Inspired by Sacred Grove Craig Ragsdale '99 Gifts Stunning Digital Painting to CCES

Over the summer, McCall Field House went through a major renovation in order to accommodate the Admission, Marketing, Development, and Business offices. After the walls went up, Jamie Bryant, CCES Visual Brand Manager and parent to Chessie ‘29 and Alex ’27, took over to design the interior space. This included a beautiful new conference room at the building’s center. The space boasted a fresh coat of paint, modern furniture, and two large video monitors, but she felt the room was still missing something. Over the console table, a vast expanse of empty wall was the perfect place to display a beautiful piece of art –  a centerpiece to bring the room to life. Jamie immediately thought of CCES alumnus and parent, Craig Ragsdale ‘99. 

 

Craig, who is currently serving as the President of the Alumni Association, is also a highly accomplished artist in the Greenville area. According to his website, Craig is “a visual artist drawing inspiration from the natural world to create mixed media paintings, 3D artwork, and digital watercolors.” He discovered his love of painting at a young age as a student at CCES and has continued to cultivate that passion throughout his career. From participating in Greenville Open Studios to traveling throughout the Carolinas to showcase his work, Craig has made a name for himself in the art world. 

When Jamie approached him about the prospect of borrowing one of his pieces for the conference room, Craig went above and beyond her request. He commissioned an original piece and gifted it to the school. The piece is a beautiful homage to the stickwork sculpture, Sacred Grove, that sits between the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and the Lower School. Created by world-renowned artist, Patrick Dougherty, in collaboration with many CCES volunteers in the fall of 2020, the sculpture is a celebration of creativity, imagination, and community.  

It also served as an inspiration to Craig. “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.” With bold colors and lines, Craig created a digital painting of the sculpture, which he also entitled Sacred Grove. The painting captures a beautiful moment where the late afternoon sun shines through the woven willow branches. 

At the painting’s unveiling on Friday, November 11th, a group gathered to celebrate Craig’s creation. He and his wife, Melissa, removed the drape, revealing the stunning canvas to audible gasps. Since the sculpture, with the natural world as its medium, will not remain on campus forever, Craig hopes his depiction of Sacred Grove will “be a lasting reminder of the project and the school community the structures helped bring together.” We know that it will be. Thank you, Craig, for your generous gift!