is essential to manipulate metals into shapes that are visually simple but endlessly interesting.
At the time of his death in late 2002, Mr. Tuck had commitments for projects well into a year and a half. Clients were beckoning at the door. To this day, Holand has projects lined up through 2009.
One of Tuck and Holand's signature pieces.
As the projects go from concept to creation, he concentrates heavily on the initial drawings. A good example is a weathervane composed of two figures, which sits in the front window of the shop. The idea was given to him by a client, and after multiple attempts he came up with figures that make the viewers smile.
During the evolution of a piece, Mr. Holand becomes acquainted with its future owners, which helps him shape artwork that in many cases will become a part of the family's valued possessions for generations.
The Vineyard Haven resident's goals include crafting some larger pieces and creating a more extensive collection of limited edition pieces. He was chosen by Community Services to create a memorial sculpture in recognition of Art Buchwald's contributions. Closer to home, Islanders can meet him and view his work at his booth at the Ag Fair in West Tisbury this month.
Not only did he find work that he loves, but in coming to the Island he also met, pursued, fell in love with and married Dawn Bellante, general manager of Martha's Vineyard Online. The couple's home is attached to Mr. Holand's studio.
"This job makes it easier to get up in the morning," Mr. Holand says, smiling. He is calm, content and thrilled to be in his position. "I am doing what my father always wanted to do."
Tamar Russell works on The Times graphic production staff and is a frequent contributor to the special sections.
