Frank Holder, a Lewisville artist who could turn pipe wrenches into grasshoppers and tractor rims into chickens, died Wednesday at his home. He was 78.
Holder was known for his metal sculptures, many of which were made from oil drums, rusted machine parts and old farm equipment. The sculptures were mostly whimsical and included towering daffodils, a 22-foot whale that spouted every few minutes and golfers made of horse-shoe nails.
Joe Marion, who lived next to Holder for more than 45 years, owns several of Holder's sculptures.
"He used to say, ‘If you leave something out here long enough, I'll make something of it.' He could see anything and create something out of it," Marion said.
Several of the pieces that Marion owns, including a mail box designed to look like a spider, and giant sunflowers, are visible to passers-by on U.S. 421 North.
"That spider mailbox has been photographed by people from all over the country," Marion said.
Holder, a graduate of Lewisville High School, was a welder at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. for several years. Near the end of his career there, he started to fashion small figures from nails, according to a 1998 Journal story about Holder.
"When you find something you can recycle into a form, it makes the form go easy, and it makes it look good, too," he said at the time.
Later, Holder began to experiment with industrial materials. His sculptures caught the eye of gallery owners.
Millicent Greason, the owner of Urban Artware on Sixth Street, has carried Holder's work for years.
"He was just a magical person," she said. "He was so motivated and just had a great sense of design and a wonderful sense of humor, which came through in his work."
Some of Holder's most fanciful creatures were on display at the end of his driveway. He created a fantastical world of metallic dinosaurs, a roadrunner, grasshopper and mermaid in an arid landscape with sand and boulders.
His driveway sculptures earned him a listing in Self-Made Worlds, a book about some of the most important art environments made by people around the world.
Holder was an active member of the Lewisville Area Arts Council. Two of his pieces were donated to the new Lewisville Library on Shallowford Road.
Friends called Holder a humble and quiet person.
"He was down-to-earth and would do anything for you," Marion said.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
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