Today we’d like to introduce you to Conny Dempsey.
Hi Conny, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
CONNY L DEMPSEY
Conny enjoys creating intimate and thoughtful impressionistic paintings. Her subject matter ranges from animals, still life, children, seascapes and other nostalgia memories. Each painting is a slice of life reflecting a moment in time and tells a story.
Growing up in a small town in Kansas, Conny enjoyed the simple things, like laying in the grass watching the clouds and stars pass by. She spent her childhood on her grandparent’s farm where she and her seven cousins would try to touch the stars at night and dream about the places they would go.
She earned her BFA from the University of Hawaii, majoring in Visual Design/Photography with a minor in Art History. The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists greatly influenced her work. Later she earned a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling and has specialized in helping clients who are experiencing grief.
While living in the Washington D.C. area, she owned Fine Art Gallery. She consulted with various businesses such as McDonnell Douglas, ManTech International, the FBI and numerous members of Congress regarding their art acquisitions. After too many snowstorms, she decided to migrate to the South.
In 1996, she moved to Florida and began travelling across the country, selling her photographs of Angels from old cemeteries at various art shows. She has earned numerous awards for her photographs. This journey lasted for 15 years before settling into her private mental health counseling practice.
After several years of working as a Counselor, Conny realized that not creating art was detrimental to her own mental health, so she picked up some pastels and started exploring the beauty of instant color on paper. She loved getting her fingers dusty and made the jump from photographic reality to impressionistic images created by her own mind. She found the process of applying pastel to paper, blending and mark-making not only produced pieces of art but calmed her mind.
Conny has utilized her degrees throughout her career as an artist and counselor and enjoys helping others find beauty and answers to the world that surrounds them.
She believes as Van Gogh: “Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his own nature into his pictures.” Reality to the artist isn’t always real to the viewer but opens a new way for them to see the world.
More of Conny’s work may be seen on her website: www.Connydempsey.com. 386-569-1209.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The largest struggle was not creating art for several years while I was getting my private practice established. I attended several workshops for art therapy and used the knowledge with my clients. We would work on art projects for self-exploration. After I realized the necessity of making art for myself, I tried several different mediums before settling on pastels. Bells rang and windows flew open!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
There are excellent art instructors online, especially Phile Davies, Susan Jenkins and Alain Picard, I recommend joining art associations or other art groups as its imperative to be around other Creative Souls! Take a class in different mediums to find the one that expresses you and your insight into the world. Don’t be afraid to get your fingers messy, that’s part of the joy of creating!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.connydempsey.com
- Instagram: connyldempsey
- Facebook: Constance Dempsey
- Other: https://Constancedempseycounselingservices.com
