Quinten James has a lifelong connection to The Holland Theatre. He and his siblings watched movies there when they were children. Then he witnessed the efforts that went into saving the historic building and, more recently, renovating it back to its former glory. And he’s been technical director at the theatre for over a decade.
It’s not surprising, then, that he let the structure inspire his entry for the Logan County Art League’s Not So Bad Art by Good People (NSBA) contest.
“I have been in love with The Holland since I was very young,” James stated. In fact, he grew up just a few blocks from there.
James credits his participation in the NSBA annual fundraiser to his mom, Pam, who encouraged him to be a part. Well, maybe more than encouraged.
“I wasn’t exactly asked,” James admitted. “My mom informed me I was doing it. But, in all seriousness, I’m very glad to be participating.”
It took him a while to decide what medium to use, originally planning to go with mixed media. Eventually, though, James landed on hand-built pottery, using a Cricut machine to cut out his own stencils.
This was also the first time James used a process his friend and pottery teacher, Thelma Matthews, calls “fussy” glazing in finishing the project.
“Instead of just using a brush, I created vinyl stencils. If I were to do a similar project in the future, I now know how to make the edges come out cleaner.”
He also collects Delft pottery from the Netherlands and he wanted the piece to resemble that look. The result is a small blue and white representation of The Holland Theatre.
A 2006 graduate of Bellefontaine High School, James’ interest in theatre was piqued when his sister Ashley told her drama teacher, Kris Swisher, he would help with the technical aspect of an upcoming production.
He was also part of WBCS and took TV production classes with teacher Jere Daniels. Later, James explored his passion and expanded his knowledge through classes at Hocking College.
Besides his work at The Holland, James serves as a support specialist at RTC where, he admits, “every day is different, but what remains the same is that I assist adults with disabilities to obtain their life and work goals.”
As far as his art project, James said he’s thankful to see his efforts result in a piece that reflects his vision. And, in the end, he was glad to create something to represent such an important part of his life.
The Not So Bad Art by Good People contest once again gathered art work by local celebrities to raise money for the Logan County Art League. Each piece is on display at Citizens Federal Savings & Loan, 100 N. Main Street, Bellefontaine, weekdays during bank lobby hours until Friday, Jan. 31.
People can vote on their favorite(s) by putting money ($1=one vote) in the artist’s box next to the particular piece.
This year’s winner will be announced at the celebration event and dinner, which starts at 5 p.m. Jan. 31 at Honey Birch Farm, 550 E. Township Road 30, West Liberty. After the dinner, each of the works of art will be auctioned off. All proceeds from the votes and the auction will go to the art league.