By WINSLOW MASON JR.
Bucks County Courier Times

Imagine buying artwork you can hang outdoors that can resist all kinds of weather and maintain its colors even after five years in the sun.

A Bensalem company imagined that just three years ago and now is trying to create a niche in the growing outdoor living market.

Jason Kubach, 28, of Lower Southampton, started Open Air Designs just more than two years ago. The company, at 600 Center Ave. in Bensalem, sells outdoor art wholesale to high-end garden centers, specialty garden shops, patio stores and other stores that sell outdoor furniture and accessories.

Kubach said he got the idea from an artist who created outdoor art by coating his paintings with a solution to protect them from the sun, wind and rain. That artist’s paintings became a hot item among clients who were interested in sprucing up their outdoor living space, he said.

After a year of research and development, Kubach said, his company created a similar process for outdoor art called WeatherPrint. A patent on the process is pending, he said.

He compared the process to an inkjet color printer. He said artwork is scanned into a computer and then printed on a flat piece of aluminum. The aluminum is coated with a solution that protects the art from wear and tear. Kubach said the art can keep its vibrant colors for a minimum of five years or longer, depending on its exposure outdoors.

The artwork comes in a range of sizes, colors and patterns. A small piece is about 12 inches by 12 inches, while a larger piece is about 32 inches by 44 inches. Subjects range from pictures of an island beach with blue water and sky to drawings of sports figures, children or seasons of the year. Kubach said the company buys its artwork from publishing houses and doesn’t produce art for individual customers. The pieces can retail from between $70 to about $270, Kubach said.

In its first year, company sales hit about $500,000, Kubach said. Second year sales rose to $1.8 million. Kubach said he expects sales this year to reach between $3 million and $5 million.

“Not only are we trying to develop a new product, we’re trying to create a new market,” Kubach said.

Sales of outdoor art are part of the growing trend to create “outdoor living rooms,” said Leslie Wheeler, communications director for the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association. The association represents manufacturers, retailers and distributors of fire places, gas and pellet stoves, barbeque grills, patio furniture and outdoor living accessories.

The patio and outdoor living market has grown from a $4 billion industry in 2004 to a $4.5 billion industry in 2012, Wheeler said. In addition to a growing range of styles and colors for outdoor furniture, you can also get outdoor rugs, lamps and throw pillows, she said.

“Whatever you have inside you can pretty much have outside,” Wheeler said. “Companies like Open Air Designs are answering consumer demand for making their outdoor living space just like their indoors.”

A 2012 survey of association members found 42 percent of customers who bought patio or deck furniture also wanted larger grills, rugs, lamps and other accessories. That’s a 10 percent increase over 2004, Wheeler said.

“We think this is a good concept that will catch on as more people become aware of it,” she said.

Local retailers say they’re feeling the demand for outdoor living products and accessories.

“Sales of outdoor accessories were up 10 percent in 2012 over 2004,” said Beverly Clemenson. She’s a sales manager at Seasons Hearth and Patio Inc. in Ivyland, which sells patio furniture and accessories.

“Sales of patio furniture and outdoor accessories are running a little higher this year compared to the same time last year,” Clemenson said.

She said sales of outdoor living items have been on a steady increase since the 2001 terrorist attacks, because more people are choosing to entertain at home instead of traveling. Dan Cush, sales manager with Open Air Designs, said he expects the concept of outdoor art to grow as the outdoor living market grows.

“People want to feel right at home, even when they’re outside,” he said. “We think out product will help them feel that.”
Winslow Mason Jr. can be reached at 215-949-4170 or wmason@PhillyBurbs.com.