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Local sign painter recognized in trade magazine
Teresa Holman's work is well known around Nevada, even if it's not known whose work it is. Look at a sign at a Nevada business; if it is hand-painted there is a good chance that Holman painted it. Her work recently was featured in a magazine Auto Art Magazine where she appeared on the cover, in a two-page spread in the middle and on the back cover.
The back cover was actually an advertisement for 1 Shot paint, a brand used by sign painters, which featured Holman using the paint on her projects. Holman even contributed a quote for the ad, "Make it count. Make it last. Do it right."
Holman's first professional job came at the age of 15 when she painted a sign for the Elsmore, Kan., Post Office.
"I was so proud of that, and it's still there," Holman said.
Starting out, painting was something Holman did on a part-time basis.
"Growing up in a small town I found a niche where I could make some extra money while going to college, waiting tables and just trying to get by," Holman said.
Holman said she appreciated the help and encouragement others have given her and she is trying to give encouragement to others.
"Life is full of struggle and people have really helped me when I needed it," Holman said. "I am so blessed to get to do this. I've had some excellent teachers in my life that made a difference and I've had a chance to help mentor a young lady, Heather Jordan. It was such an awesome feeling, such an awesome responsibility but it gave me such a sense of accomplishment."
Another inspiration for Holman came from her mother, who recently died.
"My mom was my cheerleader," Holman said. "I miss her so much. She encouraged me and helped me a lot."
Holman said that hand painted signs were getting rarer with the advent of computer sign programs but she felt that there was something to a hand-painted sign that was lacking in computer-generated ones, something people appreciated more as time passed.
"I'm seeing where this is a dying art," Holman said. "We live in a world of convenience and speed, so people have come to appreciate something made by hand."
Holman said she felt satisfaction from her work that she probably wouldn't experience if she were using computers.
"I like the simplicity of working with my hands," Holman said. "There is a sense of accomplishment when you get finished with something good. It's a feeling you get when you complete something difficult.
Holman works out of her home, a stone-faced house with rounded corners, on North Cedar Street. The design has other unusual features, the front door is very thick and placed within the rough squarish stones facing the fireplace there is one smooth rounded stone. Holman likes the unusual architecture.
"The people that did this really put some thought into it," Holman said. "I like that it has some flair."
Holman's work can be seen on Duffy Concrete trucks, at the White Grill, Precision Aero Services, Village Laundry and many other businesses. Her work is sometimes ephemeral, however. She painted the window lettering on the Country Corner Cafe, which is now unoccupied.