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En route to her job as
Postmaster in the small community of Southmont, NC Shelley Essick daily
passed the old derelict and run down Cottongrove
Country Store on Hwy 8. She had for over two years begged Dempsey to do a
watercolor of the local landmark to hang in her quaint little office. When she finally received it as a
Christmas gift in 1988 she was thrilled. The couple took the
painting to be framed and when picking it up they were told that the
shopkeeper had taken orders for 50 prints. "We were shocked as we had never
considered doing prints," Dempsey said. Amazed, they took the painting
to another frame shop and there received the same response. Up until now
Dempsey had painted only for a hobby and he was quite shocked with all that
had taken place. To shorten up a long
story, Dempsey borrowed the money to have 500 prints made and every copy sold
out within two weeks time. So
Dempsey began to paint and the public loved it. With the support of his wife and
children, he quit his 9-5 job to devote full time to his paintbrush. It turns out that people just like
Dempsey’s straightforward style.
Every print is a slice of life or a little touch of history. “In retrospect
it was as if God nudged me along this path, making decisions for me that I
was incapable of making on my own. I never meant to walk this path. I have
never had any formal art training and believe me, I never foresaw a future as
an artist.” Nowadays there are a
couple of gray hairs (just a couple) but Dempsey’s outlook is still a
fresh as it ever was and his skill with the watercolor brush is unmatched. |
