Thank You

Last night my wife and I got home somewhere around 10:30 pm.  We had been at the First Federal Starlight Pops.   It was a party atmosphere.  A competition is held every year for the best picnic displays.  People brought their blankets, chairs, food, etc. to sit under the stars and listen to the wonderful music by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.  Kids were running around with flashlights and it appeared that everyone had a great time. 

We had been there since 1:30 pm helping set up the art show tents and displays.  All of the artists were busy helping.  This was my first outdoor art show.  We put together one large tent and three smaller ones.  Wire racks had to be unloaded and assembled.  Felt covers went on the racks.  The rest of the afternoon artists hung wheir submissions and set up tables to sell their work.

When the gates opened, people stopped by our artist village to view the art and vote for their favorite.  The art exhibition was the First Federal People's Choice contest and hundreds of people voted.  My wife, who is always a huge supporter, worked extremely hard pitching in to help.  It was quite busy and we were very pleased with the number of voters.

When the voting was over the chore of counting the votes began.  When that was finished, it was time to announce the winners.  I was quite surprised when I was told I had taken second place in the competition.  It was my gator that did it for me.  There is nothing sweeter than an artist getting recognized for their work.  It was great to hear my name being announced in front of a few thousand people.

I am very thankful for the never-ending support my wife has shown.  If your spouse is in your corner and helping you, it makes everything a lot easier.  Being a photographer in today's economy is quite a challange but her support helps keep me focused and moving forward. 

I have been very lucky this year.  Having been a member of the Charleston Artist Guild since only October 2011, I have have had the opportunity to enter three  competitions.  So far, I have received honorable mention twice and now a second place.  Three for three ain't bad for a rookie.

Everyone needs to know how hard Russell Buskirk, the CAG Exhibition Director, works to put on these competitions.  He takes his responsibility very seriously and always gets the job done.  The Guild is extremely lucky to have him. 

First Federal did a great job with this spectacular event.  The Guild members and their spouses, etc. worked very hard to get the art village set up and helping the attendees with their voting and purchases.  For more information about the Charleston Artist Guild and how you can become a member go to www.charlestonartistguild.com.

A special thank you goes out to all the people who stopped by the art village and voted for their choice, the People's Choice.  For those of you who did not get a chance to come out and view the art this time, you will have another chance.  First Federal will be putting on another People's Choice Competition in early October at 39 Broad Street.  I will keep all of you posted so you can stop by and view more of our art. 

Michael Kaynard is a local photographer who lives in West Ashley.  You can view his photos at http://kaynardphotography.webs.com.  He can be contacted at mkaynard@gmail.com or 843-412-2299.