This year as Ringelstetter packed up and prepared to head south on the very same day he left for Florida last year he found himself reminiscing over his last trip. The night before his departure in 2021 he hardly slept a wink, too concerned about the months to come and based on his performance so far that year, he didn’t have a lot of hope left. He knew it was going to be a rough journey but he also knew it was one he had to undertake. He was prepared to figure it out and make things work no matter what it took, so he buckled down and made the trek south with his comrade, Jared Breyfogle.
The duo’s first stop was the River Fine Arts Gallery, where Jordan River, long time friend of Ringelstetter, was letting them stay until they found a rental for the season. Had they known how quickly things were going to change there they might’ve locked in a place right away but before they were ready to commit prices quickly doubled due to the influx of renters. People were flooding to the state and rates everywhere were skyrocketing. The artist’s shows weren’t going well and they ended up staying at JD River’s for two months. Ringelstetter is eternally grateful to River for hosting them for so long, due to his kindness they were able to keep going.
Ringelstetter crossed paths with another old friend while down south. Carla Bank, another fellow artist, hadn’t seen Ringelstetter since his “Pink Hair Magick Tour” and it seemed like she was meeting a totally different person due to the differences in his energy. She took Ringelstetter under her wing, and she shared some of her business secrets as well as some social media tips. Thanks to her Ringelstetter has a whole new structure to how he approaches Instagram. Andrew Libecki was another artist individual to align with Ringelstetter at a show and he was able to help him with his mindset while giving him the strength and motivation to keep going.
After leaving the River Fine Art Gallery the boys moved on to Matthew and Bree Parish’s residence, where they exchanged labor for boarding. They spent a lot of time helping with the yard work and it was at those times that Ringelstetter felt the most relaxed. Some of his best times from last year’s Florida tour were while he was doing yard work at the Parish’s. Ringelstetter also made time to revisit the Trent Art Gallery where he was exposed to a new route for the printing process. The experience really encouraged him to print his work on paper rather than canvas. He really appreciates the Trent’s for sharing this technique because it’s done wonders for his business model.
This trip was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with old friends, but it was not without its drawbacks. Ringelstetter spent a total of four months without a place to call home and it was rough on him, but through it all he found a way to reconnect with himself too. After months of disappointment and fruitless efforts Ringelstetter finally made some time for himself and went back to Coconut beach where he was able to really tap back into his muses, relax, and set better intentions for his life. Ever since the moment when he made the choice to step back onto his path things have been going extremely well for him.
When it was time for the Coconut Grove Art Show, Ringelstetter was ready to release his new style of metallic-flaked, glitter-infused epoxy resin finishes. This process was really intimidating at first as it involved pouring the resin finish over his originals and it felt like hit or miss But when showtime came he was pumped. He believed in himself once more and he was excited to connect with the attendees. He had a lot of really wonderful interactions but he kept running into the same issue over and over again; the pieces were too big to fit the client’s walls. In one case, after the show, he actually drove a piece to someone’s house and it ended up being a foot too long for their wall so they couldn’t make the purchase. It was unfortunate, but Ringelstetter’s new work was so well received otherwise it didn’t matter. He knew which direction to go in and he knew how to size down.
But the directions on what steps to take next wouldn’t stop there. When the artists arrived back in Wisconsin for the northern part of their tour Ringelstetter was met with more high regard for his work as well as the opportunity to connect with a whole new breed of people. This inspired Ringelstetter to learn new ways of communication and to really take a look at how he interacts with his clientele. This time around the artist knows what he’s doing. He has his living situation locked in, he’s got his studio space ready, and he’s feeling much better about life in general. He’s excited for all of the new opportunities coming his way and he’s manifesting better things for the 2022 – 2023 tour.
Darienne Keniece