Towards the end of Ringelstetter’s first Florida tour he found himself burnt out on driving, as he had been traveling back and forth between Florida and Wisconsin. He decided to forgo his upcoming Vegas show and applied for a different show in Omaha, Nebraska since the drive time was much shorter. While he was there, a group of leather clad individuals stopped by his booth to check out his work and chat. Once the show was over, Ringelstetter packed up and headed back home. It wasn’t until the following Monday that he realized the significance of the group when he received an email from Nita Strauss’s manager.
He explained that Strauss was the guitarist for Alice Cooper’s band, and that she loved Ringelstetter’s work when they visited his booth before their show in Omaha. Her manager also explained that Strauss had a big campaign called “Ego Kills Talent” and that she was looking for a piece to have around her while she was signing merchandise from the campaign. They commissioned Ringelstetter to do a custom piece for this purpose.
The timing was rough since Ringelstetter was touring and wasn’t able to get in much studio time, but a year later he sent over the finished piece, which was three-dimensional and holographic, much like the Forbidden Zone piece.
Darienne Keniece