Congratulations to Members Scott McRae & Christer Berg!

Congratulations go out to our own Scott McRae for his photograph "Inner Light 2" which won first place in the 2014 Cary Photographic Artists annual juried exhibition! He also has another image which has been juried into the online gallery for the Center for Photographic Arts in Carmel, CA. This is the second year in a row that an image of his has been accepted.

Inner Light 2 (c) Scott McRae

And another shout out to Christer Berg who received an honorable mention for one of his entries into the Cary Photographic Artists show as well. In case you may have forgotten, Christer took both top prizes at this years NC State Fair. Way to go!!!

For those of us who get to preview so many amazing images month after month, it's no surprise to hear when one of our members receives an award. One of the great benefits of our group is not just the feedback you receive on your work when it's presented, but also what you learn seeing and hearing other members discuss their work.

To be a part of the forum, join the VAE and get involved! Stay tuned for more updates on meetings and events...

Bar-B-Q at Big Al's!

Thanks to all who braved the lousy weather tonight to enjoy everyone's company and the Bar-B-Q at Big Al's. A wonderful time was had by all! We may need to make this a tradition. Thanks to John for setting it up. It was a great way to wind down another eventful year. Stay tuned for more to come!

First Friday & Other News and Notes

Tonight is the last First Friday of the year! Be sure to get out, check out the great art and support your peers. One item of note: there will be an exhibit opening and book signing at 311 West Martin Gallery (immediately next to the Visual Art Exchange) from 6-9pm of the retrospective on Ben Williams. http://www.311westmartinstreetgallery.com/ In true Friday Art Walk form, beer, wine and snacks will be served. If the art can't entice you, the snacks surely will!

The exhibit at 311 West Martin Gallery features Ben’s work as an artist as well as works by some of his most well-known students. It also features a large version of the portrait of him created by our own Christer Berg. (If you've been attending recently you've seen it!) It's also the image that won Best in Show at this years State Fair.

Finally, also a quick reminder about the 6:30 get-together we have this coming Monday evening 12/8 at the Gregg Museum’s temporary space at the Historic Chancellor’s Residence on Hillsborough Street (just east of the bell Tower) to see the exhibit on John Menapace’s work. And afterwards, for those who may also be inclined, we can grab a beer/wine or a beverage of your choice across the street somewhere. Yay!

If you have any questions, just let me know. I hope to see many of you there!

 

Meeting News & Notes

Thanks to everyone who came out to make our (last) official meeting of 2014 a success! We had a great turnout and some terrific images presented as always. Thanks also to everyone who brought refreshment. If you missed it, you missed out! So don't miss the next one on Wednesday January 7th, 2015, 7:00pm at the VAE (309 West Martin Street, Raleigh). Make it a resolution to start the new year on a positive note. Come down, see some great work, join the conversation and get inspired!

Also, we finalized plans for a holiday meeting at Al's Bar-B-Q to celebrate the season as well as our accomplishments this year. We decided on December 9th (this Tuesday!) at 6:30pm. If you could not make the meeting tonight, but would like to join the group at Al's, email me to let me know that you can attend. For directions, and to learn more about Al's, go to: http://bigalsbbqandcatering.com

Now that our blog seems to be functioning more smoothly, this will be the place to keep up with all our goings on. If you have any events, notices, thoughts, suggestions, upcoming exhibits, or any other items of note, Please be sure to pass them along so that they may be posted here. Our hope is that it will turn into a great resource for the group. Be sure to stop back here often.

Once again, thanks to everyone who made this past year so successful! If you attended regularly, you saw some of the best photography in the triangle and got feedback from a great group of terrific artists. There is nothing like this group anywhere! Hopefully we'll see all of you sometime in the year ahead.

Enjoy the holidays and I look forward to seeing you all next year!