Huntsville United Methodist Church Rev. Bryan Meadows embarked on his first artistic journey for the Not So Bad Art By Good People Contest for 2020.
Meadows crafted a bourbon barrel coffee table as his piece for the contest.
When asked to be in this year’s art program, Meadows said he laughed.
“I readily tell people, ‘I’m allergic to arts and crafts,’” he said. “That said, I thought it would be fun to participate, and I wanted to help and support the Logan County Art League. They do a lot of good in our community.”
Meadows said despite his entry into the contest, he’s not much of an artist.
“I’m not very good at drawing or painting, so I couldn’t do that. When I was in high school art class, my teacher suggested that I leave the pottery wheel alone. It was an act of mercy on her behalf.”
But he found his way into woodworking through talking with his wife and some friends about the event.
“I’m hardly a woodworker, but I do enjoy those types of projects,” he said. “After some thought and consideration, the idea was brought to me to make a bourbon barrel coffee table. We found a barrel that had come from the Four Roses Bourbon Distillery in Kentucky. I reached out my good friend, Dr. Doug Lindsey, who has a woodshop and who could mentor me through the assignment. We would get together a couple times a week in the evenings to work on it, and over the course of about six weeks, I was able to wrap it up.”
The end result is made of oak wood and pine wood.
Meadows said he wanted the project to be practical and also a reflection of “how the men and women in the trades professions actually create pieces of art every day.”
“Whether it’s putting down flooring and tile, or carpentry; from welding and electric, to plumbing and fabricating, these folks are asked to make things that are functional, and at the same time, they need to beautiful. By the time they’re done, we often times refer to their work as ‘art,'” he said.
For it being the first time Meadows tapped into his artistic woodworking side for the Not So Bad Art By Good People Contest, he said he had a blast.
“It’s intrinsically rewarding to know that it’ll go to the art league and support our Logan County community,” he said. “We’re fortunate to live in such an area as this. It’s a great place to live, raise a family and work. Between the revitalization taking place in Bellefontaine and Logan County and the rise in our arts scene, especially at the Holland Theater; to sitting in the heart of a science based industry with the automotive sector, and being blessed with recreational pursuits between Indian Lake and Mad River Mountain, what a blessing it is to give back in this way. Thanks be to God!”