Caricature artist Blassingame draws a mean Chauncey
by Prufer
Calvin Blassingame’s first brush with Coastal Carolina University came 15 years ago when Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, came to the University in 1999 as the keynote speaker for the first Celebration of Inquiry. Blassingame was commissioned to create an original artwork to commemorate the visit, and he painted an India Ink silhouette of African faces.
The work now hangs upstairs in Kimbel Library behind the stacks and near the study rooms. It’s far off the beaten path, but it’s a reminder of a memorable and inspirational night that the artist will never forget. (He was also given two tickets to the sold-out event in a packed Wheelwright Auditorium.)
Blassingame, a longtime artist on the Grand Strand, is now part of the CCU community, working the graveyard shift as a library specialist in Bryan Information Commons, helping students with their research and working on issues that crop up during the wee hours of the morning.
"Calvin's artwork creates such a positive atmosphere in the library, and it demonstrates the support the library has for our student-athletes. We enjoy seeing the reaction from students and staff when he puts up new displays," says William Carter, circulation supervisor.
Blassingame, who has been on campus for less than a year, has been busy drawing Chauncey to promote Chanticleer athletics in the library.
“I was doing a little bit of everything,” he says. “Then they found out I could draw. Now I do a little bit of drawing, too.” He produced the large caricatures of Chauncey in the Bryan Information Commons foyer that give a visual shoutout to the football program. “I’ve loved sports all my life,” says the 6-foot-5-inch artist. “And I played them all – football, track, basketball, you name it.”
It all goes hand-in-hand with Blassingame’s primary love – art, artists and promoting the art scene in the area. Originally from Greenville, he and a friend, the late Jonathan Joyce, co-founded a nonprofit, the Roundtable Art Group, which in 2004 hosted an exhibition to raise money for CCU art students. Since then, he estimates the group has featured and displayed more than 2,500 artists, along with holding workshops and working with charities to raise money.
On Friday, Dec. 5, the Roundtable Art Group is hosting the 2014 Art Show at Capriz Italian Feast at Broadway at the Beach from 7 to 10 p.m. to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Some 25 to 30 artists will display their work, which will be for sale from $25 to $500 – just in time for holiday giving. There’ll also be live entertainment, food and fellowship, all free except for a donation.
“I know so many people who have been touched by cancer,” says Blassingame, who lost a father and both grandmothers to the disease. “It’s a personal thing for me.”
Blassingame is best known for his caricatures, which he still does during the summer months in a mall, but his first love is drawing pen-and-ink silhouettes. “My art might be described as silhouette in its simplest form, leaving a lot of space for the observer's mind to wonder what could be there.”
He also loves to write poetry, work out and hang out with friends. Mentoring young people, especially those who want to become artists, is important to him.
“I tell them that it is hard work, that it doesn’t often pay the bills, so sometimes you have to do other things,” says Blassingame. “My therapy is putting on art shows. I love getting artists together with a common goal.”
Blassingame, who is self-taught, started drawing when he was 4 years old, and his 78-year-old mother, Virginia Sue Blassingame, still has the early drawings to prove it. “My mom always told me to just appreciate the people who show up [to art shows],” he says. “She likes to remind me they didn’t have to get all dressed up to come see you. She always taught me to be thankful and humble.”
"I feel that Calvin helps make Kimbel Library a fun place to be at ALL hours of the day and night, and truly 'Feels The Teal,' says Carter. "He makes a great CCU ambassador, especially during the early morning hours!"
