Four years ago, Dowagiac’s Kandy Grady came to a pivotal crossroads in her life.

A condition with her back forced her to live a life of constant pain, with a daily routine that consisted of waking up, going to work, coming home and taking heavy doses of pain killing medication just to be able to relax. Eventually, this routine of pain left her no choice but to step away from her job with the State of Michigan, where she had worked the last 15 years.

“It was a really crushing thing for me, because I really loved my job,” Grady said.

Only in her mid-40s, Grady was left with the pressing question of how she would continue to support herself and her family.

The answer came to her while doodling on a notepad while waiting on hold over the phone. This simple act reawakened a passion of hers she had set aside years before — art.

“I decided, instead of doing something that I wouldn’t love, I would do something that I already knew that I loved,” she said.

In a few months, one of the products of Grady’s rejuvenated foray into painting will join over 1,000 other works in one of southwest Michigan’s largest and most prestigious art competitions, Grand Rapid’s annual ArtPrize

Grady’s work, an acrylic painting on a wooden canvas entitled “In Her Garden She Glows,” will be on display inside of Grand Rapid’s Rocky’s Bar and Grill during the fall art exhibition, which takes place from Sept. 23 through Oct. 11.

“It feels good to be recognized for what you do,” Grady said of her acceptance into this year’s competition.

A Dowagiac native, Grady cultivated her artistic sensibilities throughout her early education. Her skills with the pencil and paper grew to the point where her classmates would ask her to draw posters of popular musicians such as Prince for them, she said.

Graduating from Dowagiac Union High School in 1986, Grady received a scholarship to attend Southwestern Michigan College to study art. However, the pressures of balancing her education, two jobs, and the responsibility of raising her infant daughter caused her to drop out of college after only a year, Grady said.

With her time consumed with obligations to her family and career, Grady’s opportunities to express her creativity were limited up until her retirement a few years ago.

After transforming the basement of her Dowagiac house into a studio, Grady has spent hours every day working on her drawings and paintings, most of which focus on themes related to womanhood, she said.

“They’re based around feminine energy and sensuality,” Grady said.

Many of her works are on display inside downtown’s Shabby Bou-Chic, which is owned by Grady’s longtime friend Toysa True. The store will be hosting an open house for the artist at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20, where Grady will be selling prints of her ArtPrize submission as well as other pieces of original art, with the proceeds helping to cover the costs of professional framing, promotional materials and other costs for her art show piece.

In addition, Grady will donate 10 percent of the money from the open house, as well any prize money or sales she generates during ArtPrize, to the ACTION Ministries food pantry.

“It’s my way of giving back to the community I was born and raised in,” Grady said.

Grady is also raising money online, at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/835075346/in-her-garden-she-glows.