Category: Art Stories

In 2016 Ringelstetter was at an art fair in Miami that didn’t yield the results he was hoping for when he was approached by a patron that was interested in the “Forbidden Zone” piece. After hearing the wonderful backstory, the patron made an offer to purchase the painting for $30,000. Ringelstetter turned him down almost immediately due to the sentimental and inspirational value this piece provides him, but the patron wasn’t convinced and invited our artist to a bar later that evening.

Out of curiosity and the hope of building a new business relationship, Ringelstetter agreed to meet the man later that evening. When he arrived the discussion of “what will it take” began, but still Ringelstetter was committed to keeping the piece. The “Forbidden Zone” is such a pivotal piece for his career that he couldn’t (and still can’t) bear to part with it. He’s been given a world of grief by family, friends, and supporters for this decision, but he knows that this is a piece you can’t put into words and the experience it gives it’s viewers is a priceless thing to witness. Ringelstetter still maintains that the only way this piece will leave his possession is if it is rented out and he’s given the opportunity to tell the story along with it’s viewing. Speaking as someone who’s gotten to tell the incredible story of the inspiration and creation of the “Forbidden Zone”, I wholeheartedly agree with his decision. You simply cannot attach a price tag to the awesome experience of blowing people’s minds and reshaping the art world.

“Forbidden Zone”

On Halloween 2018, Ringelstetter participated in a fundraiser held by the Spring Green Area Arts Coalition at the Shed restaurant. The goal was to raise money for artists in the community, and the theme was ”Painting Monsters with Nick”. Ringelstetter knew that he would be using all of the characters each of the twenty participants had created to paint a new original, but at the time he didn’t know that he would be spending three months on it. 

The choice was between creating three new originals before Ringelstetter left for his Florida tour, or to put his all into this one painting. Since it was for the kids, Ringelstetter decided to take this painting a step further and make it three dimensional and black light reactive. The results were something that has never been done before in the art world, thanks in great part to every individual who partook in the event.  

Darienne Keniece

Jared Breyfogel is from Parkersburg Iowa and has always had an interest in art, but it wasn’t until life threw him a few curve balls that he decided to reshape his journey. After the passing of his step-father, the decline in health of his biological father, the loss of his job due to lay-offs, and the severance of a relationship with the love of his life, he decided to move back to Wisconsin and go full-time with his art career. In an attempt to take back control of his life, he sold off all of his stuff and teamed up with longtime friend, Nick Ringelstetter to get focused on the path of his passions. The timing seemed to work out perfectly as Ringelstetter was hunting for a place to open up a print shop with coworker Jacob Leeck, and they had recently found a cabin that would double as both a business and a sanctuary for Breyfogle. However, when that deal fell through it awakened a drive in Breyfogle to get focused. This was no longer just about passion, it was about necessity. Thanks to divine timing, Ringelstetter was currently changing both his media and his booth set up, and graciously gave Breyfogle all of his no longer needed supplies, as well as years worth of advice that set Breyfogle up for success and undoubtedly shaved eight years of struggle off of his art career.

These two are now on fire. With multiple shows on the books, Breyfolge hasn’t been denied to an event yet. Even with the unfortunate circumstances of his first national show in Minneapolis getting canceled due to all of the violence, Breyfogle cannot be stopped. He has three more shows coming up this fall and is on the waitlist for two more. He’s enjoying this new world of touring and he’s thrilled to have the opportunity to prove himself. Life’s circumstances have given him a motivating chip on his shoulder and he’s prepared to pave the way for his career no matter what else is dished out to him. We can’t always control the cards that the universe deals to us, but we can choose to make the best out of the hand we hold and come out on top if we put our minds, hearts, and souls into it. Sometimes the scariest leaps deliver the most rewarding adrenaline rushes.

Darienne Keniece

Back in 2010, Ringelstetter’s second year of creating art, he began to dabble into different mediums and forms of art in his free time. One of the projects he played with was the recreation of earth rocks. He used different paints, stains, and drywall spackle to create the rocks. When they were finished he felt inspired to turn them into caveman paintings. He felt connected to this concept because if the world were to take a turn for the apocalyptic, he feels it would be his duty to record events, capture moments however possible, just as the cavemen did. The pieces in this series are a depiction of the world according to Ringelstetter in 2012, the year in which they were finished. 

Darienne Keniece

When Ringelstetter’s career began it’s ascent toward success it was the most exciting but bitter sweet thing he had ever experienced. In 2019 when he received three national awards for his work he felt like he was at the pinnacle of his career, and while he enjoyed every moment of it he also felt it would be short lived and a once in a lifetime experience. But when the biggest plot twist of 2020 hit and wiped out his business, it created a bit of a rest in Ringelstetter’s universe. He was shut down for a year and a half, selling possessions just to stay afloat, and still trying to find ways to pursue his career. He was finally accepted into an art show this April and given the opportunity to make his first sale in what felt like ages.

At first it seemed like a small purchase, a piece of his art in exchange for thirty five dollars and smiles from a happy family. But as he stood there and had his photo taken with his new patrons a familiar euphoric feeling washed over the artist and he realized that the payout on this sale was more than monetary. This moment renewed his passion and since his determination has skyrocketed. He went on to make several more sales throughout the remainder of the show and has been on a rampage ever since.

Darienne Keniece

At the start of 2020 Ringelstetter had been planning to take the art community by storm with his entry into every possible show he could get into, but between the flood in the fall of 2019 and the global pandemic, Ringelstetter was forced to grow and set his sights in a new direction. The artist has been home since his last show in February of 2020, which took place in the neighborhood of Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida. With the unexpected time off due to Covid-19, he was able to do some home renovations which has helped with his morale and therefore his work.

At this time Ringelstetter is planning to attend a show in Dallas, Texas this coming April, but the experience looks a little different now than when it was scheduled. This year has hit many of us right in the pocket book and Ringelstetter is no exception, but he’s doing every possible thing he can think of to keep himself creating and sharing his work with the world. This twist in the plot hasn’t been all bad though. Thanks to the unexpected free time the artist was able to enjoy his downtime, catch up with old friends, and explore both old and new hobbies while steadily trucking toward his dreams at a comfortable rate.

It is my belief that this time spent pursuing his highest joy is what has allowed Ringelstetter an even deeper access to the spiritual realm and therefore the ability to channel at a much clearer and quicker rate. These messages have helped steer him toward a new lens for the future, which is why this year we’ll likely see him collaborating with other artists on a larger scale and building up Atomic7 Studio into the incredible entity Ringelstetter envisions in his mind.

For many of us 2021 is a year of rising from the rubble and reclaiming our lives, and Ringelstetter is no exception. Stay tuned to see what he alchemizes from his own ashes.

Darienne Keniece

Ringelstetter is a believer that everything in life is an orb, so he follows this same school of thought when contemplating life and soul energy. He believes that if you were to look into the energy realm you would see orbs constantly, coming and going from this dimension to the next. Each of these pieces is meant to attract a different personality type by essentially being a reflection of one’s own soul energy. This is a series that begs you to look within and connect into yourself. 

Darienne Keniece

This was a question asked by a student within the first (and only) two weeks of Ringelstetter’s 2020 school tour. At the time it was hard to come to an answer, and the artist has been reflecting on the query ever since. Looking back, he believes that had he not gotten swept away with materialistic desires and prioritized his spending he could be years ahead in his career. It’s easy to look from the vantage point at which you stand now and find ‘better’ ways to get ‘here’, but Ringelstetter also knows that if he had done things any differently it could have taken him down an entirely foreign path and he may be nowhere near where he is now. It’s important for all of us to remember that it’s about the journey just as much as the destination and it’s those lessons and experiences that make us who we are.

Darienne Keniece

While Ringelstetter was on his 2019 art tour in Ann Arbor, two brothers approached him during the show.  They fell so deeply in love with the art that not only did they purchased multiple pieces, but they followed Ringelstetter on Instagram and stayed in touch. It wasn’t long before they pitched the idea of putting his art on their cans, an opportunity which Ringelstetter graciously accepted. Now you can find his art on the side of the ODD Brother’s Super Lemon Haze cider 

Darienne Keniece

Ringelstetter uses this term to describe his new style of artwork. “Trigger Art” is the new line, but it’s also so much more than that. With multiple layers of light reactive art stacked on top of each other, the “Trigger Art” line pulls your subconscious into a different direction and stimulates the neurons. The goal here is to use the art to trigger different parts of the brain and tap into the neuron’s memories. Just as we remember our past events, so too do neurons. 

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, all matter lives on in some way, shape, or form. So what if we could tap into these memories of our neurons? Since time is not linear, what if we could use art to project our consciousness into different timelines? The goal of “Trigger Art” is exactly that, and it will change the way that we view art (and ourselves) as we know it. 

Darienne Keniece