H. T. Holden

Harold T. Holden bio

“A man who can make his living doing what he loves is truly blessed and I consider myself to be one of those men”, says Harold T. Holden, or H as he is called by many. The first fine artist in his family, H grew up in Enid, Oklahoma in a creative family that counted among its members inventors, engineers and horsemen.
“My subject matter has always been the west. That is what inspires me and that is what I want to capture in my art”.
H’s art career began after he attended Oklahoma State University and graduated from the Texas Academy of Art in Houston. He began in the commercial art field and eventually took the position of art director at Horseman Magazine. In 1973 H made the leap to full time artist and commissions from the National Cattlemen’s Association from 1982-1986 helped along the way. His work is included in the Museum collections of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Oklahoma State Capitol, the Ranching Heritage Museum in Lubbock, Texas, the Whitney Gallery at the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming and the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. . In addition to private and Museum collectors, H has completed 22 pieces of public art in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Arkansas.
He is known for his attention to detail and particularly his sculptures of horses. Believing that an artist should know his subject matter, he has raised and raced American Quarter Horses and stays close to the cowboy and ranching way of life.
H received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oklahoma Sculpture Society in 2000 and was inducted into the Mountain Oyster Club as a lifetime member that same year. In 2001, H received the Governor’s Art Award from Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating and in 2005 he was honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University. In 2004 he was elected into Professional Membership in the National Sculpture Society and received the Western Artist of the Year award from the Academy of Western Artists. The Cowboy Culture Award was presented to H in 2010 and in 2012 he was elected into membership in the Cowboy Artists of America. In 2014 he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the highest honor the state of Oklahoma can bestow.

H and his wife Edna Mae live near Kremlin, Oklahoma.

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