The Coastal Observer has won the President’s Cup for Excellence from the S.C. Press Association for work published last year.

The Observer staff won 13 other awards, including eight for first place, in the association’s annual news contest.

This was the first year the President’s Cup was awarded. It went to newspapers in six circulation categories. The Observer won among large weekly newspapers.

Among all the state’s non-daily newspapers, reporter Jackie Broach won first place for Public Service for her coverage of Georgetown County’s $313 million capital improvement plan.

Her coverage “performed a significant public service in a complete package of stories that kept readers very well informed on the progress of the improvement plan involving millions of dollars in taxpayer money,” wrote the judges, members of the West Virginia Press Association.

Production manager John Garner and photographer Tanya Ackerman won first place among the non-daily newspapers for Best Photo Gallery on a newspaper Web site for Ackerman’s photos of the Mizero dance troupe from Rwanda, which performed at All Saints’ Church. “Excellent photo quality and detail,” the judges said.

Ackerman also won first place for Photo Illustration among all non-daily papers for her portrayal of bullying. “Great look at an old problem,” the judges said.

Chris Sokoloski, the Observer’s copy editor, won first place among non-daily papers for Feature Headline Writing. “Great headlines,” the judges said. “They do exactly what they should, grab the readers’ attention and make them want to know more.”

Sokoloski also won second place for News Headline Writing for all weekly papers.

Reporter Tim Callahan won second place for Education Reporting among all weekly papers.

Among the large weekly papers, Ackerman won first place for Feature Photo for her picture of Raymond Keller, a student at the JOY School who was enjoying a swim.

“What a beautiful moment captured for print,” the judges wrote. “The color, lighting and joy on the subject’s face all make for an amazing photo.”

She also won first place for Personality Portrait for her photo of Henry Odum caring for his wife, Martha, who has a long-term illness. The judges cited the photo for capturing their relationship and the problems they face.

Carrie Humphreys, the Observer’s arts writer, won first place for Profile Feature Writing for a story about art teacher Bruce Chandler. The judges said the article captured the essence of the subject, “showing Chandler as a total person, not just an artist.”

Sokoloski, who also covers Waccamaw High School football, won first place for Sports Feature for an article about a week in the life of the varsity team, from the Sunday morning coaches meeting to the Friday night game. “Great quotes, scenes and observations made for a great story,” the judges said.

Callahan won third place in the same category for a story about a summer conditioning program for Waccamaw High athletes at HealthPoint.

He also won third place in the Short Story category for an article about a 7-year-old boy who saved his sister from choking.

Broach won second place in Beat Reporting for her coverage of environmental issues.

She can shoot a gun. Grow vegetables. Design clothes. Cook for company. Tell tales. Play the accordion. And, most importantly, create award winning artwork.

Bruce Chandler is everything but ordinary.

Take her name for instance. “"That’'s the first question people always ask me. I was named after my mother’'s English teacher, who was a lady. It’'s been a lot of fun having a name like Bruce."”

Chandler'’s funky appearance befits the well-known artist. Dressed in a long batik caftan and earth sandals, hair cropped to the ears, sans makeup, she glows with a free-spirited self confidence.

Her students in an adult art class at the Litchfield Exchange sing her nothing but praise.

“"She’'s so helpful,”" says Sylvia Peterson of Pawleys Island, who has taken art instruction from Chandler for five years. "“What I love about her is that she doesn'’t change your style. She let’s you embellish on what you are capable of doing and what you like to do. She never puts her work on your work. What she brings out of you is something that no one else can.”"

Judy Antosca of Murrells Inlet says Chandler gives the best critiques she’'s ever had. "“Her critiques inspire you.”"

Chandler, 67, commutes from Charlotte to teach numerous art classes along the Grand Strand.

Yet Chandler admits her artistic expertise is virtually self taught. She learned the fundamentals from reading library books.

“"I signed up for my first and last art class at Columbia College in the 60s, at a time when abstract art was being taught. Now, abstract art was not accepted in little Southern places where I’'m from. I took one look at that and said, '‘My mama wouldn'’t hang that on her refrigerator,'’ so I didn’'t take art at that time. I went to business school and graduated, got married to my ex-husband, a military man, and moved probably 23 times in the 23 years we were married."”

She raised three kids, kept a pretty house, baked bread and whipped up a dessert for every meal.

“"I was always a housewife, but finally at age 31 I took up painting. I'’d stir spaghetti with one hand and paint with the other.” The first picture she ever painted, she recalls, was of stuffed bell peppers in a pewter bowl. Another was of baked beans.

“"See, back to cooking and housekeeping, because that’'s what I knew about. I still paint what I know."”

She taught her first art classes in her home –by the seat of her pants nearly 30 years ago while her husband was stationed at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida.

“"People would ask me to teach them what I knew. So I went to the library which I was used to because I was always getting a lot of cookbooks. I just changed from the cookbook aisle to the aisle with art books and took out every book on “"How To Paint."” I wanted nothing on theory. I just wanted to read about every artist‘'s style and how they did it. Before I left Homestead, I was teaching 13 different classes. I stayed just one jump ahead of them. It made me a fast learner.”"

Chandler, resident artist at the Rice Museum, is now an expert in all medias.

She enjoys painting in watercolor. Her works represent her life, where she goes and what she sees, she says, often reflecting her travels to places such as Italy, Portugal, the Caribbean, Jordan, wherever.

She paints from photographs. "“I compose with the camera lens and then go into the studio and recompose."”

Her current mission is painting for international and national competitions.

She confides that her entries have earned awards. “"I’'m thinking I like these competitions because of how it makes me grow and work to be better. This is a new challenge for me."”

Chandler’'s mother had an artistic nature. "“Mama could have been an artist. I can tell by the way she kept her home, a beautiful colonial home built before the Revolutionary War.

She knew just how to dress it and she was good with her hands.”"

The home, which eventually burned down, sat on a 400-acre farm outside of Florence. Chandler moved to the farm from Florence when she was 12.

She remembers as a youngster, an only child, she was always sketching and drawing. She laments there were no art teachers around and no art taught at the Pleasant Hill school she attended.

Kids today, Chandler says, are fortunate to have art instruction. "“If your child is going overboard on art, find them a creative teacher, one who will not try to change them. So often today we take the creativeness away. Like why can’'t an apple be blue? Why does a child have to color in the lines?”"

Chandler does not train her student‘'s hands, she says. “"I train their eyes to look and see. Anyone can learn to paint and instruction lets you go so much faster. But how easy your journey will be is if you get a teacher that you can communicate with, who builds your confidence."”

There was a period in the 1980s, when Chandler had no time to paint.

What began in her garage as a seashell craft-making adventure grew to a lucrative manufacturing company called Designs Unlimited. Her wares, items such as shell lamps, shell bathroom pictures, shell magnets – sold like hotcakes.

“"After three months, I outgrew the garage and had to find another place."”

With the help of a small business loan, she built a plant on her parent’s farm and hired local people, loyal people who worked for her dad in the fields. She ran the plant and hit the road to sell her products.

When Wal-Mart took on her creations, the business exploded.

But after eight years, Chandler burned out. She sold the company. “It didn’t make me rich, it made me crazy,” Chandler says.

She also passed on a clothing design opportunity.

“"I used to fringe tee shirts and redo clothing I found at the Salvation Army,– like buy suede jackets and cut them off. I sold everything I made but what was on my back. But I didn'‘t want to get back into business. I didn’t want to be back where I was."”

Chandler admits an artist’s journey has its challenges. She credits her country roots for her success.

“"Growing up on that farm, you couldn’'t make a living just growing tobacco. You had to diversify. Grow corn. Raise cows. I knew if I wanted to paint, I had to diversify. I had to teach. Sew clothes. Put my wares in shops. I always hustled. I’'m tenacious. I never gave up."