An act of violence hasn’t stopped these FMCA members from helping others unlock their inner creativity.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
September 2019
Richard and Michele Fritz, F464306, knew early in life that they wanted to pursue careers in art. Six months after the St. Louis, Missouri, natives first met in the art studio of a community college, they headed off to art school together. They now have been a couple for 26 years, married for nearly eight, and RVers and FMCA members for three.
Too often, creativity is underappreciated and art is undervalued, which is why artists, by necessity, must be resilient. In fact, resilience can serve as a buffer against the most surreal and unexpected of life’s challenges, as Richard and Michele learned when their phone rang early on a Sunday morning in July 2017.
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After graduating from art school, Richard and Michele earned a living as administrators of nonprofit art programs that they designed to unleash the inner creativity of young people in the Kansas City metro area. The couple wrote grants to secure funding, organized workshops, and hired and trained artists who brought the programs to detention centers, summer camps, and inner-city schools. The programs were successful, but they ended abruptly after 14 years when grant money dried up during the Great Recession.
Richard Fritz assists a woman with a hands-on art project
Then, Richard and Michele developed programs that allow adults to discover their creative side while enjoying food and drinks in a social setting. They offer Art Experience Paint Classes & Parties (www.artexperience.us) at various Kansas City locations, including breweries, wineries, a farmers’ market, and Arrowhead Stadium.
“I don’t know how many times I hear, ‘I can’t draw a stick figure,’” Richard said. “They come in the room and they’re nervous. You give them a glass of wine to relax. And then when we unpack the experience, it’s all positive reinforcement. It’s a safe space to create. We go step-by-step — how to hold the brush, how to use the paint. You can’t help but make a good painting.”
Art Experience was well received, but as more competitors moved into the market, Richard and Michele began thinking about taking the classes on the road to underserved areas. So, in November 2016, they bought a 38-foot Type A motorhome and began mulling the possibility of someday becoming full-timers.
They joined FMCA in hopes of learning about RVing, meeting others, and possibly earning income by hosting paint parties at rallies. Their first trip, close to home, was an April 2017 rally of the Midwest Prairie Schooners chapter.
“We just had an amazing time with them,” Michele said. “They taught us how to drive in, park the rig, hook up water, electric, everything. They helped us solve a problem with the water heater. They just were incredibly kind and wonderful people.” That weekend, the couple hosted a small paint party with the group.
Michele Fritz painted this hillside scene.
Two months later, the Fritzes embarked on their first long RV trip, to San Antonio, Texas, where a company for which Michele was doing graphic design work was having a convention. The highlight, though, was a side trip to an RV park in the beautiful Gulf Coast community of Rockport, Texas. The Fritzes loved it there, and before heading home, they arranged to return to the park in the winter and offer paint parties.
The couple enjoyed a few more short RV trips that summer. Then, with several work commitments looming, they paid to park their motorhome at a fenced storage facility. Three days later, they were awakened by that early morning phone call.
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They found it difficult to process what the manager of the storage facility was saying. Recalled Michele: “He said someone had jumped the fence in the back of the RV lot, broke into a couple of vehicles, found a crowbar and some gasoline, propped open the door of our RV, doused it with gasoline, and after several attempts, eventually lit it on fire and burned it to the ground.”
It made no sense. The lot, with video monitoring and the manager living on the premises, had seemed safe. And there was absolutely no reason for anyone to target Richard and Michele’s motorhome.
The couple eventually learned that the storage facility had recently changed hands. The arsonist apparently had a beef with the previous owner, and wanted revenge. Evidently, the Fritzes’ motorhome — which contained many painting supplies — was torched simply because it was parked in the center of the lot.
On her personal website, Michele says she creates joyful, tranquil artwork that brightens spirits. After the fire, she felt no joy, no tranquility. She and Richard were “completely disheartened,” she said. “We were angry, upset, confused.”
Richard Fritz painted this scene with a barn.
Still, they held out hope they might return to Texas that winter. Then, a few weeks after the arson, Hurricane Harvey slammed Rockport with 130 mph winds, ravaging the town before wreaking havoc inland. All told, Harvey caused an estimated $125 billion in damage and was responsible for at least 68 deaths in Texas.
The turn of events was humbling, Michele said, and made her realize how fortunate she and Richard were. “We still had a house, and a car, and a means of income,” she said. “And here you have this whole town of people who lost not only their homes, but their jobs, their cars.” One person in Rockport lost his life.
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After insurance covered their losses, Richard and Michele went shopping for another motorhome. They bought a 2002 Holiday Rambler that is older than their previous coach, but in better condition.
Now, they’ve almost come full circle. They are once again considering the possibility of full-time RVing, which would allow them to expand the reach of their painting classes, as well as use art for other community-outreach projects.
The client for which Michele does graphic design work will have another convention in Texas next year. Rockport beckons. They’d like to return. The town is still recovering, still rebuilding. But what better place to create joyful, tranquil artwork that brightens spirits?
“You instantly build a community through those experiences,” Michele said. “We’re all in this together.” She was referring to painting classes, but she could have been talking about life.