What’s Been Happening with Chris Since She Dropped Out of the Craft Show Circuit in 2003, or, How a Wildlife Artist Morphed Into a Beachscape Painter
In the summer of 2003, Chris Scheidler Nature Art ceased to be a staple exhibit on the art and craft show circuit. The split from the shows came about for many reasons--- the futility of competing with cheap foreign imports masquerading as hand made crafts, the rising cost of doing business coupled with the fall in sales as interest in wildlife art dwindled, the loneliness of doing shows by herself after the death of her husband, the difficulty in managing a two employee business all alone-all these were factors-- but most of all, after 25 years on the show circuit, Chris was just plain tired of the whole thing and needed a sabbatical.
And so, she dusted off her resume, pounded a few pavements, visited a few job fairs, and eventually entered the world of nine-to-five employment, landing a job as a customer service representative in the health insurance field. The security of a steady paycheck was a welcome respite from the feast or famine way of life of the self-employed artist and crafter. And having Saturdays and Sundays off and being home every night was a wonderful change of venue. But soon, the negatives of being on the road faded ( as absence does make the heart grow fonder) or at least allows the bad to shrink to the point of not being so bad after all, especially when one discovers that 9 to 5 is just another name for freedoms lost-a glorified prison for those used to being their own boss and captain of their time.
The honeymoon lasted a year and a half. By then, Chris was mighty tired of the 9 to 5 grind and the daily two hour commute. She found a job closer to home, and one that employed the use of her art abilities, but even that failed to satisfy. The lure of being her own boss and earning a living asan artist again was too much.
But job dissatisfaction was not the only dynamic at play…
In 2005, Chris visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the first time. She stayed a week at a rental beach house in Avon with her friend, Joe . It was a wonderful, magical vacation and she fell in love with the dunes , the deserted, windswept beaches, the ever changing ocean, the birdlife ,the shelling adventures on Ocracoke and Portsmouth Islands, the vast skies, ocean breezes and colorful sunsets. She loved it so much that she returned again with him in September. By then it was in her blood. She could not stay away from it. Joe, a ten year veteran visitor to the OBX, suggested that she paint some beach scenes. Why would a wildlife artist want to paint beach pictures, she asked. The beach was nice ,but would it be good subject matter for a painting?? Joe insisted it would. And, after a year of gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, persuasion from Joe, she finally did start to paint beach scenes. With the third visit to the OBX, in the spring of 2006, she needed no further nudging from anyone. The dunes, skies and ocean became her new passion.
And now, armed with a whole new arsenal of work and her creative consultants, part-time Dara, specializing in outside sales accounts, marketing and product design and full-time beach expert Joe, specializing in product development and problem solving, Chris decided to give the art and craft shows a try once more to see if the art buying public would enjoy the dunes and surf of the Outer Banks as much as she did.
The 2006 show season was a success!! Thank-you to all , both former and new customers, who came out to support Chris in her endeavors.
Tentative 2007 Show Schedule will be posted in the coming weeks.
