the CCAL
- Oct 13, 2023
- 4 min read

October Message from Our President

October 2023 President’s Letter

Greetings, everyone!

The changing of the season is finally here. We are enjoying the cooler temperatures as well as opportunities to witness the change in our landscape as the leaves start to change color. I hope you can enjoy the Fall season and let it inspire some of your artwork.

We had record attendance at our September meeting! Including our Zoom participants, we had 81 people in attendance. Our very own Vic Shuler gave a wonderful presentation that was very inspiring to all of us. It was great to see everyone again after having a break over the summer.

I look forward to our members’ meeting on Monday, October 16, 2023, at 6:00pm. Come a bit early at 5:15 for light refreshments and to socialize. We will also offer Zoom for those who are not able to attend in person. I hope you will join us as we hear from our presenter, Michael Story, who will discuss and demonstrate the key fundamentals for mastering color. For more information about Michael and his presentation, please visit our website.

The speaker for our November members’ meeting will be Rick Rhodes. Rick will give pointers for artists on the basics for photographing their artwork as well as talk in detail about the digital image and what makes a quality image. Rick will also be at Crooked Creek Park early to shoot photographs of your flat artwork as a service to you. The charge will be $30 per painting. Please check our website for more information if you would like to participate.

General information and reminders you might need to know:

Reminder to renew your membership if you haven’t done so already. Also, consider contributing an extra financial gift to the League to support ongoing operations.
Thank you to those who responded to our Member Survey. The board is reviewing responses and hopes to implement some of your suggestions.
Our TAP Gallery theme for October is “Warmth of the Sun.” If you would like to participate in our monthly themed contest, please bring your artwork, along with your gallery wall label, to Monday’s meeting. The artwork will be displayed in the atrium at Crooked Creek Park until our November meeting. For artwork, only original works are permitted, no prints please.
The deadline to register for the Still Hopes Exhibition is November 21, or until we reach our 50-piece entry limit. All key dates as well as the prospectus can be found on our website.
The Key Dates and Prospectus for our Annual Juried Exhibit have been added to the website. This year will be online only registration beginning Monday, January 22, 2024. The reception will be held on Saturday, March 23, 2024, from 5:00pm-8:00pm. Start planning ahead and mark your calendar for this big event!
The Chapin Fall Art Festival that was scheduled to be held at Mt. Horeb Church this Saturday, October 14th has been cancelled due to the scattered rain forecast and the risk involved with having artwork displayed outdoors.
Upcoming Workshop “Painting Engaging Landscapes in Acrylic” with Vic Shuler on Friday, November 10 – Saturday, November 11. To register, go to our website and look under “Workshops.” You can also check out and register for other workshops coming up soon.
We are always looking for new sponsors for our art league. If you know of any businesses that might consider being a sponsor, please contact our Fundraising Chair Kay Stallings.
Check out the progress of the mural being painted by Nicki Peeples as our latest project for the Chapin Art Trail. You can see the mural on the northern wall at 115 Clark Street in Chapin. Thank you, Nicki, for all your hard work. It’s been fun seeing the mural come alive!
After requesting feedback from the membership last month and discussing any further suggested proposed changes we received, the Board of Directors is ready to bring to the membership its final recommendation of the revised Constitution. A copy of the final revised Constitution will be emailed to the members, and voting will take place at our members’ meeting on November 20, 2023.
The South Carolina State Fair is in full swing now. I hope you will have the opportunity to visit the Fine Arts building to see all the wonderful artwork. Many of our artists have their artwork and photography on display throughout the building. We have several members who took home winning honors this year! Congratulations, everyone!

Gretchen Evans Parker – Best of Division - Professional 2D

Lisa Alberghini – Merit Award - Professional 2D

Robert Shuler – Merit Award - Professional 2D

Olga Yukhno – 1st Place – Professional 3D

Olga Yukhno – 3rd Place – Professional 3D

Harold Blackwood – 1st Place - Professional Photography

Lainie McWilliams – 2nd Place – Amateur Aqua Painting

I look forward to seeing all of you at our meeting this coming Monday. It’s always a joy to be able to gather with people that share a common interest in the arts. I hope you will take the time to greet our visitors and new members and help them to feel a warm welcome to the Crooked Creek Art League.

Sincerely,

Yvonne Beyer,

President, CCAL