She thought she was going to learn more about art, and she did … but not in the way she expected. When West Liberty resident Cindy Plank accepted Jean Frick’s invitation to attend a Logan County Art League meeting, she expected she’d be walking into a painting workshop. Instead, she ended up in the middle of a Not So Bad Art by Good People (NSBA) fundraiser discussion.
“‘Oh,’ I said when I realized what it was, ‘you don’t want me,’ and they said they want people just like me,” Plank recalled. “So I asked if I could do pottery, and they said yes.”
A former eighth- and ninth-grade science teacher for Bellefontaine City Schools, Plank started working part-time at Nest 1896 after retiring, where she also has a booth for painted furniture. And she happened to be there when Frick brought in a few art league paintings for display at the boutique. One thing led to another and, next thing Plank knew, she was one of the league’s good people.
Though Plank does some painting at home, her main artistic expression flows through working clay at Cracked Pot Studios in Union Station. A two-part handbuild class gave her the opportunity to create something for NSBA—seven Christmas trees of varying sizes for a display she titled, “Winter Blessings.”
“I added stars to mine, which I painted by hand,” Plank said. “Some are green, but the others didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted, but that happens with pottery when you glaze with paint. They’re more of a whitish-brown.”
Plank gives much of the credit to Cracked Pot and its owner, Thelma Matthews, who she describes as “a great person to bounce ideas off of,” and someone who proved helpful in directing Plank to get the best out of her project. She also appreciated everything she picked up from the handbuild workshop instructor, Caitlyn Silva.
And while Plank certainly hopes her trees fetch a good price for the Art League at the auction on Jan. 27, she mostly hopes to join the league and become more active with her art.
“I like to think I’m artistic,” she said. “I don’t consider myself an artist, but I find it very relaxing.”
You can see Plank’s pottery on display — along with the creations of eight other not-so-bad artists — at Citizens Federal Savings & Loan, 100 N. Main St., Bellefontaine, through Friday, Jan. 27. In that time, people can support their favorite works of art for a dollar a vote.
The winner will be announced at a dinner Jan. 27 at the Bellefontaine VFW, 216 Orchard Ave., followed by the auction. All proceeds will go to the Logan County Art League.
For more information, visit logancountyartleague.org. You can also find the league on Facebook.