Chris & Neal Stetson

Chris Stetson

Chris Stetson founder of CSide Creations.  I was born with my toes in the sand and have kept them firmly planted there ever since.  Even during times in my life when the ocean was not at my backdoor, I always knew I wanted to live by the water.  With two children and a fulltime job life was busy and there were only stolen opportunities for creativity.  There was the school play that needed a backdrop painted or a costume to be designed.  The Relay For Life charity became an annual outlet for creating and painting.  There were quiet moments with the kids on a beach or hillside where we would paint or draw a picture together.  Finally in 2010, retirement brought us to the Crystal Coast.  We found the perfect spot where we could watch the dolphins swim and herons hunt at the edge of the marsh.  I now found myself with the luxury of time and inspiration surrounding me everywhere.  I began to paint in earnest capturing scenes from many of the photographs my husband had taken of the local beauty.  Beginning with acrylics I soon found myself experimenting with different mediums and styles.  Having always admired the beauty of stained glass in churches and cathedrals I decided to try my hand at painting glass.  Using antique windows from local homes and air cured paint as opposed to kiln fired, I found a new passion.  My developing style definitely leans toward naturalism.  But there are so many new paths to go down.  I continue to be inspired by the truly wonderful artists that I have come to know since moving here!

In 2014, I received an Award of Excellence at the Art From the Heart Show.  I have also received several awards from the Carolina Artist Gallery Shows.  My work as well as my husbands’, can be seen at the Carolina Artist Gallery in Morehead City.  You can view a gallery of my work on my website csidecreations.com.

Neal Stetson

I borrowed my father's old Ricoh 35mm film range finder camera to take on a trip to the new Disney World with my new girl friend back in the 70's. was hooked on capturing images of the exciting scenes around me as wel as my pretty model. I progressed from that old range finder to a 35mm film SLR and a talented life partner. The camera gear changed over the years as my career at a Navy lab required me to document test setups onboard ship.

Those photos of grey cables on grey ships in the full sun forced me to be creative where I could (nice colorful shots of creeping red rust for instance and to accurately capture the scene. After 34 years I retired and we moved to our dream home on the Newport River in 2010. I was free to spend time looking at the world through my camera with a new point of view. I don't have to document the scene anymore rather I interpret it and hopefully tell a story in my photos. My style is influenced by all those years documenting ships, presenting a sense of realism along with the inexplicable. I explore the local area capturing amazing details in close ups and the unexpected vistas in our Down East region.