Meet Florelle Rodenberg | Fine Artist and Live Wedding Painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Florelle Rodenberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Florelle, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Initially, when I started Florelle Studio I was saying yes to every wedding I could book. While I know I needed to do that starting out to get my bearings and gain some traction, it was exhausting. Not only was the pandemic in full swing, but I had booked weddings years in advance for 2020 and 2021, working 3 day weekends and rarely being able to take time off. I also would work all week painting commissions, leaving little time for my own fine art work.

Flash forward to now, I book weddings about a year in advance around my travel and time off. Which just means, at the beginning of my year (the end of wedding season in January) I plan out the time I would like to be off weddings for whatever reason. I mark important weekends I need to be available, and I look into workshops to better my skills as a painter, so that when I book a wedding two memorial weekends from now, it is because I wanted to work that weekend! Coming up, I have blocked in a trip to Australia during slow season as well as a 6 week course in Italy for classical portrait painting.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Creating something from nothing is a nuanced process, one that requires hard work and courage. As an artist, I am often associated with having been “born talented” and being somewhat of a free spirit who paints whatever muse effortlessly onto any surface. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Painting in the style that I have found myself drawn to and sinking into requires a tremendous amount of work. I have to exert my most effortful attention to observe the color relationships that sprawl across skin at sunset, and dance from the pink sky onto worn wood floors. My brain never shuts off, never stops seeing color and note-taking the surrounding beauty I constantly and almost subconsciously seek out. Being regarded as a hard worker is as important to me as creating art, and I hope that comes through in what I choose to capture as a painter.

Differing from the art I create for my business, my passion and purpose currently reside in the world of representational portraits in oil, specifically in the realm of Western art, and the relationship between people and the spaces they inhabit and visit. As a world-traveler, I am fascinated by the endless horizon and the possibilities that lie ahead on the open road juxtaposed with spaces and moments that feel like home. It’s not only the colors and idyllic vistas of the West that I hope to capture in my work. It is also the inherent wildness in the flora and fauna. It’s the beckoning opportunities of rolling plains and massive mountains. And it is the hard work ethic that is represented by the West and the people who reside there. I have spent a lot of time traveling across the US, and to places like Costa Rica, the Philippines, Kenya, and Australia, which has largely impacted my desire to express my love of adventure and natural beauty through color and paint.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am a planner so I would definitely have a whole itinerary planned. What we would do depends on the season since they are so variable in St. Louis but we will go with a summer’s end situation since summer is my favorite season! There are many small neighborhoods in St. Louis that lend themselves well to each day being dedicated to one area!

Monday: Manchester and Kirkwood-
I personally love to shop, and I think St. Louis has a very underrated shopping scene, especially if you know where to look! I would start by taking my bestie down machester road to some local thrift stores, Marshalls and TJMAXX and of course the Nordstrom Rack. We would grab lunch at Mulligans Grill where I used to work, known for its wings and ranch dressing. In the evening we would hit kirkwood for home goods, another TJ MAxx and some local boutiques and end the evening at Billy Gs for dinner and drinks on the patio.

Tuesday: Shaw and the Grove –
I would start the day with a coffee at AO&Co in Shaw and walk to the botanical gardens where we would spend a few hours. Later, we would do some shopping at some local businesses and boutiques in the grove area, including Mays Place, Union Studio, etc. Sometime after 4pm, we would walk to the Tower grove Farmers market and shop local art, goods and produce. Then we would walk to Sashas Wine bar in Shaw for dinner and drinks on the patio! (Notice a theme??)

Wednesday: Wednesdays I work at a florist Rouge Florals in Cottleville so it would be fun to take my friend to work with me and make some bouquets etc! In the evening we would walk over to old town Cottleville and go to the new Frankie Martins garden, outdoor bar and food truck park.

Thursday: Pool Day! I would get coffee and breakfast at my local cafe La Finca in Eureka before heading to Le Meridian in Clayton for a one-day pool pass! We would spend the day at the pool eating and drinking. I would bring clothes to change into and stay through the evening for their Au Soliel nights where you hang by the pool and listen to live music played by my friend Alex Ruwe and his band!

Friday: After breakfast at Honeybees in Kirkwood, I would take my friend for a blowout at Libby’s Blowtique. We would go to dinner at one of my favorite spots Basso, and afterwards we would head downtown to tin roof and the midwestern for a little live music nightlife. Ending the evening at Par Bar if we really wanted to stay out til 3am

Saturday: Game day! I would take us to an afternoon baseball game and do dinner at Salt and Smoke. We would go to Mcgurks Patio after the game and then late night Nicks Pub for Karaoke!

Sunday: Brunch and rest
I would take my friend to brunch at Katies Pizza – a fav local spot! And then just relax at my dads in cedar hill for the evening! Big week!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This is a great question, there are actually 3 distinct influences/people I would like to shout out!

First of all, my parents. As cheesy as this sounds, I am so grateful to my parents for loving me all these years. More specifically, for always making sure I had the supplies and the space to create. At one point, an entire room of our house growing up was covered in my art supplies. And I am certain that no surface or carpet or piece of clothing was left untouched by a spattering of paint.

Secondly, my grandmother Florelle after whom I am named. Not only did she always encourage my affinity for art, she also bought me my first set of acrylic paints and brushes for my 8th birthday. I like to attribute my aesthetic eye and my good taste (in art, fashion and home decor) to my grandmother, and I wish I could tell her that now.

Lastly, my artist and mentor friend Jessica Le Clerc. I cannot tell my story without mentioning her and the influence she has had on my life. In 2018 I moved to Australia for a working holiday. I did not expect to find an art school and art teacher but I am so glad I did because my life would not be the same without it. Jess not only taught me technical drawing and painting, she also reignited a passion for art in me that has made me who I am today. And she encouraged me to try going full time with my art.

Website: FlorelleStudio.com

Instagram: Florelle.studio

Linkedin: Florelle Rodenberg

Facebook: Facebook.com/florellerodenberg

Other: Other art instagram @ffineart

Image Credits
Claire Forrest Films CMS Photography My iPhone