WIT AND WHIMSY

from Topsail Magazine Winter Issue 2022-23

SNIPPETS

We now offer a 10% discount to Active Duty Military, Veterans, and First Responders shipping with FedEx or UPS.

DISCOUNT APPLIES TO FEDEX OR UPS SHIPPING ONLY WITH VALID ID, THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE PACKING MATERIALS.

William William is a USMC Veteran, cancer survivor, and now a proud co-business owner with his soon to be wife Gabrielle. William spent nearly 10 years in the Marine Corps. and ended his career here with MARSOC & Wounded Warrior Battalion. That is where he decided to continue giving back and serving others with ShipOnSite of Surf City; “This is a tough business, our area here needs us, and we are here to stay, and become masters of craft. We most certainly couldn’t do this without the support of our little towns here and we are grateful to have an opportunity to serve again and make shipping, printing, or any other service we offer to be an experience like nowhere else.” The ShipOnSite team takes pride in our ability to make that errand for our customers easy, memorable, and handled with care. Come get to know us and see what we can do for you!

SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL PACKING RETAIL PACKING MATERIAL -BOXES -BUBBLE WRAP -PEANUTS -TAPE SHIPPING -EXPRESS/OVERNIGHT -HOME DELIVERY -INTL

(INCLUDING FPO/DPO/APO) FREIGHT NOTARY PUBLIC VIRTUAL MAT BOX RENTAI MAIL BOX RENTAL COPYING FAXING SHREDDING LARGE FORMAT PRINTING -BLUEPRINTS -CANVAS -MODERN METAL PRINTS

WOMAN & VETERAN OWNED

Early Riser Special

Gabrielle Gabrielle was born and raised in Kansas City, MO, and moved to our lovely area in September of 2020 to be with her now fiance William. After visiting Surf City a few times, she quickly fell in love with the small town feel and couldn’t wait to live here. “William and I always dreamed of owning our own business, and you as customers make that possible. You wouldn’t believe the stories we hear with each item we ship or print. This business is more intimate than most would think and that alone helps us get to know each person who walks through our doors.” Being the resident graphic designer here at ShipOnSite, Gabrielle can take care of all your

printing needs, no matter how big the job! IStarting December 2nd, Mon, Wed, & Fri we will open at 7am for “Early Riser” shippers and they’ll receive a 10% discount between 7am and 9am.

FOLLOW US on Facebook and Instagram for the quickest updates and message us for any questions!

ShipOnSite of Surf City @shiponsite_surfcity ShipOnSite - Surf City,

conveniently located Next to the Harris Teeter off Hwy 17 & 210, is your one-stop-shop for packing, shipping, printing and business service needs. Our team of dedicated, professionally trained experts understands the meaning of Super-Star Customer Care - we focus on saving you time and money by ensuring you get the right products and services at the right price - in a single, quick visit. We can pack and ship [almost] anything to [almost] anywhere in the world, but shipping is not the only one way we can help to make your life easier. Come in today and meet our team, we are ready to serve you.

9am - 6pm Mon - Fri, 10am - 2pm Saturday Closed on Sunday Holiday Hours are subject to change

If you look closely while exploring Topsail Island, you’ll undoubtedly spot some of David Mercer’s artwork on display.

What started out as a hobby to help bring in a few extra dollars is fast becoming a serious side hustle. While most of Mercer’s time is spent working at his family’s business, General Rental, with its two locations in Holly Ridge and Jacksonville, he spends his off hours creating custom artwork for clients. As a young kid growing up in Jacksonville, Mercer says he “doodled everywhere,” and his parents provided notepads to deter him from drawing on the walls of their home. He now gets paid to paint murals on the walls of various businesses and

town structures. Mercer never planned to become an artist. He attended East Carolina University and didn’t pursue any formal art training. Instead, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in geology. Over the years, he continued to dabble in different art media — acrylics, aerosols, spray paint and digital software. “As my day job got busier, I had to put up the paints and fit in artwork where I could,” he explains. “The digital stuff — using an iPad and Apple pencil — has improved my flow and opened up new doors.” Mercer believes that his style is just now becoming recognizable but is still evolving. “I’m always trying to figure out what I like to do,” he says. Approximately 10 years ago, Mercer and a CONTRIBUTED PHOTO friend who owned a boutique in Wilmington developed a recurring art show. “We hit it pretty heavy for a little bit,” he

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

reflects, and while he considered the shows fun to do, they also took up a lot of his time. Eventually, he bowed out. But he never stopped talking about his artwork, and before long, the customers who came into General Rental began asking Mercer if he could help them revamp their branding.

“I said I could try to help with logos; let me doodle something up. And then it just took off from there,” Mercer says.

He values the organic growth his artwork has experienced both on and off the island, and he enjoys the work. Yet as a recently married man with a new baby at home, his time is more limited now than ever, making him more selective about the projects he takes on.

In 2020 a business owner approached Mercer about painting a mural at his restaurant, and he said yes. The owner was so pleased with the end result that he came back to Mercer, requesting three murals for his Surf City hotel-turned-Airbnb studios, Key West. This time, Mercer was given creative license for their design.

“Anytime I hear Key West, I think of the chickens,” Mercer says, smiling. “It took a little convincing for him to get on board with my idea of painting chickens on the sides of his building. But in the end, he let me paint three chickens up there. It was a blast; by far the most fun I’ve had yet.”

The digital art process began by uploading a picture of the building to his software. Mercer then sketched out his design directly on top of it, and once that was complete, he went to the wall and “hoped it would go up the same way I had put it on the computer.” It did.

On January 15, 2023, Mercer will begin work on a new mural, this time for the Town of Surf City. He estimates that it will take approximately a month to complete the 40’ x 9’ project on the pump station near the town’s water tower.

“It will be the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” he says. Although unable to go into detail about the design — he doesn’t want to ruin the planned unveiling ceremony — he does describe it as “a very artfully done colorful craziness” that you’ll be able to see from far away.

The project was supposed to have occurred in September of

I joke that on my deathbed, I might reveal a key of what I’ve hidden and where. But honestly, there’s a lot of stuff I’ve hidden in my paintings.

2022 but was postponed due to water tower repairs taking place at that time. Now the completion of the project will largely depend on the weather this winter as cold temperatures will impact both his movement and how fast the paint comes out of the cans.

“It will be a challenge,” Mercer admits, “but I hope the exposure from the new Town of Surf City mural will open up more opportunities to do even larger art projects.”

When asked what he hopes to evoke in people as they look at his artwork, Mercer’s response is immediate: “Laughter. At the very least, I hope somebody looks at it and smiles a little bit; that they dig it.”

Unlike the reverence paid to masterpieces of old, Mercer hopes no one takes his artwork too seriously, especially since he doesn’t take himself too seriously. “I want people to know that I had as much fun conceptualizing it as I did painting it. I do it for fun.”

He particularly enjoys hiding at least one element in each piece of art.

“I joke that on my deathbed, I might reveal a key of what I’ve hidden and where,” he says with a chuckle. “But honestly, there’s a lot of stuff I’ve hidden in my paintings.”

At this writing, Mercer was busy developing a series of one-of-akind paintings for the upcoming Locals Art Gallery & Wine Bar opening in 2023 in Surf City, which has selected him as a featured artist.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait until then to view and purchase his artwork. Be sure to check out his current online gallery at davidmercerart.com and follow him on Instagram (@ Davids_not_home). 

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