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