For 25 years, Wesley Stout nurtured a deep-down knowledge that he was an artist. Well-meaning folks warned that he could not earn money for his artwork. If not for a 1979 lay-off from driving a bus, one of his two dozen unrelated jobs, the traveling mural artist might never have followed his heart across America. With no means of support, Wesley pounded the sidewalks pitching his talent for turning walls into bigger than life paintings. Developing some speed techniques, he discovered he could transform a 40-square-foot wall space into a work of art in one day. "My best time-saving technique is to do it right the first time," the gentle giant-sized redhead says with a laugh. For the next eleven years, Wesley and his wife, Mary, ran a small sign shop. Wesley's reputation for creativity grew along with his tendency to misspell words, which he always corrected.
In 1993, a voice, which Wesley believes was God's, whispered in his ear: "Buy an airbrush." Without questioning the command or stopping to consider that he had no training, no art school education, and no paint shop experience, he bought the airbrush. Immediately, people began asking him to paint murals on their RVs. "Then I had to figure out what kind of paint to use and how much to charge," he continues. "There was a lot to learn, but God has blessed me with no mess-ups on somebody's $200,000 motor coach!" At first, Wesley painted only during the busiest season in Florida. In 1995, he bought an old motorhome and drove 1700 miles to set up business at his first RV rally. "People were wonderful," he says. "They told us about other rallies and before long, we were traveling in 30 states to about 17 rallies per year." Generally, Mary sets up a booth in the rally's market area and schedules murals for Wesley to paint. She keeps a record of the site on which the potential client is parked. However, many RVers catch Wesley as he runs to swoosh every drop of paint from his airbrush before nightfall. He typically paints two murals a day during rallies, adding up to over 1,000 RVs since he started his business. However, his work is not limited to RV murals. He also paints tail gates on trucks and motorcycles. With no projectors, templates, or patterns, Wesley free hands animals and scenes in fast-drying automotive urethane paint. Clients often show him pictures of their vision in a mural. Using his creative license, he pulls mountains in closer or lifts an additional idea from a tee shirt. Depending on the size, he paints, looks at pictures, and then paints again for two and a half to four and half-hours for each mural.
Wesley maintains a philosophy of standing behind a product. "Back in 1993, I was sold a bad gallon of clearcoat, the final touch on the mural," he says. "After a few years, the clear began to discolor and fade away. I posted flyers in parks and went hunting until I found those murals. I gave each customer free clear coats. Some of them were not at home in their rigs and I did it without their knowledge." Wesley admits that he and Mary could earn more money if they quit traveling full-time and established a permanent shop. "But right now, we choose to camp 365 days a year, see America, and remain free. "I know that a better artist can always be found," he says. "Price is relative to quality and quantity, but when an RVer wants the best possible job for the best possible price, I'll be out there at a rally or on the road."
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