A Bellefontaine business owner and art aficionado honed his ceramics skills over a three-month period under the expert guidance of a close friend to create a unique and specialty two-sided vase for the 2022 Not So Bad Art by Good People Contest.
Tyler Berry, a 2017 Benjamin Logan High School graduate, said he was excited to be nominated as one of eight artists to participate in the Logan County Art League’s fifth annual fundraiser.
The project pairs local “celebrities” with professional artists from the Art League to assist them through the process. Berry said selecting Cracked Pot Studios owner Thelma Matthews as his mentor for the endeavor was a natural fit.
“Thelma has been a huge part of my life for so long now, and I really loved having her guidance and spending time with her on this project,” the owner of The Olive Tree said Wednesday, noting that he has enjoyed selling pieces created by Matthews at his 121 W. Chillicothe Ave. storefront.
Berry’s business also is the site of voting for the Not So Bad Art By Good People initiative throughout this month, with the art on display through Feb. 5.
Community members are invited to view the art and cast their votes each week from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Voting costs $1 per vote, and there are no restrictions on the number of times a person can vote.
The winner of the community vote will be announced at a celebration event planned for Feb. 5, and that individual will receive a special trophy inscribed with his or her name.
Following his graduation from BLHS, Berry said he participated in the Young Americans program for two years and lived in California during that time. It was there that he began making connections with out-of-state artists, whose products he sells at The Olive Tree.
Then after moving back home to Bellefontaine, the contest participant said he began his tea business, Loosen Up Tea Company, about four years ago. Through participating in the Logan County Farmers’ Market with the tea company, he forged new relationships with other artisans and producers in the area.
He opened The Olive Tree in June of 2020 as a part retail store and a café. From the Farmers’ Market friendships and connections, he was able to feature additional unique products in the store, thus the “olive tree” name with the many roots and branches.
Berry is now phasing out the retail store portion of the business, and beginning Jan. 11, The Olive Tree will operate as a double-sided café during the day and an after hours event center.
In the midst of the changes taking shape at his business, the 23-year-old said he enjoyed putting in a number of hours in Matthews’ studio to create his ceramic piece.
He said he wanted to buck the trend that art needs to be functional and create a piece that someone might not use every day. However, his freeform vase does hold water, and fittingly, he had a tree trunk idea in mind when creating the piece, but said the design is open to interpretation.
“I had one person who told me it reminded them of a pair of lungs,” he said. “It was picturing a vase that has two sides being ripped apart.”
Matthews guided him as he made two cylinders and created intricate connected pieces between the two sides. Berry glazed the inside of the piece, and then used an iron oxide on the outside to create a unique coloration. Making the numerous divets all over the outer portion was a time-consuming process as well.
With the fragile nature of the piece, Berry related that Matthews was a little concerned that his vase might break while in the kiln, but thankfully, it held up and now it is proudly displayed alongside the other entries in the contest.
All of the works of art will auctioned off Feb. 5, with proceeds supporting the activities of the Logan County Art League. Tickets are required for food and drinks being served from 5 to 6 p.m. that evening. Then the public is invited to attend the auction at 6 p.m. and participate free of charge.
The fellow participating artists are: Laura Haverkos and Humberto Nieto from The Flying Pepper; Alysia Kuba from PeachTree; the Rev. Steve Merrin from First United Presbyterian Church; Addy Passaro from Homegrown Yoga; Eddie Scipio, dean of the Auburn Avenue Baptist Church; and Kyle Springs of Zimmerman Realty.
Several special events also will be hosted at The Olive Tree throughout this month. On the evenings of Jan. 7 and Jan. 21, an Evening of Art, Wine, and Music are planned from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets for the events are available at The Olive Tree.
Also, the Art League will conduct free Open Studios at The Olive Tree on all Wednesdays in January and February from 4 to 6 p.m.
Many companies have donated to support of Not So Bad Art By Good People. These sponsors include: Me & Company, Zimmerman Realty, Alan Galvez Insurance, Cracked Pot Studio, Duff Quarry, Inc., Liberty National Bank, Logan County Electric Cooperative, Mary Rutan Hospital Foundation and Royer Realty.