An Artist’s Eye

Eric Strauss (‘85) 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.

“It hasn’t always been easy, but I have really worked hard and that is the key,” he said. “It has taken an amazing amount of effort, persistence, drive, enthusiasm and being in the right place at the right time,” he said as he explained how his career blossomed after Fay Gold, the legendary Atlanta art dealer and gallery owner, began showing his pieces. “I used to call myself the low end of the high end art world, but after putting my work on exhibit in Gold’s gallery, my lowest work was selling from $2,200 to $20,000 and that was within five years of my leaving Georgia Southern.”

The sculptor entered college as a business major because he expected to one day run his father’s manufacturing company. Nevertheless, a class in photography led to a startling discovery that changed his life. “My photography class was across from the Sculpture Department and they always kept that door shut to keep the dust down,” he said. “Toward 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.”

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’s scrapyard.

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.

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

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. “The 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’t know it then,” he said. “It took me years to discover it, and come back and say ‘wow’ I now know what they were talking about then.”

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. “I am not a traditional blacksmith because I was not trained as one,” he said. “I use their technique but because I’m from the fine arts world, I think a little differently than they. It has helped me to diversify and build a whole new career.”

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. “My 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’s eye.” – Sandra Bennett