The CAC, Where Art & Hors d'oeuvres Meet

Aside from serving on the Chowan County Commission, Larry Mclaughlin is known as a drafting teacher, a talented woodworking artists, and a local thespian .

Yearly Mclaughlin steps into the role of Dumbledore complete with the magic wand. However, over the past 18 months Mclaughlins wand of choice is a brush. That's when he first began taking paint to canvas.His work depicts his love of nature and natural beauty. Many of this work stems from scenes around Edenton with a view beach trips preserved and framed. 

"I always wanted to paint but never had the time. I began 18 months ago and now I am enjoying it. I believe you can do anything if you try."

The Chowan Art Council welcomed artist Chet McAteer as their Artist of the Month of August. 

When first viewing some of Chet’s work online, I thought it was photography. He captures every detail and takes his viewer deep into his paintings, introducing them to the slightest details that allow them to see what may be taken for granted.  

“I've been a painter for most of my life, driven by a deep passion for transforming both the natural world and the human-made environment into art that tells a story. My work is all about blending observation with imagination, creating pieces that invite the viewer to see beyond the surface,"explains the artist. “One of my greatest joys in painting is capturing textures the rugged, tactile feel of soil and rocks, the delicate intricacies of old, crackled paint, or the worn beauty of decaying wood and rusted metals. These elements speak to me because they embody time, change, and the quiet narratives of the world around us”. 

Chet works in various mediums—oils, egg tempera, casein, and watercolor—all of which allow him to explore these textures in unique ways.  

Chet continues, “There’s something deeply satisfying about the challenge of translating the roughness of weathered surfaces or the softness of aged wood onto canvas”.  

Each piece he creates is not just a visual experience but an exploration of the tactile qualities of life. “These textures, in their imperfection and weathered beauty, inspire me to keep pushing the boundaries of what I can create," said Chet.  

For example, Chets painting of John’s Island Salt Marsh, has a subtle interplay of light and shadows that reveals the delicate textures of the landscape. It creates a connection between land and water. Enjoy a wonderful show, catch up with friends and enjoy Chet McAteer’s wonderful art. You might just find a painting you can't live without. This show is not to be missed.  

by Karen Foley

It began with pencil, brush and clay. Those were the toolsTimmy Turner used as a budding artist in elementary school. However he took a turn later and found his love of fiber art growing.  

“I started picking up sewing and crocheting around sixth grade. I would make my own stuffed animals out of old socks and blankets”, explains Turner.  “I started crocheting hats and scarves for the cold Wisconsin winters and continued in college where I started knitting my own sweaters and graduated from sewing stuffed animals to making puppets”.  

When Turner said “he graduated to puppets” the artist was being  humble. Turner’s puppet are as renowned as his reputation.

“I've created puppets and costumes for Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors that I've rented out to high schools and colleges for their theater productions. I also helped build puppets for Rockefeller Productions Live Winnie The Pooh production in New York City”.

Turner considers fiber arts to encompass knitting and crocheting and  textile art to include clothing and quilt making. Turner’s soft sculpture covers  the stuffed animals and puppets.  

Currently he is focused on quilting. His finished quilts as creative as his puppetry, He didn’t begin piecing fabric together to create amazing patterns until COVID encouraged artists to explore other venues.   

Turner believes it was his parent’s fondness for blankets - each room in his home growing up contained a basket of blankets. Those warmers instilled the ‘love for comfort’  that encouraged him to turn his love of fiber into art and soft sculpture.  

The history of American fiber folk art started with quilting by enslaved women who began quilting to supplement their inadequate bedding. While quilting developed out o  necessity it grew into an allowing for creativity. Quilting also became a time to bond with other in  the community. Quilting was a creative outlet that allowed quilters to assert their identity and legacy. Quilting as an art form became popular in the 1970’s and 1980’s and has now become a recognized art form.

“Since many of the quilts, sweaters, and puppets I’ve made have been gifts for loved ones, I spend a lot of time browsing through different colors and styles of fabrics and yarns,” notedTurner, “I pull together the raw materials that feel right, and then I often "wing it."

With his busy schedule as the Store Manger of Surf, Wind and Fire and also as Edenton’s part-time events coordinator for Main Street Edenton, he rarely does commission work, but hopes to in the future.   

“I have a website timmyturner.comand I'm hoping to do more shows in local arts councils,” said Turner.