A lot to be thankful for...

A lot to be thankful for

I don’t know about you, but I feel like this fall has flown by like no other. Sporting events, kids activities, 6 art shows and a pace that seems to be getting faster as the holidays approach. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it offers the chance to slow down, pause and take note of the many reasons we all have to be thankful. I hope we all will have a chance to reflect on what you’re grateful for the coming week and beyond.


SC Juried Arts Competition

My 48x48” oil painting, Standing Ground, was recently included in the 40th Annual South Carolina Juried Arts Competition. The painting will be on display at the Pickens County Museum through December 16th. I hope you can stop by and see the show!


Across the Blue Ridge 2023 Calendar

This fall, I’ve traveled to cities and towns across the Blue Ridge Mountains of North and South Carolina to show my latest series of oil paintings that include landscapes, flora and fauna from Across the Blue Ridge. Enjoy a different painting each month in 2023 with my latest wall calendar, which features 12 of my favorite pieces. Get yours today!


Sacred Grove gift to CCES

When my high school hosted world-renowned sculptor, Patrick Dougherty in 2020, I was proud of my alma mater for seeing the value in hosting an artist that would collaborate with the entire school community to create a series of really cool pieces of art.

Dougherty’s stickwork sculptures and visit may have appeared to some as an extravagance, but I think it was anything but. Building the structures flexed the critical muscles of creative problem solving and community building mixed with some engineering and imagination. In our ever-changing and more complex world, who can say these skills are not necessities?

While I was asked to loan a painting to the school to decorate a newly remodeled meeting space, my digital painting titled, Sacred Grove is a gift to the school. While the structures of Sacred Grove are by design, temporary, my hope is that this piece will be a lasting reminder of the project and the school community they helped bring together.


Craig Ragsdale