RhondaK is a folk artist from Florida who creates custom and personalized signs. She finds wood from demolition sites and works without a studio using found materials. A customer named Kerry commissioned a sign for her family that depicts them as Florida creatures - the father as a manatee, Kerry as a mermaid, and the kids as crabs. The sign also includes their name and a welcome message. RhondaK works collaboratively with customers to design signs that have personal meaning. She then sends a photo of the completed sign for approval before shipping it to the customer.

1. Custom and Personalized Signs – A FEIN Story of a Custom Sign from Start to Finish RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

2. As a folk artist, I work the way I can with what I have. I don’t have a studio. I don’t have a lot of fancy things. My paint palette is the top of a bucket. I don’t have things pre-cut. I prefer to work with found wood. As I can, I use rescued wood from projects, remodelings, sea bounty and more. My signs are usually ragged, uneven and rarely look alike much less, measure up the same. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

3. Sadie the sales pug works with me. I often find myself asking for her opinion. Sometimes she stomps on my work. I suppose that is sort of an answer. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

4. This is the demolition site the Fein Sign came from. When you write me about a sign, I really try to find out what really means something to you. It is a collaborative process. The Feins missed Florida. Old Florida. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

5. This house used to face the sunset every day. It was directly on a beautiful beach. While most people would have loved the old wood house, in a neighborhood given to mansions, it no longer fit in and the land was judged to have a higher resell value without it. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com Night after night, I’d walk over and go through the demo site looking for wood. I have a preference for shattered, unfinished edges. The way the front end loader took down the house left some wonderful shattered portions.

6. I’m a very easy to talk and easy to reach artist. I have my phone, email address and an easy contact form on my website: RhondaKwrites.com People frequently write me about custom or personalized signs. I am glad to discuss it with them. I like that my style of art is reachable, affordable and customizable. I do everything by hand…even getting wood to work with. The is the board “we” picked for the Fein Family sign. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

7. Kerry contacted me months ago. After she described what she wanted and didn’t have a deadline, I went slow on this one because, honest, I wanted to think about it a little bit. Plus as a road folk artist, I’ve been out scratching out a living doing shows up and down the coast. Usually, I can get a custom sign done in a week to two weeks. I let you know up front. I also don’t take money for a sign until it is finished, I send a pic and it is approved. This creates a good working environment on ALL SIDES. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

8. As a working artist, I’m usually working on a few signs for shows or other custom signs as I got along. It keeps me sane. This way the custom work doesn’t suffer from too much attention. It becomes part of a good day of work. Here are boards I’m getting ready for two weekend shows. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

9. Kerry wanted her family’s sign to reflect all of them. She sent me some family pictures. She told me one of the funniest stories anyone ever told me about getting liquored up in Florida and going to see a tattoo artist. She always doodled palm trees. I think it’s a sort of Florida thing…the palm tree doodle. Its like a meditation if you ask me. I did it. I still do. That was the first layer to her sign. A subtle metallic drawing of two palm tree “doodles.” RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

10. FEIN is pronounced FINE. The Fein family wanted everyone in the sign. Mr. Fein was to be a manatee…Kerry a mermaid and the kids were two wee crabs. It was to read: “WELCOME! WELCOME! Fein Food, Fein Wine, Fein Company…If you don’t like the food or the company, have some more wine.” Additionally, their names were to be on the sign. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

12. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

18. When I finish a sign I send a pic to the person who ordered it. I make any changes requested. If OK’d I PayPal bill the person and ship the same or next day I am paid. I love this sort of work. I do quite a few custom signs. The next pages are samples of pets, sayings and business signs I painted custom. You’ll see they are as different and as individual as the person who ordered them. All signs arrived signed, on a rope and ready to hang. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist http://www.rhondakwrites.com

19. When I finish a sign I send a pic to the person who ordered it. I make any changes requested. If OK’d I PayPal bill the person and ship the same or next day I am paid. I love this sort of work. I do quite a few custom signs. The next pages are samples of pets, sayings and business signs I painted custom. You’ll see they are as different and as individual as the person who ordered them. All signs arrived signed, on a rope and ready to hang. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

20. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

21. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

22. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

23. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

24. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

25. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

26. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

27. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

28. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com

29. RhondaK, Native Florida Folk Artist : Write me for custom or personalized signs, tiki bar signs, pets and MORE. http://www.rhondakwrites.com Hope you enjoyed the wide variety of different signs I paint for people. I do people as mermaids…I paint your pets…I write down your favorite saying or you friends…I paint good wishes…I Old Florida-ize different topics. I love working with people and getting to know them. I love that these signs go on to live happy lives as conversation starters or memorials to friendships and love. As a folk artist, this is one of the things I honor most. It isn’t a one sign fits all kind of world. Now…tell me about your sign… http://www.rhondakwrites.com