“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.” — Steve Martin
Dean Tawwater:
Restoring a Lost Art
Gina Laurenzi:
A Passion for Dance
Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee
Free! Issue 8
A Message From The Publisher By Chet Griffith
In the spring of 2012, my colleagues and I began brainstorming for what would eventually become Left of the Lake Magazine. There was a lot of discussion about the importance of who we would choose to be our inaugural feature /cover artist. First impressions are important and I believed that this decision would influence the future direction of the magazine. Fortunately, that important decision was also a very easy one; we chose artist David V. Holmes. David was the quintessential artist: he was prolific, inspiring, and wildly creative. His instantly recognizable work is rarely viewed passively; rather, each piece is a discovery, begging to be explored. His pieces are remarkable, often encrusted with mystical relics, sculptured doodads, and random junk, each layer carefully orchestrated into a classic textbook visual gestalt. I find his work to be nothing less than brilliant, and always wondered whether David ever regretted not actively pursuing art-world fame. I never asked him, because oddly enough we rarely discussed art. We would talk about his Wisconsin Badgers, weird history, or politics. Occasionally while chatting, the “old professor” would slip back into teaching mode, and I would catch myself humoring him, only to realize later that he had just taught me something. Which of course, is a lesson in itself. While David, the teacher, certainly received his share of prestigious art accolades, one can’t help but wonder what could have been? Although he would never admit it, he was certainly aware of how good he was. Had the man made a few different life decisions, he may have achieved some level of fame, but the price of chasing celebrity is high. Would David have traded his remarkable tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, where he touched the lives of literally thousands of students, helping to impact many of them in such a profound way that they themselves decided to teach? Would he have sacrificed more than forty years of marriage to his wife, Cathleen? Would he have missed watching his own children grow up and start families of their own? Would he have sacrificed the opportunity to hold his grandchildren? You can bet your ass that he wouldn’t have traded any of those things for the world – and that is the very definition of success. Cheers, David. 4 A Message From The Publisher / Left of The Lake
Issue 8
Left of the Lake
07 Stopped On 14th Street, Headed East By Darin Zimpel
08 Gina Laurenzi: A Passion For Dance By Left of The Lake
14 Edison’s Electric Elephant By David V. Holmes
15 Kong
By Peg Rousar-Thompson
16 Cherry Waltz
By Martin Antaramian
19 Timor Servilis
By Cynthia Lund Torroll
22 Restoring a Lost Art: Dean Tawwater By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
27 War Machine
By Helen Napier
28 White Peony
By Jan Marchuk
30 Untitled, Untitled
By Samantha Friedl
32 Myth
By Prince Parise
34 2FL: JD McPherson
By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
37 Whispers From The Wind
By Amara SuraShakta
38 Stripwax
By Jeff Moody
Publisher: Chet Griffith Graphic Designer: Joshua Frazer Editor: Lisa Adamowicz Kless Editor: Peg Rousar-Thompson Managing Editor: John Bloner, Jr. Contact Us At: editor@leftofthelake.com
Cover: Gina Laurenzi
Photo: Allison Bourdeau Photography
W
HM 9–1
R C forthe A
St. • Downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin
Saturdays Oct. 18 thru Dec. 20, 2014 (Closed Months of January and February)
Reopens Saturday, March 7, 2015
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter
Produce, Cheese, Meats, Pastry, Fresh Mushrooms, Chips, Chocolate, Unique Arts & Crafts, Soaps, Prepared Foods, Live Music, and More
Visit Our Web Site: kenoshaharbormarket.com
Stopped On 14th Street, Headed East By Darin Zimpel
Looking ahead, Coal filled train cars Rush north Spaces between them Flashing quick cold Views of Lake Michigan In the distance Out the side window, I see a crow scratching At something Frozen on the sidewalk And admire his Poised comfort Living wrapped in black
Left of The Lake / Behind The Scenes  7
Gina Laurenzi:
A Passion for Dance
Photos by: Allison Bourdeau Photography
In this issue, we interview Gina Laurenzi, dancer and director of Laurenzi Dance in Kenosha. Gina, tell us about Laurenzi Dance, and what led you to open your own studio in downtown Kenosha? We are a creative and innovative dance studio. And not just a dance studio, but a community of movers and shakers whose mission is to raise awareness of dance as an art form through study, experience, and performance. At Laurenzi Dance, passion, personality, and perseverance are the key elements to training -- we value classical training and technique but give equal importance to the growth of creativity. What is your background and how is your dance program structured? I opened my studio back in 2008 after teaching at various studios in the Illinois suburbs as well as at the YMCA. I wanted to create an outlet for young dancers, a safe place to study, and a rich lineup of performance opportunities specifically for our tight-knit family of performers. My goal was a dance studio where the emphasis is not only on physical training, but the dancer’s artistic voice. We offer classes for all ages and abilities. Dancers ages three through six begin in a PreDance or Kinderdance class where they develop skills through creative movement and the building blocks of classic styles. Dancers seven and up are placed in a technique class Left of The Lake / Gina Laurenzi: A Passion For Dance  9
of their choice and advance as they grow in life and dance training. We offer yoga, Pilates, and Zumba for our adult students.
featuring a mix of trickling gestures and intricate movements woven into dynamic sweeping phrases of motion.
We offer the classic styles: ballet, jazz and tap, but dancers are also encouraged to take contemporary, hip hop and learn improvisation/choreographic skills to provide diverse training. For our advanced dancers who are passionate and invested, we also have performance groups.
You’ve been away furthering your own education. How did you come to this decision?
Tell us about Project Innovate: A Performing Dance Company (PIPDC)? These are Laurenzi Dance’s most visible and dedicated teen performers. Our intermediate and advanced dancers are encouraged to audition for our performance groups. Dancers in the company must have a range of technical abilities, knowledge of various styles, and exhibit growth as young artists. At auditions, we look for dancers with positive energy who share those common core values: passion, personality, and perseverance. PIPDC events are themed and choreographed specif ically for the dancers involved. All levels of students at Laurenzi Dance perform throughout the year. What happens behind the scenes? I am often the sole choreographer when setting up a themed show with a story line. The themes are based on my personal experiences, the modern issues facing young women today or epic works of film. I work with dancers on storytelling through movement to create a production that is similar to a story ballet, but in a range of styles. I am driven to create movement based on the dancer’s personality, incorporating their backstory, all set to the ebb and flow of the music. My personal style blends my classical training with a contemporary twist,
I believe that to be a great teacher, you must continue to learn. To be a great choreographer, you must continue to explore. With this in mind, I returned to school and recently graduated from UW/ Milwaukee’s dance program with a BFA in Choreography & Performance. I am involved with community organizations that focus on spreading knowledge and raising awareness of dance as an art form. I stay active in a thriving contemporary dance community where I am a member of Danceworks Performance Company as well as a performer for Maria Gillespie. I will be premiering my own dance concert in Milwaukee in September of 2015. The more I learn, the more I am driven to share. My education and involvement in the growing arts scene keeps me excited as both an instructor and artist. For my students, I strive to share my knowledge and experience each day through classes and conversation, but also to set an example of the Laurenzi Dance core values of passion, personality, and perseverance. For more information about Laurenzi Dance, visit their website at www.laurenzidance.com
10 Gina Laurenzi: A Passion For Dance / Left of The Lake
Left of The Lake / Gina Laurenzi: A Passion For Dance  11
Honoring Our Past – Composing Our Future
Racine Symphony Orchestra 2014-2015
“Honoring our Past” Summer Pops
Friday, June 27, 2014 – 7:00 pm Festival Hall, 5 Fifth Street (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
“Music for a Summer Evening”
“Sophisticated Swing” – Special Event Saturday, July 19, 2014 – 5:00 to 8:30 pm The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread
“Great Orchestral Film Music Festival” Summer Pops
Friday, August 22, 2014 – 7:00 pm Festival Hall, 5 Fifth Street (Doors open at 5:30 pm)
“Composing our Future” Masterworks Concert
Saturday, October 11, 2014 – 7:30 pm Racine Theatre Guild 2519 Northwestern Ave
“Holidays Past……and Future” Holiday Pops
Friday, December 5, 2014 – 7:00 pm Festival Hall, 5 Fifth Street
“New Voices”
Masterworks Concert Sunday, March 8, 2015 – 3:00 pm UW-Parkside, 900 Wood Road Frances Bedford Concert Hall, UW Parkside
“A Composition in Time”
Masterworks Season Finale Saturday, April 25, 2015 – 7:30 pm Racine Theatre Guild 2519 Northwestern Ave
Free Community Concerts
Young Artists’ Competition
– Sponsored by Kiwanis Club of West Racine Sunday, February 8, 2015 – 1:00 pm First Presbyterian Church 716 College Avenue
Concert for Fifth Grade Students
– Sponsored by Educators Credit Union “Compose Yourself!” by Jim Stephenson Tuesday, March 17, 2015 9:15 and 10:45 am Grace Church, 3626 Hwy 31
Tickets are available by calling 262.636.9285 or online at www.racinesymphony.org
KAISER’S PIZZA & PUB
VINTAGE SIGNS — BRICK MURALS — WINDOWS & DOORS — CUSTOM ORDERS — TAWWATER SIGN CO.
TALULAH TATTO
MIKE’S DONUTS & CHICKEN
PUBLIC BREWING CO.
~ IN CAHOOTS WITH ~
262-235-0613 TAWWATERSIGNCO .COM
Left of The Lake / Behind The Scenes 13
14 Edison’s Electric Elephant / David V. Holmes
Kong
By Peg Rousar-Thompson You were barricaded in your room at the top of those black stairs and it would take me hours to climb them quiet in my toddler way and I’d peer over the very top one eyeing all the battery powered wonders and dirty plates that made grandma crazy anticipating fingers would grip the dark runner, creep closer to helicopters and remotely operated dune buggies and you would throw the switch sending the hideous monster with its brilliant red eyes forward to stand at the top of the stairs, its fur-covered arms flailing in anger and its gears grinding faster than I could back my way down those treacherous steps.
16 Cherry Waltz / Martin Antaramian 
Cynthia Lund Torroll / Timor Servilis  19
2D/3D art - music
art exhibition, meet the artists, live entertainment, art demonstrations, raffle prizes, free food & a cash bar
www.getbehindthearts.com
Presenters include: Frank Juarez and Pamela Anderson
RAM Professional Artist Development Series Grow your creative career in 2015, further details at ramart.org RAM’s Wustum Museum of Fine Arts
Northwestern Racine 20 Behind The2519 Scenes / Left of Avenue, The Lake 
262.636.9177
www.laurenzidance.com 5913 6th Avenue A Downtown Kenosha, WI 53140 (262) 654 - STEP (7837)
— Director Gina Laurenzi Left of The Lake / Behind The Scenes 21
By Lisa Adamowicz Kless
I f you l ive i n or v isit K enosha , t he Milwaukee area, or a handful of other Wisconsin cities, chances are that you’ve seen some of Dean Taw water’s exquisite work and just not realized it. It may have been a painted sign, delicately gilded lettering on a window, or a mural on a wall; Dean takes what might otherwise be drab, everyday items like wood, glass, and brick and adds touches that make them extraordinary as part of his business, Tawwater Sign Co. Besides plenty of raw talent that allows him to work this magic around town and elsewhere, Dean draws from his background in fine art. He was involved in art programs in junior high and high school,
and says that he “always had a sketchbook, and something to mark it up with.” After attending MIAD in Milwaukee, he spent time in Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado, and San Francisco before returning home to Kenosha and attending UW-Parkside for two years as a painting/drawing major. Since then, Dean has had a working studio space where he’s shown and sold his work, and has been employed at a local sign shop that specializes in dimensional hand-painted signs, vinyl, and large format printing. About two years ago though, he decided to branch out with his own business, focusing more on vintage and retro style signage, brick murals, window and door lettering, restoration, etc. Since these
22 Restoring a Lost Art: Dean Tawwater / Left of The Lake
specialties don’t compete with the sign shop, he’s been able to keep working there as well, continuing to hone his skills. The desire to start his own company came from his passion for working with his brushes and enamels, his love of vintage advertising, and his respect for quality, hand-crafted work, he says. “I was seeing old hand-painted signage disappearing and not very many examples of contemporary hand-painted work to replace it. I feel that hand-painted signs have an energy in them that can’t be matched by vinyl or printed media.” And energy can definitely be found in all of his work. Here in Kenosha, he’s done some
restoration, such as touching up the lettering on the side of the iconic Franks Diner car and sprucing up the windows of another Kenosha favorite, Yee’s Oriental Inn. More recent businesses have also benefited from his talent and art training. Kaiser’s Pizza & Pub has hand-painted lettering and a mural on one outside wall, with another yet to come. Dean’s work is being showcased on and in both the soon-to-open Mike’s Donuts & Chicken building and the recently launched Modern Apothecary drug store too, where he put his skill with gold leaf to use, creating gorgeous lettering in the Apothecary’s windows that enhances its elegantly vintage appeal.
Left of The Lake / Restoring a Lost Art: Dean Tawwater 23
Versatility is a trademark in all Dean does. Painting the logo on an outside wall at Mike’s was a challenge, he says, because the old, bumpy brick was a tricky surface to paint on. Likewise, doing lettering is no easy feat. People may mistakenly think it isn’t as hard as it seems, but he doesn’t use stencils, so it’s all truly done by hand. He sometimes has a rough guide when he’s doing reverse painting on windows, but it’s not there to trace or paint over; it acts as a place keeper since he’s essentially working backwards.
that Dean has designed himself or not, the end result has an undeniable charm and character that more modern signage seems to lack.
Creating wooden signs is a skill that he picked up during his time in Colorado, and he makes these for both businesses and private residences. He completes the entire process himself, cutting the initial shape of the sign out of wood, refining it and adding any other details that are needed, then painting it according to the customer’s wishes.
When I asked Dean what made him want to specialize in this particular line of work, he said that it was hard to zero in on just one thing. “I love it all,” he explained, “the planning, the researching, the designing, and the technical aspects.”
For those interested in hiring him, Dean is happy to draw up sketches based on their ideas, but he can also touch up or replicate existing designs that may have been on buildings for decades, if that’s what’s needed. He works with other graphic designers too, and will paint designs or logos that they’ve produced. Whether it’s something
He considers sign painting a lost art, and studies books, old signs and lettering, and the work of others to help him learn more about the profession. Last year, he was a presenter at the Lost Arts Festival at the Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee, an event that showcases art and trades that document the evolution of organized work.
“There’s something about seeing the brushstroke in a letter or a little bump in a line that just speaks to people, lets you know that someone put a little bit of themselves up there.” And Dean Tawwater is doing just that, leaving a legacy of his remarkable work and art all around Wisconsin, a bit at a time.
24 Restoring a Lost Art: Dean Tawwater / Left of The Lake
Left of The Lake / Restoring a Lost Art: Dean Tawwater  25
Experience Kenosha’s HarborPark Sculpture Walk 14 world-class sculptures along Kenosha’s beautiful lakefront.
SCULPTURE
WALK
H ARBOR P ARK
This larger than life exhibit will run through September 2015. New sculptures will be exhibited for 2015-2017. www.kenoshaartsfund.org
Helen Napier / War Machine  27
28 White Peony / Jan Marchuk 
30 Untitled, Untitled / Samantha Friedl 
32 Myth / Prince Parise 
KSO 75th Anniversary Diamond Gala Friday, August 22, 2014 • 6:00 pm Kenosha Country Club, 500 13th Avenue, Somers, WI
Honoring our sponsors and donors
Eat , drink and be merry at our gala event. Heavy hors d’eouvres served.
KSO 1st Annual Shindig On The Shore Friday, September 5, 2014 • 6:00 - 9:30 pm Pennoyer Park, 7th Ave & 35th Street
Free concert of pops and movie music
Featuring vendors, concessions, KSO shirt sales and KSO musicians, bringing the party to the park
Ode To Joy
Saturday, October 18, 2014 • 7:30 pm Reuther Auditorium, 913 57th Street
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Melissa Cardamone, Soprano • Allison Hull, Alto • Alan Taylor, Tenor • Philip Kraus, Baritone VOX 3 Collective, Guest Choir • Guest artists sponsored, in part, by the Kenosha Community Foundation and Carthage College
Symphonic Sweets
Sunday, December 14th, 2014 • 3:00 pm Reuther Auditorium, 913 57th Street
An afternoon filled with Christmas joy
Choirs from the community join KSO in a glorious “Hallelujah!” Special guest: Santa Claus
Pizzicato Promenade • Valentine’s Celebration Saturday, February 14, 2015 • Time and Location: TBA
Dance the night away with the Kenosha Symphony Orchestra Sway along to a Strauss Waltz and step to a light-hearted polka
Our Town, Your KSO Saturday, April 18, 2015 • 7:30 pm Reuther Auditorium, 913 57th Street
A celebration of our cultural history
Featuring the music of the iconic American composer, Aaron Copland Guest artists: Tremper Chorale, directed by Mrs. Polly Amborn
Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy Saturday, June 13, 2015 • 7:30 pm UW-Parkside Bedford Hall, 900 Wood Road Gershwin tunes and hit movie music
Featuring music from Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park
Left of The Lake / Behind The Scenes 33 www.kenoshasymphony.org • (262) 654-9080
By Lisa Adamowicz Kless Having a dad who grew up during the 1950s and 60s, the first time that I heard JD McPherson’s “North Side Gal”, if I’d had my eyes closed I would’ve sworn that I was back in time in the family car, and my dad had just popped one of his cassettes into the tape deck. Within the first few notes of that opening song from his 2010 debut album, “Signs and Signifiers”, you’re sucked into this high-energy record, and when McPherson’s voice (sounding like it could’ve come straight from Motown) booms in shortly after, well—if you can turn it off, you’ve got more willpower than me. Hearing McPherson’s musica l chops, you’d guess that a career in that business has been a lifelong ambition. In reality, he first planned to be a visual artist, attending the University of Oklahoma in his home state and eventually earning his MFA in Open Media. McPherson is quoted as saying that he leaned more towards wanting to “paint, do installation, make video art, performance stuff, (and) sculpture.” Listening to music like Delta blues and jazz, Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, punk music, Led Zeppelin, Little Richard, and much more in his youth and then playing in bands during college, McPherson’s musical career took root after he teamed up with Chicago-based producer Jimmy Sutton.
They recorded “Signs and Signif iers” in Sutton’s home studio while McPherson was working as a school art teacher. The result is a lush adventure where the sounds of piano, saxophone, guitar, drums, doghouse bass, and the tambourine layer so perfectly with the vocals and lyrics that each song becomes an experience in itself. It would be unfair to slap a label on the music just to conveniently tuck it into a genre, but if forced to, rockabilly would probably fit the bill. With a record that contains piano loops inspired by the Wu-Tang Clan’s work, bits of guitar stylings reminiscent of the Smith’s song “How Soon Is Now”, and a cover of the 1955 song “Country Boy” by Big Tiny Kennedy and His Orchestra though, trying to fit “Signs and Signifiers” into a neat little box would be a mistake. The grit and the ruckus are what make it so much fun, and worth listening to over and over. To find out more about JD McPherson, i nc lud i ng i n for mat ion on h is soont o -b e -r e l e a s e d s e c o n d a l b u m , v i s it www.JDMcPherson.com. For more ar ticles by 2nd First Look , visit our website at www.2ndFirstLook. com. You can also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/2ndFirstLook.
34 2FL: JD McPherson / Lisa Adamowicz Kless
Left of The Lake / Behind The Scenes  35
36 Behind The Scenes / Left of The Lake 
Whispers from the Wind By Amara SuraShakta Armored Savin soldiers chanted their war song of loss in an undeviating line on the third level of Fort LuLi, recognizing those who gave their lives. The wordless song had the depth of what they felt; what the song meant was clear. Amber watched great clouds roll over the hills of Fort LuLi. They brought more darkness, but at least this darkness didn’t come from another of her brother’s attacks. Debris from battle still remained scattered on the mountainside that had protected so many during the last encounter. No one had sifted through the rubble yet. No one had attempted to climb down to the Fort’s ruined first and second levels to care for the fallen. Few dared to walk what was left of the streets. Behind her, a wall tumbled. Elsewhere, boots shuffled across pieces of rock and soot. It was a weary walk that came with old age. A cool wind circled in from the approaching storm. “We fought for three days. This is what I have to show,” Amber said aloud to the wind as it drifted across her neck with a soft embrace. The Savins’ chant seemed to intensify the moment the wind joined her side. Funny how Amber noticed that, but the longer she listened the more she picked out – the melody, the harmony, the way the two combined creating an anchor that tied the single voices into a complete sound.
“The dust here will settle,” the wind said as it twirled around Amber’s bruised neck with an eager optimism she didn’t understand. “I’ve been here before. I’ve seen the people rebuild.” Amber bit her lip. When she opened her mouth to speak again, she tasted the start of blood. “He’ll hit the city you love next,” the wind informed her. Amber closed her eyes. The higher pitched tenors held a note that made Amber feel like she was in the presence of family. Heavy bass pulsed warm notes of courageous support. “So how do I defeat him?” “He uses black magic like an addict. It’s his vice,” the wind said as it rallied around her open palms. Amber felt its presence even with her eyes closed. The wind never failed to rally when she requested its help, never gave up on her even though it knew her brother’s powers as a Manipulator were stronger.
Amara SuraShakta / Whispers from the Wind 37
38 Stripwax / Jeff Moody
Submit Your Work To Left Of The Lake Left of the Lake Magazine is published quarterly and accepts work continuously. We welcome submissions from both new and established artists and writers, nationally and internationally, but first consideration is offered to the creative people in our region of Southeast Wisconsin and Northeast Illinois. General Guidelines: • All work must be original and not previously published • No simultaneous submissions Submissions Welcome: • Poetry (maximum of three pieces) • Fiction or Non-Fiction (400 words or less) • Visual Art, Photography, or Comics (maximum of two pieces) How-To Submit: • We prefer electronic submissions, either as an attachment or in the body of an email. Send work to editor@leftofthelake.com and please include your name, address, and a short bio of 30 words or less.
Questions? Contact us! editor@leftofthelake.com Left of The Lake / Submissions 39
and
SERVED FRESH DAILY
Warm
April - September Sunday - Thursday 11am - 9pm Friday - Saturday 11am - 10pm
Cold
October - March Sunday Noon - 7pm Monday Closed Tuesday - Thursday Noon - 7pm Friday & Saturday Noon - 9pm
Scoops ICE CREAM scoopskenosha.com · 262-657-YUMM · 5819 Sixth Avenue
40 Behind The Scenes / Left of The Lake