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From fall of 2022 until spring of 2023, Ringlestetter was touring the Florida art circuit, as he aims to do every year. This time, artist friend JD River, offered Nick a position at River Fine Arts gallery, with housing included. As River is a well-known artist, this gave Ringlestetter the opportunity to see the lives of wealthy people and, more importantly, how they decorate. But while the inspiration was flowing, the enthusiasm was not. Ringelstetter didn’t get off to a lucrative start as he set his tour plans too late and had to enter into several smaller shows during the late months of 2022. He ended up doing rather well, but come February things took a turn for the worst when the weather got nasty. For about a month and a half Ringelstetter dealt with some of the worst Floridian weather he had ever experienced. One of the bigger art shows, Hobe Sound, was canceled due to gale force winds, only after all of the artists were present and settled.

But despite the weather, Ringelstetter still found ways to bring joy into his life. He and artist friend, JD River spent a lot of their studio time playing with new mediums like crushed glass, and experimenting with old ones, like resin. River also helped Ringelstetter learn to interact with different crowds of people, and he taught him how to professionally install art. Ringelstetter also made it over to visit long time friends, Carla Bank and Kole Trent, and he deepened bonds with the Murphy Clan.

When it was time to journey back to Wisconsin, Ringelstetter wasn’t able to take all of his creations with him, so his options were to either rent a storage unit until he came back, or to discount them significantly and use that money to get home. Ringelstetter chose option B. He was able to sell off a lot of his abstracts to free up space for the trip home, but he did have to leave three paintings behind with River.

Back in the North, Ringelstetter knew he was going to have to make some serious changes to have a successful summer tour. He reworked his business model and it’s kept him busy, every week of work at the studio has been new and different. He’s at a point now where every piece of artwork in his booth is profitable, and he’s gearing up for his next Florida tour, 2023-2024. Until then, he’ll continue to enjoy his time spent at home with family and friends

Darienne Keniece

In Ringelstetter’s youth he experienced vivid visions of what he perceived to be the future. He often heard voices and felt like he was connected to a certain wavelength as he was meeting people from all over the world that were doing similar things with their art and their lives. However, that all seemed to come to a halt when Ringelstetter was twenty-three. He was working two full time jobs which led him to frequent drinking in order to help him sleep. The drinking continued for about ten years before he decided to tone it down. He has implemented a two drink rule, and because of this he’s been able to “tap back in”. He’s more grounded in his experience now and finds himself surrounded by strong synchronicities. He’s seeing guides and the geometry of the universe once again. He has been enjoying the process of reconnecting with the universe, but he is saddened to know that he once shut all of it off on purpose. He feels that perhaps had he not put the spiritual realm on the back burner he would have been guided a lot sooner and much quicker, but he knows that it’s all part of the process and he embraces where he’s at on his journey now.

While Ringelstetter’s connection to the divine has changed throughout the years, his style has not. The artist has been using the same style since highschool, but has rebranded it every single year for the last fourteen years. It has had many different names but each version has consistent of pattern-based orbs and lines, and that’s what you’ll find in Ringelstetter’s archives, going back decades. The idea behind it is that the energetic realm is right next door, and it’s full of ideas, concepts, music, and magick, and Ringelstetter’s pieces are the illustration of humanity bridging the gap between the realities. As everyone is on “the spectrum” and everyone is different, the orbs and stripes all represent the collective of different people coming and going from the Source of the All. It has been the same idea all of the years, but people who visit his booth see what they need to see.

Darienne Keniece

During his winter tour in Florida it became clear to Ringelstetter that not only would he have to sell bigger pieces of artwork, he would also have to deliver and mount them as well. This was an intimidating realization, but thankfully JD River helped Rindelstetter get the “hang of it”. After working with River on several installations of pieces from the River Fine Arts Gallery, Ringelstetter went on to create his own install kit when he returned to Wisconsin. Ringelstetter’s pieces are heavy, and while he’s been looking for ways to lighten them he has yet to find a way to do so without detracting from the overall aesthetics of the art, so he worked with Mike Peck to create some custom mounts.

Once he had all of his ducks in a row, he found himself chasing that first install, eager to display one of his pieces, but for a while he struggled to finalize a sale. He was playing a new game, now it wasn’t just about selling the art, but it was also about selling the install. At one point in late 2022, Ringelstetter thought he finally had it. The client’s house was over three hours away from Ringelstetter’s southern headquarters, and when he was about an hour out with the piece the client texted to let the artist know something came up and he’d be having his friend supervise the drop off but would no longer need the install done.

It wasn’t until about a month later that Ringelstetter got another chance. This time the client only lived about a mile away and Ringelstetter was wracked with nerves the entire time, but the install process went well. As he got more and more opportunities to hang his own art in the homes of his clientele, he was also given the opportunity to see the homes of high-end art collectors, and what exactly it is that they’re buying, making for an inspiring process. Finally nailing that first install took Ringelstetter an entire year but it caused him to expand his art, his business, and himself, opening new doors for his career in the future to come.

Darienne Keniece

Ringlestetter has been a professional artist for over 14 years, and throughout that time he’s experienced a lot of different ways to sell and price his work. When he began painting in 2008, his main financial goal was to make back the cost of the materials so that he could continue on with his craft. When art shows became more of a career and less of a hobby he began charging hourly, and he started at a couple dollars more than what his last job was paying him. As he became more well practiced with his craft his pricing increased, but he ran into issues with this hourly method when he started getting more commissions because it was hard to explain the process to his clients. Most consumers in this industry aren’t interested in every detail that goes into a piece and justifies its price, they’re just looking to buy some beautiful art work and are willing to pay its worth.

This took time to learn and it wasn’t until recent years that Ringlestetter changed that approach when some of his artist colleagues introduced him to pricing by the inch. It’s a much easier pricing process to explain to buyers and it gives him a solid system to work with. At this point in his career he is showcasing his work in Florida and he’s found three price points that go over well with that crowd. He has noticed that in recent years that market that once ate up his smaller bodies of work is seemingly non-existent, so at this time his primary focus is on creating big originals as he’s got those down to a four day science and they give him the room to fully express his creative talents.

Darienne Keniece

The big idea to live like a bunch of big kids is closer to reality every day. Right now, the team is like a handful of siblings, finally growing into a need for their own space, burning the bunk beds and building out our own rooms. We’re now completely moved in and operational at the new studio, 3 former classrooms of the old Blackhawk School, situated between Plain and Sauk City. The perks of this move are numerous; the empty halls are great for boarding and roller skates, and we love the gymnasium with hoops in place to shake it off when we hit a block. Our break room is stocked with (our favorite) Monster energy drinks. The trophy cases are begging to be filled with art and artifacts. As usual, our minds move miles every minute, thinking up ways we can utilize this unique arrangement: we see a blank canvas on the massive white wall out back, begging to be covered with a destination drive-up mural. In the ball diamond with an overgrown outfield, we see a sculpture garden, with perimeters easily marked by more permanent versions of our mobile graffiti wall.

Our vision for this place is magnificent, and yet first things must come first. There’s work to do before we play! As the long-awaited time to finally separate art supplies from manufacturing and inventory has come, we also are afforded a crack at new pitches like screen printing and apparel. Along this road, the evolution of the Atomic7 brand has seemed to progress naturally, and we are excited to finally announce the launch of Atomic7 Studio, separate from the brand of fine artist Nick Ringelstetter, founder and historically, the “main artist,” represented by the Atomic7 Studio name.  

There are two main manifestations of this big change for our fans and friends, and they’ll be experienced online. Followers will notice new organization and voice in our social media channels and site, as Atomic 7 grows to encompass an entire staff and fully functional, multifaceted art studio.

First, we invite you to follow us @atomic7studio on Instagram. Since inception, Nick has been operating under @nickatomic7 and hopes to continue building his personal brand there, while the new account will showcase more collaborative works and different perspectives.

Secondly, our website has been completely revamped with new pages and regular blog posts. In addition, it’s officially open for business. Visitors can finally order directly from ATOMIC7STUDIO.COM. 

We look forward to collaborating with more local artists, expanding our product offerings and welcoming you to the new studio someday soon.

Tara Falk 

Marketing and Content 

Atomic7 Studio

The abrupt change in weather just before November was accompanied this year by an abrupt change in chapters for Atomic7 Studio. Immediately following the final two events of the season, Fall Art Tour Stop #29 and the 2nd annual Monster Bash at The Shed, the move to our new space at the former Blackhawk School began… but not before we made some great memories where it all started. 

At our stop, #29 on the Fall Art Tour, we opened our workspace to visitors from near and far, and welcomed back most of the help that has made all of this possible for a bit of a final farewell. We set up our traveling graffiti wall, which is quickly becoming a crowd favorite, having now visited 4 locations! We were joined early Friday afternoon by a bus-load of AP art students from Jefferson High School, and they spent nearly an hour experimenting with different techniques and covering nearly every figure on the wall with something new and beautiful. The weather was perfect, traffic was heavy, and we were able to meet our goal for the event by Saturday afternoon, before rain fell on the parade on Sunday. Nevertheless, we appreciate the friends and buyers who braved the downpour to support us on the final day of the tour. 

On Saturday, the 28th of October, we hung out at The Shed for the 2nd annual Monster Bash, a fundraiser to benefit the Spring Green Arts Coalition. Participants each created a monster that will be featured in Nick Ringelstetter’s next original painting, and donation levels coincide with a canvas print of the finished piece. This year, we raised just shy of $600 and thank 20 participants for joining us. 

In addition, we are incredibly grateful for a recent donation of lumber from Cathy at SICO. We now have one room of our new space nearly ready for operations to resume. This move amplifies the capacity, potential, and overall freedom of the studio exponentially, and we all look forward to getting back to work. Team Atomic7 certainly won’t be hibernating this winter season.  

Tara Falk

Marketing and Content @ Atomic7 Studio