Left of the Lake Magazine - Issue 1

“State of the Arts” Kenosha, Racine, Waukegan

DAVID V. HOLMESInterview With Artist

Page 28

Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee

Free!Fall 2012

I am passionate about it! I sell supplies to make it, I put it on display, I frame it, I teach it, and

I buy it. As you may have gathered, art is very important to me. In fact, it is so important that in April of 2007, my wife and I opened ArtWorks in Kenosha, an act that officially made art my business.

There is a myth that buying original art is expensive, snobby, and exclusive...and guess what? Sometimes it’s true. If you are of the means to purchase curatorially approved artwork by famous artists who show in prestigious New York galleries, knock yourself out! But wait; there is a second myth that says that all the good stuff is hanging in those New York galleries and the rest of us are out there scraping what’s left on the bottom of the art barrel.... right? Wrong!

I’m about to share a fantastic art secret with you. A strict hierarchy still exists in the fine art world. In many ways, it’s similar to climbing the corporate ladder. Without going into too much detail, young artists are expected to jump through a number of pre-approved hoops. Many young artists choose not to play the art world game, and as a result, there are good artists everywhere! They

live in every city, and they make exceptional things. In general, these artists are not world famous (although many make world-class artwork), so their work is usually available at affordable prices. More good news: this particular area is loaded with them.

Artists, writers, musicians and performers are all connected in this creative spirit, and I hope to share as much of their brilliance as I possibly can. We all live here; we should be supporting local musicians, and attending local theater and dance productions. We should be purchasing books by local authors and buying the work of local artists! Not because they need charity, but rather because of thier consistent excellence! A strong, supported creative arts community enriches the lives of everyone who calls this place home. It’s time to explore, and discover all of the wonders that are available to you in your own cities! Enjoy the hunt.

A Message From The PublisherBy Chet Griffith

Left of the LakeFall 2012

Left of the Lake is:Publisher: Chet Griffith Graphics: Joshua Frazer Edits: Lisa Adamowicz Kless

Contact Us At:[email protected] in RED are artist features

2FL At A Glance: “Drive”44

“Blue Iris” By Joe Barr47

Making a Masterpiece52

Music: My Career, MyLife

39

“The Embrace” By DukeKruse

43

“Tower Series 7” By Maureen Fritchen

45

“Untitled” By Jerry Newbrough & Jami Rutherford

46

CEO of Snore By Josie Rodriguez

50

“Mermaid” By Rebecca Venn

51

Puppetry Goes Underground3“City Hall” By JoshuaFrazer5

Snapshot7

Brian Pier12Mind Your Muse15My Fancy for Nancy16

Lisa Bigalke22

Lichtenstein’s Starbursts27

David V. Holmes28

Joie De Vivre24

The Arts Are the Soul of the Community8

The House That Jack Bought

34

“Mississippi Overlook”By Lisa Bigalke

23

State of the Arts:Racine

36

State of the Arts:Kenosha19

Puppetry Goes Underground / Left of the Lake 3

It’s not exactly the world’s oldest profession, but as an art form, pup-

petry has been around a very long time. In recent history, a group of puppeteers and fans of puppetry have created The Puppet Underground in Kenosha, Wisconsin, presenting live programs and puppet slams to standing-room-only crowds in the basement of ArtWorks, an art supply store, framing service and gallery at 5002 7th Avenue.

The Puppet Underground performed its first show in May 2012, presenting a disco version of Dante’s Inferno, complete with mirror ball, tortured souls and a three-headed Lord of the Underworld that bore a striking resemblance to the Bee Gees. If Ben Brantley, critic for the New York Times, had been in attendance, he would have called it “plucky” and “pleasure-giving”.

Only a month later, The Underground hosted its first Puppet Slam, a short-form, almost-anything-goes affair that featured a randy, foul-mouthed duck, a snickering Mortimer Snerd, a sensational shadow play, a stamped-

ing, human-sized sock monkey, a pirate and his parrot, and much more.

Upcoming shows include:

Monster Puppet Slam, Saturday, Oc-tober 27 at 7 PM.

Steam Puppets and Fem-Bots, Satur-day, January 12, 6-10 PM. Multiple performances.

Admission to Underground perfor-mances are free, but donations are al-ways welcome. As seating is limited and performances are popular, arrive early to these shows.

Want to join the Underground? The troupe typically meets on Monday evenings at 6:30 PM at ArtWorks. Phone (262) 652-5911 or send email to [email protected]. You may also join the Facebook Group for The Puppet Underground.

By John Bloner, Jr.

JOSHUA FRAZER“CITY HALL”

[email protected]

Snapshot / Left of the Lake 7

In the photograph, they are in black and white, and they are young and

beautiful. The three are standing in the snow, on what looks like maybe a frozen lake, bundled in their winter coats. Their smiles convey warmth and love and happiness. My dad still has all his hair, and is still thin and muscular, and movie-star handsome. My mom, gently leaning on my dad, is every bit his match, her skin still unwrinkled by time, and thin and mid-twenties young. My dad is holding my oldest brother, Mike. Wrapped in his winter coat and hat, he isn’t smiling, but looks warm and natural and loved in his father’s arms.

They are unaware, standing there in the snow, that the three will eventu-ally become six. They know noth-ing about cancer or mental illness or congestive heart disease. They have no perception of how fast nearly sixty years will pass. They have no way of knowing that in that time, they will all be gone, and they know nothing of the other three they will leave behind.

They have no way of knowing that nearly sixty years later, on a warm Saturday in September, the photo will be posted on a bulletin board in

the dining hall in a senior communi-ty in the town of Bruce, Wisconsin. They can’t conceive the enormity of loss and the depths of emotion that the photo will inspire.

They are just a young family, stand-ing in the snow near their home, hav-ing their picture taken. * Dave Gourdoux lives in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. He is a (new) contributor to the 2nd First Look web site and owner of a personal blog, “Drivel by Dave” (djgourdoux.wordpress.com). He is currently wrapping up the first draft of his first novel.

SnapshotBy Dave Gourdoux

8 Left of the Lake / State of the Arts: Waukegan

Welcome to the Waukegan ArtsRevolution. You have a

front row seat for this cultural and artistic transformation.

It has been a strange and wonderful path in my more than twenty years of experience of working for the city of Waukegan, with other duties as assigned dictating the pace of my life. Seems that my mission of late has been a very interesting one. Trying to wrestle with universal concepts like: how do you teach passion? How do you foster creativity? How do you inspire someone to give a damn? It is my opinion that our ArtWauk event seems to have started to help provide answers to these questions. If you have not yet had the opportunity to participate in an ArtWauk, I will tell you that it is the intersection of where the arts, neighborhood identity, community development, civic imagination and the “try anything” moment meet. Then, furthermore, they eat tacos together on Tuesday, have a WaukAbout on

Wednesday, wear their fedora on Friday, and, in general, celebrate Weird Waukegan and our amazing eccentricities. ArtWauk actually began way back on February 23, 2002, when vacant storefronts in the Genesee Theatre Building were converted into professional art galleries. I still look back at this time and consider it as the heyday when the community really could recognize the true impact and the role that that the arts could play in Waukegan. We had the Bernardo Marigmen Gallery at 118 Clayton St., Michlle Patch Gallery was at 122 Clayton St., Shimer Art Works at 201 N. Genesee, Waukegan Cine Arts and Jstreet Zine at 205 N. Genesee St., Skip Weise at 209-211 Genesee and of course the Lake County Art League at 213-215 N.

By David Motley

The Arts are the Soul of the Community

David Motley / Left of the Lake 9

Genesee. We were averaging four hundred to five hundred people for the once a month, well themed and programmed shows. It was an unavoidable circumstance that these locations were forced to close in 2003 to make way for the renovation and expansion of the Genesee Theatre, and the event took a very long rest.

Despite the early set backs, we clearly have made great strides in the past many years. We are all proud of the amazingly restored Genesee Theatre and the pioneering vision of businesses in downtown like Joplin’s Java, Family Piano and Green Town Tavern that all recognized the utilization of the arts as a tool for economic development, but this puzzle lacked a few pieces. This equation as still being understood and worked on until the

ArtWauk concept was reintroduced in the newest incarnation on Friday, March 11, 2011 when we welcomed the Grand Opening of Dinosaur Studio on South Genesee St. It was during this time that we also saw the seeds sown of what is now Dandelion Gallery. I feel that this moment was a turning point on our road towards our transformation into a genuine arts destination and, more importantly, this moment helped push us towards our goal of being a community that celebrates the arts by recognizing the true value of its impact on Waukegan. Today, just past one year of this process, downtown Waukegan is home to such creative spaces as Lake Surf Designs, Rainy Day Glass Studio, I.V.Y., Tufo Studio & Gallery, Clockwise Theatre, Rhythm Academy of Dance, Undercroft Gallery, Gallery 128 and Urban

10 Left of the Lake / Title of Article

Edge, to name a few. The ArtWauk model proves that it attracts business and in some ways may prove to accelerate the economic development process, but most importantly, it makes downtown Waukegan COOL again by connecting opportunity with experience. Please join us for an ArtWauk on every third Saturday each month to see for yourself what all of the buzz is about.

It seems as though we are on the right track; however, we should all feel a sense of urgency to keep this arts momentum moving fast forward. Let us all help continue to be on the same page and help push this transformation of Waukegan from the City of Process back into the City of Progress. Support of arts-related programs enhances community development, promotes cultural planning, stimulates economic development, spurs urban renewal, attracts new businesses,

and is improving the quality of life in our cities and towns, but most importantly, in Waukegan.

Title of Article / Left of the Lake 11

12 Left of the Lake / Brian Pier

Brian Pier knows all about the frustrations of being an artist.

After years of painting, entering exhibits, and continuously honing his craft, he still had not sold any of his artwork. All of that is over now though, and Brian is on a roll. We asked the artist to say a few words about how he persevered.

“I began as an artist at a young age, but I didn’t have much success in those early years. I think it was mostly because my talent really had not developed yet. Like a lot of other artists, I needed to make a liv-ing, so I went into a different field. Although I have always viewed art as an important part of my life, it was not until thirty-five years later that I picked up my brushes and started to approach art with a passion that I believe is necessary to succeed; this was a drive and passion that I had not seen before. Although it is an advan-

tage that some artists have a natural, God-given talent, I was never one of them; to create a beautiful work of art I had to study, learn, and above all, practice, practice, practice. Studying the work of late eighteenth and early nineteenth century masters was very valuable; not so I could paint exactly like them, but to take with me some of the color, techniques, and values they used.

I think the real turning points for me were when I finished a painting, and I could say, ‘That’s it! I have finally achieved what I was after’, and the recognition that real art collectors were taking notice and buying my work. The most valuable lesson I have learned is to never stop study-ing, never stop learning, and never stop trying to achieve that which you think is unachievable.”

Brian Pier


BRIAN PIER“WINTER ON MICHIGAN AVENUE”


Mind Your Muse / Left of the Lake 15

When your muse beckons, do you answer the call?

Nancy Lauzon did. So many artist brains wander be-fore sleep takes over at night. Some of us notate our thoughts; others don’t (usually forgetting them by morning). For Nancy, one night, thoughts of a small mouse exploring a church wandered her mind. What did the mouse see? What stories did the mouse hear? How will the little mouse handle her fear when she accidentally finds herself with the homeless? Can she save herself as well as help others? Nancy’s thoughts took on a life of their own. That’s when the muse beckoned her to write. So while Nan-cy did not plan to write her new chil-dren’s book, Quiet Aza Mouse, when she cuddled into bed that night, that’s exactly what she did. Nancy contin-ued writing for weeks as more ideas came to her. With her process now complete I asked her, “If you had the opportunity to offer other artists sup-port, what would you tell them?” “Overcoming fear is an obstacle to overcome in the book [Quiet Aza Mouse] as well as in my life. This book is a positive example for me of

overcoming my fears. If you feel in-spired, follow your dream to write. Persevere even if you start doubt-ing yourself or if the task seems too difficult. A good support system to encourage and help you is a must! If you want your words to inspire others, it’s worth a sometimes rocky journey. If you believe in yourself, do what it takes to make your dream come true. For me, that involves faith and prayer as well.” I have to agree with Nancy. That empty page can be so daunting, but if you jump the puddle –whether you land in it or over it – the result could be great. You’ll never know if you never try. If the muse calls and you feel the urge to put pen to paper, I hope you shove your fear aside and, as Nancy reminded me, “if you are inspired to write, believe in yourself. You can do it!” * Amara SuraShakta studied Political Science: Legal Studies and Criminal Justice at UW-Parkside. She is currently working on a novel and building her new business.

MIND YOUR MUSEBy Amara SuraShakta

16 Left of the Lake / My Fancy For Nancy

“The painting horrified me so much, I hesitated while buying it” muttered Nancy.

For the past decade, Nancy Barasch has been salvaging paintings from her local thrift stores. Giving the mundane art some “much needed help,” as Nancy puts it. She paints over the existing works. Only scraps of the old neglected originals are left peeking through the newly transformed canvas. Nancy “Assists” the paintings. She pulls out what is suppressed within the painting while the original pulls out what is suppressed in her. “I like things about them I wouldn’t paint myself, it creates parameters” Nancy explains. “Well, really I started doing it because it was a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new canvas.” I first meet Nancy a few summers ago while operating the commission-free poor boy’s gallery in the ghostly downtown of Kenosha. She was the first of only a few customers I encountered over the gallery’s year long run.

By Zachary McDermott (Printed As Submitted)

Zachary McDermott / Left of the Lake 17

As she purchased a dreadful painting/newspaper headline clipping collage of crucified Jesus, I knew this woman was unique. A few days later she had brought me some of her own creations, which I was hesitant to even display. “Did somebody’s kid paint that” my brother asked me. “This is crap” he said, and I sort of agreed at first glance. But the paintings were displayed; the month came and went, and the paintings started to grow on me. Acrylic, spray paint, oils, encaustic, and mysterious “leftovers” as she calls it, were used. The paintings, quirky and generally odd, depicted Nancy’s coon-hound, doll heads, scenes from the book of revelations, and even dead fish placed on a canvas and covered in enough paint and glue to stop the smell. There really was something for everyone.

Nancy called “Hello my prince, I have some more art for you, well I don’t know if I should call it art.” She had invited me over to her home to select some pieces for the upcoming display. I entered her home to find every wall drenched in her art. Encased in gaudy scrolling gold frames, the hundreds of pieces were touching edge to edge. Completely overwhelmed, I began to choose the more aesthetically pleasing/sellable paintings for the display. Nancy pulled them off the wall, giving me a creative detailed back story for each painting while simultaneously

pulling paintings out of closets to put up in their place. I was shocked. “My adult kids are sick of hanging my paintings in their homes. Who wants that much of their mother hanging around the house? I have no more room for them” Nancy gargles.

Nancy is a woman of many talents but most recently plays a lawyer for “people who are obviously guilty.” She spoke of her years in some art college in New York during the 1960’s where she describes “we just painted until our eyes fell out.” I learned she dabbled as an anti-war activist who ended up dating a soldier. She has no television. She likes the lake and she likes to paint. With such a dynamic past and personality, it’s no wonder Nancy has more inspiration than space on her walls. I have ended up with about 50 of her paintings since she refuses to take them back. She says she is more likely to paint if there is an empty spot on her wall that needs to be filled. She doesn’t want to make money from them offering me 85% of sales. She says she doesn’t care if her art is good or liked. She is not even concerned if her ideas are original. I can only describe her art as “Raw,” made just for the process of making it. Nancy only thinks one thing when she thinks about making art, she loves it!

State of the Arts: Kenosha / Left of the Lake 19

For the past year, members of the arts and business community

in Kenosha, Wisconsin have been collaborating on plans to support economic development of creative endeavors. Mayor Keith Bosman sponsored the creation of the Com-mission on the Arts, and appointed eleven members, including commu-nity members with an interest in the fine arts, as well as individuals from local colleges and businesses.

“The Commission aims to bring to-gether representatives from the arts, business, and government to network and encourage the most effective use of existing resources,” said Bosman. “The commission streamlines the process to alleviate barriers for artis-tic endeavors.”

The Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and the Com-mon Council and serves as a liaison on behalf of the city with artists and arts organizations and programs. In April, the Commission hosted a pre-sentation by Silagh Whyte of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, who talked about the importance of arts in the community. White, director of ArtsLehigh--a university program designed to encourage the arts on campus and in the local community-

-has worked with many campuses and communities across the nation, examining how they can collaborate on mutually beneficial arts and hu-manities projects.

The commission members are Jayne Herring, marketing director at Gateway Technical College; Dr. Robert Wells, director of Fine Arts at Kenosha Unified School District; Karen Sorensen, of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside; Becky Noble, of the Kenosha Area Business Alli-ance; Emily Delabrue, of the Keno-sha Area Chamber of Commerce; Diane Levesque, of Carthage Col-lege; and community members with an interest in the fine arts: Francisco Loyola, Donald Miller, Mary Pat An-drea, Virginia Hartley and Maureen Cashin Bolog. Loyola was chosen as chairman of the commission; Her-ring serves as vice-chairman.

The commission meets the first Tuesday of the month, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., on the second floor of the Civil War Museum; 5400 First Ave. The Commission recently launched a web site with a goal of informing the public about its role in the com-munity, and also seeks public input. Visit: www.kenosha.com

The City of Kenosha Commission On the Arts Seeks Public Input

See us for your next project!

22 Left of the Lake / Lisa Bigalke

Three months ago, I finally started treating art as my full time ca-

reer. It has been challenging, but I wake up excited to go to work. I am keeping a daily journal while devel-oping my studio practice, and so far I have learned: Pump up the volume…

Six months ago, I would have argued that music doesn’t matter to me when I’m working. Any music was fine. The bulk of my art has been made in a community printmaking studio in a university. In addition to music, there was the general chatter and work noise of students. At first, the silence in my studio was crippling. My normal go to music choice, loud rebellious punk, wasn’t really sus-taining a seven to nine hour studio experience. I needed to broaden my musical horizons. Surprisingly, 90s dance and 80s new wave allow for me to work well. Who trusts an art book with no pictures?

As a lapsed academic, I find it awe-some to be reading art books for pleasure again. Teaching five classes a semester, there is no time for mak-ing art nor reading about it. So, thank you to the person who sent me the book, Starting Your Career as an Artist. It helped get me moving--

-making art and reading about it. Also recommended: Art With No Compromise, Seven Days in the Art World, and The Creative Habit. 3 p.m. is my Achilles heel…

Unless I am physically printing when 3 p.m. hits, my mind checks out of my studio. I can’t focus on drawing, sewing, cutting or painting. I even tried removing the clock. I’ve now learned that 3 p.m. is a great time to clean my studio, check email, mow the lawn, visit a friend, walk, nap, or pick vegetables. When 4 p.m. hits, I can return to my studio totally fo-cused.

By Lisa Bigalke


LISA BIGALKE“MISSISSIPPI OVERLOOK”

24 Left of the Lake / Joie De Vivre

The French describe it as the exultation of spirit. Webster’s

dictionary describes it as the cheer-ful enjoyment of life. In a depressed economy, couldn’t we all use a little more joie de vivre? I think so.

How can we bring about more joie de vivre in our lives? I think it’s simple. If our surroundings can deeply influence the way we feel and the way we act, shouldn’t we surround ourselves with things that make us smile, bring about a happy memory, or even express our point of view? Shouldn’t our walls reflect the emotions we wish to feel and the stories we wish to tell? Shouldn’t walls do more than merely reflect a matching color, or be the backdrop to meaningless, mass produced artwork, just because it coordinates with our sofa?

I believe so. I believe in this theory enough to base my career on it, and it has never failed me or my cli-ents. I get to start out each project knowing that my advice will help my clients think bigger, dig deeper, and live more meaningfully. The best part is that it’s not an expensive way to live. The only thing it costs is some change. Change of mind. Change of spirit. Change of sur-roundings.

Here is a good example:

Does this photo capture spirit? Does it tell you anything besides the obvious? How about this one?

Joie De VivreBy Kelle Dame

[French : joie, joy + de, of + vivre, to live, living.]

Kelle Dame / Left of the Lake 25

One image tells its viewer more than just obvious information; for example, the first says, “This is Nick and Kelle on their wedding day and they seem pretty happy.” In the second image, the photogra-pher, Rachel Niles, not only took a great picture, but also spontaneously captured a little joie de vivre! That is just one of the reasons that this photo is the better one to put on dis-play. Another reason is that every time I look at this photo, it makes me feel a little joie de vivre too. I will also happily admit that the third reason I would hang the second photo instead of the first is that the second photo doesn’t bring about any silly thoughts. Now ladies, you know the ones I am talking about. They go like this: “UGH! I could never get back into that dress!” or “Why does our metabolism have to slow down sooo much?”

See what I mean? If silly negative thoughts tag along with the good memories, then you aren’t letting your surroundings do their best at promoting your happiness. That is why I say, “If it makes you happy, hang it up!” There need not be any other rules.

So, next time you are thinking about what to hang up on your walls, think about what images will bring about the most happiness without any negative feelings that tag along. Hang up the images that tell other people who you are and what you care about. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it means something to you, makes you feel good, and adds to the overall feel you wish to achieve for your space.


Lichtenstein’s Starbursts / Left of the Lake 27

Roy Lichtenstein is well known for his paintings in which or-

ganized dots and circles of primary and secondary colors turn familiar objects into pop art.Dots and circles are Lichtenstein’s trademark. I thought this until I dis-covered non-circles on one of his paintings at the Art Institute of Chi-cago. Haystack 1969 is one of sever-al of Lichtenstein’s impressions--of Monet’s impressions--of haystacks.As I approached Haystack 1969 I recognized what was originally Monet’s idea. But Lichtenstein’s is not a copy. It’s another masterpiece.I walked up to the painting, the hay-stack vanished, and genius appeared. Yellow background behind red cir-cles, exactly the same size, evenly spaced. Perfect.But the white shapes? Certainly not circles. They look instead like regu-larly repeating, simple six-point star-bursts.Lichtenstein used a non-circle; inter-esting, but not something to write about.Until, a little further into the exhibit, I discovered a sketch by Lichten-stein named Haystack and Haystacks (Studies). Created in 1968, it’s Li-chtenstein’s plan for his haystack paintings. It includes his drawings of haystacks, and his margin notes regarding arrangement of circles and their possible colors.

Haystack and Haystacks (Studies) showed me that each six-point star-burst is simply the white background showing through the center of a cir-cular arrangement of six overlapping red circles.Maybe you already knew it, but I needed to see his notes. Haystack 1969 is composed entirely of circles.At home I recreated the starburst. I’m not a painter, so I used Power-Point to arrange six circles into a ring, leaving space in the center for the six-pointed shape to appear. I then copied and pasted the ring sev-eral times, so that only a repeating pattern of starbursts showed.It was a simple exercise, but I had to work through some arrange-ment problems. Maybe some of the thoughts I had were similar to Lich-tenstein’s as he experimented with his circles.Studying Lichtenstein’s painting and sketch showed me his simple genius. And it reminded me that even ac-complished artists put a lot of time and work into transforming their ideas into masterpieces. * Jim Janus writes short fiction and poetry. In January 2012, he joined the Kenosha Writers’ Guild. Jim has a minor in English from Northern Il-linois University. He lives in Win-throp Harbor, Illinois.

By Jim Janus

Lichtenstein’s Starbursts

28 Left of the Lake / David V. Holmes

How would you describe your work to a total stranger?

My work always contains ready-mades that I have collected to use in either my paintings/collages or my assemblages. The works are narrative and always have some theme. They are usually semi-realistic but really much more Surrealistic. I usually try to add a bit of whimsy to them. How has your work evolved over the years? In the beginning, I was a realistic artist with a fantasy edge (primarily painting and drawing). But, early in graduate school I started adding unusual frames with collaged elements. Within a few years the pieces moved more into sculptural works, and although there was still some painting, 3-D was dominating. I built four collections of work around a central theme: The Greater Christian Carnival (theology meets the side show), Holmtown – USA (a sculptural self-portrait made of chair/people), The Alchemic Emporium (archaic looking work with a contemporary edge with an alchemist, machines, strange beasts and a laboratory), and The Mystical Mechanical Menagerie

DAVID V. HOLMES



(robotic people and animals). I am now doing whatever the collection of rusty, strange stuff I’ve collected over the years inspires. I am more into process than the object itself, so things are painted and built, then reworked and reworked again. My work has definitely become much more complex as the years have passed.

What influences your work to a greater degree: the outside world, or the internalized world? (If there’s a difference, and the two can be truly separate...) Although the work has a definitive fantasy feeling, themes are based on social issues or the human condition. There is also my artistic empathy for

David V. Holmes / Left of the Lake 31

animals and how we affect them. So the real world stands as the general theme, and then it is internalized and my imagination and aesthetic idiosyncrasies take over. Those that inspire me go from P.T. Barnum, old sci-fi films to H.C. Westermann and Joseph Cornell from earlier in the twentieth century. How did the rigors of teaching for many years at the University of Wisconsin Parkside affect your work?

I loved teaching at the university level and did my damn best to keep that part of my life at UW-Parkside, and the artist endeavors in my studio. I have to say that teaching almost always kept my imagination and creative spirit going and rarely did I think: “Oh squat; wish I was in my studio.” Fridays and Saturdays were dedicated primarily to art. As I look back, I wonder how I did as much art as I did with the teaching load and all the responsibilities demanded from the University. And, I have a family (three good children, a caring wife, and always a dog or two) so how I did it all seems like “Mission Impossible“. I certainly hope I succeeded in all three arenas, but at times one had to supersede the others.

With a lot of interplay between your assemblages and your paintings, is the mindset/process the same, and does one influence the other? There are always sculptural elements in the paintings and painting in eighty percent of the sculptures, therefore, there is a nice flow back and forth. The term “mixed-media” is probably best suited for my art. For exhibitions and teaching positions, painters saw me as a sculptor, and sculptors saw me as more a painter. I think that is why the position at UW-Parkside was so good for me; they needed a “utility infielder”, which I am good at. Just being dedicated to one media would certainly be boring and limit the ingenuity I need. The interconnection between diverse media is an imperative part of what I see art being for new century. Both now and as you began your art career, who are/were the artists that you admire? I have already mentioned Cornell and Westermann but there were others like the Northern Renaissance artists, the Pre-Raphaelites with their unabashed Romanticism, Grassroots artists for their wonderfully innocent and honest approach to visual narratives, as well as many of the early twentieth century artists, such as Duchamp and Magritte. Born in 1945, I really was too busy growing

32 Left of the Lake / David V. Holmes

up to be influenced by the Abstract schools of the middle of the century. I guess my lasting aesthetic started showing itself with “Pop Art“. As time moved on, artists would become popular that I enjoyed but none that really showed themselves in my art. Yet, some did inspire me conceptually, like Red Grooms. Today, I see some very bad attempts at making new art and a few who do a wonderful job. To be honest, I really enjoy artists who are quite different than me. What advice would you give to aspiring artists? First and foremost, artists must make art for themselves so the experience is real and self-fulfilling. Naturally, one should go to museums, but not just the art-related institutes; all of them. Hop around the galleries and read the art magazines. And, take your art history studies very seriously as one has to know what already happened and why. One can be influenced by a thousand year old art movement as well as what is contemporary. And, never jump on a popular style just to get recognition. In this case you are just an imitator and not really a creator. Accept all criticism, bad or good. Criticism is like food for artists, and like food, some bits become energy and aesthetically enhancing while other bits just get excreted. But one

has to digest it all. Last, always let art be an enjoyable experience that makes life richer for you and your society.

The Kenosha Art Association’s mission is to promote ART, and ART appreciation in the greater Kenosha area.

www.Facebook.com/KenoshaArtAssociation 5615 -7th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53140 1(262)654-0065

The Kenosha Art Association working in collaboration with www.ExposeKenosha.com

www.KenoshaArtAssociation.org

34 Left of the Lake / The House That Jack Bought

John Hambrock / Left of the Lake 35

36 Left of the Lake / State of the Arts: Racine

The arts are flourishing in Racine, WI. From nationally known cul-

tural institutions to artists run co-ops to open mics in alternative spaces, Racine’s arts scene is as diverse as its community. The Racine Art Mu-seum, located in the heart of down-town, has one of the top three most significant collections of contempo-rary crafts in North America. RAM features regular shows from its per-manent collection and hosts major traveling exhibitions. The SC John-son Gallery shows a rotating selec-tion of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and artifacts as part of a long-term loan agreement with the FLW Foun-dation. Historic Downtown Racine’s First Fridays (March-Dec.) and Gallery Nights have grown to become sig-nature events. Gallery openings, art demonstrations, street music, cool drinks and outdoor dining give these evenings a festive atmosphere and attract regional art and music lov-ers. During the summer months, start every weekend early with a Fri-day noontime concert at Monument Square. Party on the Pavement is the city’s premier street festival featur-ing numerous stages of continuous live music, a beer garden, an art walk, hands-on art projects and lots more. The festival happens every

first Saturday in October. One of a dozen downtown galler-ies is The Artists Gallery, a co-op representing over forty regional art-ists. A 1880s former stable is home to Hot Shop Glass Studio & Gal-lery, a state of the art glass blowing studio and gallery. The Racine Arts Council Gallery shows six exhibits a year with a concentration on con-temporary emerging and mid-career visual artists. BONK!, a monthly performance series held at RAC fea-tures both local and nationally recog-nized talent. The series is meant to not only bring atypical, challenging art to the Racine community but to also provide a platform for emerging artists in the area to perform along-side more established acts. The se-ries tends to focus on music and po-etry. New to downtown is Envi, an environmentally conscious lounge, and its Local Artist Series, showcas-ing regional art with an emphasis on conservation, recycling, and the en-vironment. Probably the best kept secret is B4S Gallery on the west end of Sixth St. The gallery is a hangout for creatives. You’re never sure what to expect or who will show up for an impromptu performance. We can’t leave downtown without mentioning Over Our Head Players at the Sixth Street Theatre. Not to be missed is

State of The Arts: Racine by Maureen Fritchen

Maureen Fritchen / Left of the Lake 37

their Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy Festival, a competition of original short comedies featuring local and international finalists. Local arts organizations and busi-nesses continue to enrich and en-tertain our community. The Racine Theatre Guild, known for its stellar slate of plays and musicals, will be celebrating its seventy-fifth season. The Racine Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its eightieth year. RAM’s Wustum Museum exhibits Wiscon-sin artists. Juried shows include Wa-tercolor Wisconsin, Wisconsin Pho-tography, Racine & Vicinity Show and Fellowship Award Winner solo shows. The Racine Art Guild orga-nizes the annual Starving Artists Art Fair. Animal Crackers Concert Series at the Racine Zoo hosts four sum-mer concerts featuring jazz legends. Comedy Tonight, Jean’s Jazz Series, and the SE WI Choral Arts Society offer a wide range of entertaining performances. The Racine Concert Band, sponsored by City of Racine, plays over twenty performances a

year. In summer, the band offers free concerts at the zoo most Sunday eve-nings. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music lakeside. I’d need another page to list all the businesses that support the wide range of local and regional musical talent. Forty artists call Uptown’s 16th St. Studios at the Racine Business Cen-ter their creative home. For the past sixteen years this diverse group of artists has hosted an Open House on the first Saturday in December. The get bEHIND the aRTS Studio Tour is another way to get a a rare, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the working artist. The springtime tour is a self-guided tour of artists’ studios located throughout Racine and Kenosha. Last year over one hundred artists participated.

Consider this your personal invita-tion to experience Racine’s unique sights and sounds. See you in Racine!

Music: My Career, My Life / Left of the Lake 39

I’ve always loved singing. Since the moment that I was three years

old and saw Judy Garland sing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, I’ve wanted to do little else but sing. I worked hard to overcome shyness and started singing in church, then school, then started classical training. I worked hard, and won scholarships that I did nothing with. My heart was never really into classical music, but I did love the work. (Precision and excellence in music still drive me to this day.) My heart was in that well-worn pile of vinyl that my father had given me when I was six years old; all of the classics: The Beatles, The Doors, The Who, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc. I loved it all. I was a very shy girl though, and I didn’t pursue it like I should have. When I fell in love and got married, I gave it all up, thinking that I should “settle down” and be a “grown up”. That really didn’t work so well, and after ten years of marriage and liv-ing away from Kenosha and music, I found myself divorced, back in my hometown, and itching to be a part of music again. Kenosha is definite-ly the town for live music lovers. I soon found myself diving in and go-ing to every show and every open mic I could, though merely as a fan.

Live music and the musicians/artists of Kenosha pulled me out of a deep funk, and I had the time of my life! I ended up working at the now de-funct Nook Cafe and started my own open mic there on Monday nights. A wonderfully talented guitar player named Chris Sipos wandered in, and soon he was helping me run the open mic, then we started dating, then we started making music together. I had given up singing and thought that I would never sing again, but with Chris’ encouragement I started, and now four years later, I am a full-time singer with two bands! I still run Monday Open Mic with Chris, but we’re now at the Rendezvous Tiki Lounge. Kenosha is brimming with talent and I love giving it a voice at our open mic. I work hard for not much money, but infinite spiri-tual and creative rewards. It’s often stressful trying to juggle motherhood and a music career, but with support-ive friends and family I get by. I truly love my life. My greatest wish is that my life shows others, especially my daughters, that you should follow your dreams, and it is never too late to do so.

by Rachel Young

The Art of FlowersThe Art of Flowersartistic floral designs for any occasion

A Summer’s Garden Florist & Gifts5617 - 6th AveKenosha, WI 53140 262.657.ROSE

www.asummersgardenflorist.com


The Art of FlowersThe Art of Flowersartistic floral designs for any occasion

A Summer’s Garden Florist & Gifts5617 - 6th AveKenosha, WI 53140 262.657.ROSE

www.asummersgardenflorist.com

Racine Symphony Orchestra 2012-2013

81st Anniversary Season

Saturday, October 27, 2012: “Ludwig and Leventhal”, 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church

Friday, December 7, 2012: “Joy to the World” Holiday Pops, 7 pm at Festival Hall

February 10, 2013: Young Artists Competition, 1:00 pm First Presbyterian Church, open to the public

March 10, 2013: Sharan Leventhal Concert, 2:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church,

Our Artist-In-Residence returns

Tuesday, March 19, 2013: 5th Grade Concert, 9:15 am and 10:45 am, Grace Church

Saturday, April 20, 2013: “Laurino goes Italian”, 7:30 pm at First Presbyterian Church

Tickets are available by calling 262.636.9285 or online at www.racinesymphony.org

There are only three things we do on earth:

All Things [email protected]

Seed, Cultivate, & Harvest

POLLARD GALLERY & GIFTSRhode Center for the Arts518 56th StreetKenosha, WI 53140Phone 262-657-7529www.rhodeopera.org

Open 1 to 4pmWednesday - Sundayand by Appointment



















Richard Kruse “THE EMBRACE”

by Jav Rivera

I had the privilege of attending a panel for the film “Drive” at 2011’s ComicCon. They showed

an intriguing scene in an elevator, which has now become one of the more popular scenes of the film. The “elevator scene” has a mixture of romance and disturbing violence. But it’s not this that makes the film a success. Ryan Gosling stars as Driver, and, like Clint Eastwood before him, he plays a stark character with no name. For an actor who has done several odd characters (see “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Half Nelson”), “Drive” showcases Gosling as a quiet and very intense actor. The lovely Carey Mulligan and wonderful Albert Brooks co-star, but it’s Bryan Cranston and Gosling who steal the show. Cranston, better known for his father character in “Malcom in the Middle” and as Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” shows a weaker side with a tragic past. Though not actually related in the film, their father-son relationship

is the heart of the story. Their bond parallels Driver’s protection over Mulligan’s character. And then there’s the best aspect of “Drive”--its pace. It’s slow, pulsating, and absolutely perfect. The first scene says it all. Driver’s after hours gig as a getaway driver shows a chase unlike anything in cinema history. He’s not fast or destructive; instead, he’s intelligent and patient. With a knowledge of the streets, Driver outsmarts the LA police. It’s not what you think and unlike anything you’d imagine. “Drive” is sure to have a long life in cinematic history. * For more articles by 2nd First Look, visit our official site: www.2ndFirstLook.com. And for more Short reviews, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/2ndFirstLook.

44 Left of the Lake / 2FL: “Drive”

MAUREEN FRITCHEN“7 TOWERS”


JERRY NEWBROUGH & JAMI RUTHERFORD“UNTITLED COLLABORATION”

JOE BARR “BLUE IRIS”

48

Call for artists the left of the lake coloring book needs you!

Vist www.leftofthelake.comfor more details

Art By NicHoLAS Webb

49


Josie Rodriguez CEO of Snore

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Jerry Belland / Left of the Lake 53

Nice try but no cigar...It seemed like a winner, but it had to get trashed.

bascially ,the cartoon had to be trashed for two reasons. One of them was that few people over the age of 40 seemed to know who Betty Page was! This is Betty Page. It is remarkable that she is better known by younger people.

Then there was the lettering issue. I really wanted to avoid using the kid’s stamp letters. Using them complicates things. But somehow this hand-lettering all the way through didn’t work for me. It just seemed incom-petent. There’s a ne line.

Drawing Betty Page was easier than Marilyn Monroe because of her signature bangs. Many kids today copy this look. The fetish gear is also a trade-mark, but there is the issue of distracting people-away from the intended content.

In some ways this cartoon was better than the Mari-lyn Monroe cartoon that followed. Done on heavy white paper, the colors bounce o� this piece, bright and light. On several pieces that followed, including the “Marilyn” piece, I used primed white paper which complicated making a nished product. It took me a while to get back to using this paper.

It has been 47 years since I thought of myself as a cartoon-ist. As an adolescent I was pretty good. It feels good to do this kind of thingagain.


In the historic Orpheum Theater

5819 Sixth Avenue 262-652-TOYS or 262-652-YUM

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Left of the Lake Magazine - Issue 1