CCAL wins at Pastel Society of South Carolina's 2021 Exhibition
CONGRATULATIONS to Al Leitch who was recently awarded 2nd place at the Pastel Society of South Carolina's 2021 Exhibition for his painting "Blue Ridge Barn".
Kudos also go out to Debi Kelly for being awarded Honorable Mention for her piece "Ready for the Show.
See more about the Pastel Society of South Carolina at www.pastelsocietyofsc.com.
About the Artists:
Al Leitch
I was fortunate enough to participate in art programs for high school students at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Mellon University. With engineering and business degrees, I pursued an academic career where: I held endowed professorships, taught thousands of students, published over 60 articles, and coauthored three books.
Inspired by the Hudson River School, I decided to renew my love of art upon retirement upon retirement from USC. I studied under Michael Story and Linda Sheppard, both nationally known artists as well as taking numerous workshops. I have been active in the Columbia art community serving as workshop coordinator, Vice President and President of the Crooked Creek Art League. In addition to showing my work in numerous shows in Columbia, where I won several awards, and in Charleston; I was juried into the Southeastern Pastel Society's 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th International Exhibits in Atlanta; the Southeastern Pastel Society’s Visual Arts Center Exhibition in Roswell, GA; the Appalachian Pastel Society's 2018 Show; and Artfields 2017. I participated in a six-person show at the Center for the Arts at USC Beaufort, in my reunion's 2017 Art Exhibit at Cornell University and recently in the Art Market at the Historic Honey Horn in Hilton Head. I was recently attained Member of Excellence status for the Southeastern Pastel Society and was just juried into the American Pastel Society as an Associate Member. Many of my paintings are on display Palmetto Fine Arts in Chapin, The Custom Framer in Lexington and at the Village Artists Gallery in Columbia where I am a member.
You can see more of Al's work in his gallery on this website by clicking HERE. You can also view his art and make purchases on his website at alleitchart.com.
You can reach Al by clicking HERE.
Debra K. Kelly
Debra Kelly’s roots run deep in South Carolina and the local community. She grew up on a family farm in the Dutch Fork area and currently resides in Chapin with her husband, Henry, and two “studio” cats.
Her subject matter often includes rural and coastal landscapes, wildlife, classic cars/trucks and old equipment and buildings. She incorporates liberal touches of color, texture, angles, and detailed drawing in order to capture movement and “life” in her paintings. While she works primarily in the pastel medium, she also utilizes acrylics and oils, as well as unusual surfaces, such as wood and metal, to compliment her subject matter. It is precisely the unseen structure/bones as well as the planes/angles in a piece that builds her canvas and captures the eye.
Debra is currently a “Member of Excellence” of the Southeastern Pastel Society in Atlanta and an Associate Member of the Pastel Society of America in New York. She is also a member of the Pastel Society of SC, the National Association of Women Artists and, locally, the Crooked Creek Art League in Chapin. She has been accepted into and received numerous awards in international, regional and local juried shows. Juried shows include ArtFields, Southeastern Pastel Society International and Members Exhibitions, NAWA (SC), Pastel Society of NC, Union County Arts Council, Anderson County Arts Center, Spartanburg Art Museum, as well as others. Her work is currently on display at Palmetto Fine Arts in Chapin.
You can see more of her work at this website at https://www.crookedcreekart.org/gallery/debra-k.-kelly and you can contact her at DKellyArt@sc.rr.com.
