Rick Stringer Creative Services, LLC

April 6, 2022April 6, 2022

Many Changes!

The past couple of years have seen so many changes for all of our lives. Some good, some not so good. I’m not going to focus on the bad things today, such as pandemics, lockdowns, deaths, and war. I’m going to talk about the good things that have been happening in my life and work.

I moved into a new studio this year. It is going great! The studio is small, but it gives me a place to be creative, and make it my own. If all I was doing was working on my computer, I would not need the studio. That is far from the only thing I have going. Not only does the studio give me a place to do my work, it gives me a place to meet with my clients. I far prefer that over having them come to my home. Helps keep things separate.

I’ve been branching out with my artwork. I’m doing acrylic pouring, digital images, photo manipulation, vinyl cutting, custom mugs, and many other things. A local brewery even offered to let me put some of my artwork on their walls. I’m very excited about that. Nice to have a place to show my work.

The local Macintosh dealer closed. That makes me sad. I loved CityMac. I was a customer of theirs for almost thirty years. Last year, they asked me if I’d be interested in helping any of their customers who want help with software at their home of office. It seemed like a good fit, so I agreed to it. Then early this year they decided that they couldn’t go on, and closed the store. They referred all of their customers to me for software support. It is keeping me busy, but not overwhelming me. I still have time to create my art.

You may have noticed a new page on my site, Purchase My Artwork. It is a direct link to my Fine Art America page. I have several pieces posted there, and you can purchase them in many different formats. I’d love to get some of your feedback.

I started a Substack blog. I will admit that I have not posted much there recently. I’m going to work on that. It is called Strings of Bits and Pieces. There, I talk about many parts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There are more things in the works. I’m doing my best to make this year a good one for Rick Stringer Creative Services, LLC.

June 14, 2021June 14, 2021

Branching Out

2021 has been a year of change. At the end of 2020, I stopped working for Corbin Design as an employee. I do still contract some work with Corbin, but I'm free to pursue more things as Rick Stringer Creative Services, LLC. Sorry I have not kept up with this blog. My intent is for that to change. Starting with this post.

One thing that I've been working on is expanding my own creative work. My past work has always leaned heavily towards realistic artwork. That is how it all started. Here are a couple of examples of my artwork from early in my career.

My career evolved from the airbrush to the computer. That is primarily what I did at Corbin Design.

This year, I decided to try something totally different. Something out of my comfort zone. Acrylic pouring. It is abstract work, and as far from realistic as you can get. To be honest, I’m loving it. Here are some examples.

So, now I have some questions for you. Do you like this new direction? Is this artwork something you would pay for? Should I start selling these pieces on-line?

I’m looking for some honest feedback here. You can comment on this page, or you can send me an email at: Contact.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my post, and if you give me some feedback, I will be so very grateful!

March 13, 2019December 29, 2020

A New Beginning

Hello, please let me introduce myself. I’m Rick Stringer. I’ve worked in the creative arts industry since 1984.

It all started in Los Angeles with the purchase of an airbrush. I fell in love with this amazing tool. At first, I learned on my own how to use it. I took a couple of classes at Otis College Of Art And Design. That was a fantastic experience. I only took two classes there, but those two classes would shape my career.

My instructor for the airbrush was a graffiti artist, Barry Farr. Sadly, I’ve lost touch with Barry, but his mentoring, and teaching stuck with me all these years.

One day in that class, Barry looked over my shoulder as I was working on a photo-realistic illustration. He said, “I may have a job for you.”

As a young person just starting out my career, this was a pretty exciting offer. Barry had been hired for a project in the Los Angeles area. There was new construction happening along Wilshire Blvd, between L.A. and Beverly Hills. Along the sidewalk, they wanted to put a mural on the temporary wall protecting pedestrians from the construction.

Barry and I painted realistic, life-sized people on 4′ x 8′ panels in his studio. I can’t remember how many there were now. It was a lot, enough to cover one side of a city block.

It was an amazing project, and launched my career.

From Los Angeles, I moved to the Chicago area for a while. There, I hooked up with a small advertising and marketing firm, R N Johnson and Associates. Another great stepping stone for my career. This was 1985. Sitting in their office was a Macintosh. This was one year after the Mac had been introduced. I had no idea how that little machine would change my life. I did production artwork for R N Johnson, and learned everything I could about the Mac.

My brother convinced me that there was a market for my skills in Grand Rapids, Michigan. There I got in with another design firm that was also into the Macintosh, Michael VanderWall Design. Once again, this was a great opportunity for me to learn about the graphic arts industry, and more about the Mac.

I loved working with Michael, but there reached a point were it was obvious that the company was struggling for various reasons. I started looking for a new job. That was when I saw an ad in the local paper. It was for a person that fit exactly what my skills were at that time.

That ad was for Corbin Design. Then I saw where Corbin Design was, Traverse City, Michigan. For those of you who don’t know, Traverse City is in the northern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. I hesitated… I had sworn I would never live farther north than Grand Rapids. I talked to a few people in Grand Rapids. They highly recommended Corbin Design. So, I took a chance, and sent my resume and portfolio.

The next thing I knew, they had invited me to Traverse City, and I had never felt so courted in my life. They offered me the job the same day of my interview. The opportunity was too good, I packed up my wife, and small son, and moved to Traverse City. That was 1992.

In the years since moving to Traverse City, my skills have grown. As Vice President and the Technology Director for Corbin Design, did illustration, maps, Filemaker database design, and managed all of Corbin Design’s computers. After having been with Corbin Design for almost 30 years, I’m looking for a new challenge.

If you have a small business that could use some help with artwork, database design, or help with your Macintosh computers, I’m just the guy you are looking for.

Hopefully, I haven’t lost you, and somehow we will be able to work together to create something wonderful.