Brad Holt is a lifelong resident of Cedar City and a graduate of Cedar City High School and Southern Utah University. He learned the mechanics of painting from the prominent Southern Utah painter Jim Jones, who was a friend of Brad's parents.

Brad knew he would become an artist when, at a very young age, he saw a photo of a painting by Salvador Dali. Brad was electrified. He said of the experience, "I realized at once that this was of overwhelming importance--this was not simply a visual image. It was a higher language which transcended the mundane and spoke directly to the soul."