(I’m still learning the fine art of scheduling a post on WordPress by trial and error. This should have appeared yesterday.)
(Apologies for the poor image. It doesn’t seem to be widely available on the Intertubz.)
Dempsey Essick is a well-known local artist. Raised locally to me, his training was in mechanical drawing rather than art. But it was art that found him. I’m unsure when he started painting, but this image, “Cotton Grove Country Store”, was his first. The subject of the painting is gone now. I have a small copy of it which hangs in our foyer. It’s nearly impossible to find a full-size print. They do show up occasionally, but are snapped up quick. It’s among several pieces that I’m looking for.
Essick worked in watercolor and is probably best known for his paintings of hummingbirds and for sneaking them into other works where they aren’t the subject.
Retired from painting, Essick now spends his time birdwatching and bird feeding and with various charitable activities in the area.
I like his work because it reminds me of why I live here.
