“State of the Arts” Kenosha, Racine, Waukegan
Interview With Artist
DAVID V. HOLMES Page 28
Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee
Free! Fall 2012
A Message From The Publisher By Chet Griffith
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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.
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 I’m about to share a fantastic art discover all of the wonders that are secret with you. A strict hierarchy available to you in your own cities! still exists in the fine art world. In Enjoy the hunt. 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 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!
Left of the Lake Fall 2012
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Puppetry Goes Underground “City Hall” By Joshua Frazer
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Music: My Career, My Life
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“The Embrace” By Duke Kruse
Snapshot
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2FL At A Glance: “Drive”
The Arts Are the Soul of the Community
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“Tower Series 7” By Maureen Fritchen
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“Untitled” By Jerry Newbrough & Jami Rutherford
My Fancy for Nancy
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“Blue Iris” By Joe Barr
State of the Arts: Kenosha
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CEO of Snore By Josie Rodriguez
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“Mermaid” By Rebecca Venn
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Making a Masterpiece
Brian Pier Mind Your Muse
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Lisa Bigalke
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“Mississippi Overlook” By Lisa Bigalke
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Joie De Vivre
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The House That Jack Bought State of the Arts: Racine
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Lichtenstein’s Starbursts David V. Holmes
Items in RED are artist features
Left of the Lake is: Publisher: Chet Griffith Graphics: Joshua Frazer Edits: Lisa Adamowicz Kless Contact Us At: lotleditor@gmail.com
By John Bloner, Jr.
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t’s not exactly the world’s oldest profession, but as an art form, puppetry 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 shortform, 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, October 27 at 7 PM. Steam Puppets and Fem-Bots, Saturday, January 12, 6-10 PM. Multiple performances. Admission to Underground performances are free, but donations are always 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 artworkskenosha@gmail.com. You may also join the Facebook Group for The Puppet Underground.
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JOSHUA FRAZER “CITY HALL”
larryrhymes@seasoningfortime.com
Snapshot By Dave Gourdoux
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n 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.
the dining hall in a senior community 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, standing in the snow near their home, having 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.
They are unaware, standing there in the snow, that the three will eventually become six. They know nothing 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
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The Arts are the Soul of the Community By David Motley
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elcome 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.
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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
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Edge, to name a few. The ArtWauk and is improving the quality of life model proves that it attracts business in our cities and towns, but most and in some ways may prove to importantly, in Waukegan. 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,
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Brian Pier
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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 “I began as an artist at a young age, they used. but I didn’t have much success in those early years. I think it was I think the real turning points for me mostly because my talent really were when I finished a painting, and had not developed yet. Like a lot of I other artists, I needed to make a liv- could say, ‘That’s it! I have finally ing, so I went into a different field. achieved what I was after’, and the Although I have always viewed art recognition that real art collectors as an important part of my life, it was were taking notice and buying my not until thirty-five years later that work. The most valuable lesson I I picked up my brushes and started have learned is to never stop studyto approach art with a passion that I ing, never stop learning, and never believe is necessary to succeed; this stop trying to achieve that which you was a drive and passion that I had not think is unachievable.” seen before. Although it is an advanrian 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.
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BRIAN PIER
“WINTER ON MICHIGAN AVENUE”
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MIND YOUR MUSE By Amara SuraShakta
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hen your muse beckons, do overcoming my fears. If you feel inyou answer the call? spired, follow your dream to write. Persevere even if you start doubtNancy Lauzon did. ing yourself or if the task seems too difficult. A good support system to So many artist brains wander be- encourage and help you is a must! fore sleep takes over at night. Some If you want your words to inspire of us notate our thoughts; others others, it’s worth a sometimes rocky don’t (usually forgetting them by journey. If you believe in yourself, morning). For Nancy, one night, do what it takes to make your dream thoughts of a small mouse exploring come true. For me, that involves a church wandered her mind. What faith and prayer as well.” did the mouse see? What stories did the mouse hear? How will the little I have to agree with Nancy. That mouse handle her fear when she empty page can be so daunting, but accidentally finds herself with the if you jump the puddle –whether you homeless? Can she save herself as land in it or over it – the result could well as help others? be great. You’ll never know if you never try. If the muse calls and you Nancy’s thoughts took on a life of feel the urge to put pen to paper, I their own. That’s when the muse hope you shove your fear aside and, beckoned her to write. So while Nan- as Nancy reminded me, “if you are cy did not plan to write her new chil- inspired to write, believe in yourself. dren’s book, Quiet Aza Mouse, when You can do it!” she cuddled into bed that night, that’s exactly what she did. Nancy contin- * Amara SuraShakta studied ued writing for weeks as more ideas Political Science: Legal Studies and came to her. With her process now Criminal Justice at UW-Parkside. complete I asked her, “If you had the She is currently working on a novel opportunity to offer other artists sup- and building her new business. 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
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By Zachary McDermott (Printed As Submitted) “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 commissionfree 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.
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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 antiwar 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!
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The City of Kenosha Commission On the Arts Seeks Public Input
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or 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 Commission on the Arts, and appointed eleven members, including community members with an interest in the fine arts, as well as individuals from local colleges and businesses. “The Commission aims to bring together 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 artistic endeavors.” The Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the Mayor and the Common Council and serves as a liaison on behalf of the city with artists and arts organizations and programs. In April, the Commission hosted a presentation 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 humanities 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 Alliance; Emily Delabrue, of the Kenosha Area Chamber of Commerce; Diane Levesque, of Carthage College; and community members with an interest in the fine arts: Francisco Loyola, Donald Miller, Mary Pat Andrea, Virginia Hartley and Maureen Cashin Bolog. Loyola was chosen as chairman of the commission; Herring 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 community, and also seeks public input. Visit: www.kenosha.com
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See us for your next project!
By Lisa Bigalke
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hree months ago, I finally started treating art as my full time career. It has been challenging, but I wake up excited to go to work. I am keeping a daily journal while developing 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 sustaining 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.
-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 focused.
Who trusts an art book with no pictures? As a lapsed academic, I find it awesome to be reading art books for pleasure again. Teaching five classes a semester, there is no time for making 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--
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LISA BIGALKE
“MISSISSIPPI Title of Article / Left of OVERLOOK” the Lake 23
Joie De Vivre
[French : joie, joy + de, of + vivre, to live, living.] By Kelle Dame
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he French describe it as the exultation of spirit. Webster’s dictionary describes it as the cheerful 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 clients. 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 surroundings.
Here is a good example:
Does this photo capture spirit? Does it tell you anything besides the obvious? How about this one?
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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 photographer, 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 display. 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.
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Lichtenstein’s Starbursts By Jim Janus
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oy Lichtenstein is well known for his paintings in which organized 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 discovered non-circles on one of his paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Haystack 1969 is one of several 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 haystack vanished, and genius appeared. Yellow background behind red circles, exactly the same size, evenly spaced. Perfect. But the white shapes? Certainly not circles. They look instead like regularly repeating, simple six-point starbursts. Lichtenstein used a non-circle; interesting, but not something to write about. Until, a little further into the exhibit, I discovered a sketch by Lichtenstein named Haystack and Haystacks (Studies). Created in 1968, it’s Lichtenstein’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 starburst is simply the white background showing through the center of a circular 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 PowerPoint 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 several times, so that only a repeating pattern of starbursts showed. It was a simple exercise, but I had to work through some arrangement problems. Maybe some of the thoughts I had were similar to Lichtenstein’s as he experimented with his circles. Studying Lichtenstein’s painting and sketch showed me his simple genius. And it reminded me that even accomplished 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 Illinois University. He lives in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois.
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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
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(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
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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 UWParkside 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
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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.
has to digest it all. Last, always let art be an enjoyable experience that makes life richer for you and your society.
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
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The Kenosha Art Association’s mission is to promote ART, and ART appreciation in the greater Kenosha area.
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State of The Arts: Racine by Maureen Fritchen
T
he arts are flourishing in Racine, WI. From nationally known cultural 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 Museum, located in the heart of downtown, has one of the top three most significant collections of contemporary crafts in North America. RAM features regular shows from its permanent collection and hosts major traveling exhibitions. The SC Johnson Gallery shows a rotating selection of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs and artifacts as part of a long-term loan agreement with the FLW Foundation. Historic Downtown Racine’s First Fridays (March-Dec.) and Gallery Nights have grown to become signature events. Gallery openings, art demonstrations, street music, cool drinks and outdoor dining give these evenings a festive atmosphere and attract regional art and music lovers. During the summer months, start every weekend early with a Friday noontime concert at Monument Square. Party on the Pavement is the city’s premier street festival featuring 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 galleries is The Artists Gallery, a co-op representing over forty regional artists. A 1880s former stable is home to Hot Shop Glass Studio & Gallery, a state of the art glass blowing studio and gallery. The Racine Arts Council Gallery shows six exhibits a year with a concentration on contemporary emerging and mid-career visual artists. BONK!, a monthly performance series held at RAC features both local and nationally recognized 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 alongside more established acts. The series tends to focus on music and poetry. New to downtown is Envi, an environmentally conscious lounge, and its Local Artist Series, showcasing regional art with an emphasis on conservation, recycling, and the environment. 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
36 Left of the Lake / State of the Arts: Racine
year. In summer, the band offers free concerts at the zoo most Sunday evenings. Bring your picnic dinner and enjoy the music lakeside. I’d need another page to list all the businesses Local arts organizations and busi- that support the wide range of local nesses continue to enrich and en- and regional musical talent. tertain our community. The Racine Theatre Guild, known for its stellar Forty artists call Uptown’s 16th St. slate of plays and musicals, will be Studios at the Racine Business Cencelebrating its seventy-fifth season. ter their creative home. For the past The Racine Symphony Orchestra is sixteen years this diverse group of celebrating its eightieth year. RAM’s artists has hosted an Open House on Wustum Museum exhibits Wiscon- the first Saturday in December. The sin artists. Juried shows include Wa- get bEHIND the aRTS Studio Tour is tercolor Wisconsin, Wisconsin Pho- another way to get a a rare, behindtography, Racine & Vicinity Show the-scenes glimpse of the working and Fellowship Award Winner solo artist. The springtime tour is a selfshows. The Racine Art Guild orga- guided tour of artists’ studios located nizes the annual Starving Artists Art throughout Racine and Kenosha. Fair. Animal Crackers Concert Series Last year over one hundred artists at the Racine Zoo hosts four sum- participated. mer concerts featuring jazz legends. Comedy Tonight, Jean’s Jazz Series, Consider this your personal invitaand the SE WI Choral Arts Society tion to experience Racine’s unique offer a wide range of entertaining sights and sounds. performances. The Racine Concert See you in Racine! Band, sponsored by City of Racine, plays over twenty performances a their Snowdance 10 Minute Comedy Festival, a competition of original short comedies featuring local and international finalists.
Maureen Fritchen / Left of the Lake 37
by Rachel Young
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 wellworn 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 living away from Kenosha and music, I found myself divorced, back in my hometown, and itching to be a part of music again. Kenosha is definitely the town for live music lovers. I soon found myself diving in and going 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 defunct 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 spiritual and creative rewards. It’s often stressful trying to juggle motherhood and a music career, but with supportive 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.
Music: My Career, My Life / Left of the Lake 39
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
The Art of Flowers artistic floral designs for any occasion
A Summer’s Garden Florist & Gifts www.asummersgardenflorist.com 5617 - 6th Ave Title of Article / Left262.657.ROSE of the Lake 41 Kenosha, WI 53140
There are only three things we do on earth:
Seed, Cultivate, & Harvest All Things Creative smlarkin@aol.com POLLARD GALLERY & GIFTS Rhode Center for the Arts 518 56th Street Kenosha, WI 53140 Phone 262-657-7529 www.rhodeopera.org
Open 1 to 4pm Wednesday - Sunday and by Appointment
POLLARD GALLERY & GIFTS Rhode Center for the Arts 518 56th Street Kenosha, WI 53140 Phone 262-657-7529 www.rhodeopera.org
Open 1 to 4pm Wednesday - Sunday and by Appointment
Richard Kruse
“THE EMBRACE”
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.
by Jav Rivera 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 Ryan Gosling stars as Driver, and, destructive; instead, he’s intelligent like Clint Eastwood before him, he and patient. With a knowledge of plays a stark character with no name. the streets, Driver outsmarts the LA For an actor who has done several police. odd characters (see “Lars and the Real Girl” and “Half Nelson”), It’s not what you think and unlike “Drive” showcases Gosling as a anything you’d imagine. “Drive” is quiet and very intense actor. sure to have a long life in cinematic history. The lovely Carey Mulligan and wonderful Albert Brooks co-star, * For more articles by 2nd First but it’s Bryan Cranston and Gosling Look, visit our official site: who steal the show. Cranston, better www.2ndFirstLook.com. And known for his father character in for more Short reviews, visit our “Malcom in the Middle” and as Facebook page: www.facebook. Walter White in “Breaking Bad,” com/2ndFirstLook. shows a weaker side with a tragic past. Though not actually related in the film, their father-son relationship
44 Left of the Lake / 2FL: “Drive”
MAUREEN FRITCHEN “7 TOWERS”
JERRY NEWBROUGH & JAMI RUTHERFORD “UNTITLED COLLABORATION”
46 Left of the Lake / Title of Article
JOE BARR “BLUE IRIS”
Call for artists the left of the lake coloring book needs you! Art By NicHoLAS Webb
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Vist www.leftofthelake.com for more details
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CEO of Snore
50 Left of the Lake / Title of Article
Josie Rodriguez
“MERMAID”
REBECCA VENN
a M a k i n g a M s t e r p i e c e Ò M a r i l y n M o n r o e T o r t u r e s H i m ! Ó a s s u m e s t h a t S c o t t y i s h e t e r o s e x u a l . A n d t h a t h e Õ d h a v e t h e e n e r g y t o p u r s u e a w o m a n i n h e l l . T h o s e a r e b i g a s s u m p t i o n s !
S c o t t W a l k e r h a s a n i n c r e d i b l y g e n e r i c f a c e . T r y i n g t o f i n d h o w o t h e r c a r t o o n i s t s d r e w h i m w a s o f n o h e l p . T h e y a l l w e n t o v e r t h e t o p . A s f a r a s I c o u l d f i g u r e , h i s m o s t s a l i e n t f e a t u r e w a s h i s 5 o Õ c l o c k s h a d o w
T h e n t h e r e Õ s t h e u n d e r w e a r i s s u e . D o y o u s h o w M a r i l y n Õ s u n d e r t h i n g s ? W e l l , t h e f a c t i s t h a t t h e r e a r e h u n d r e d s o f p u b l i s h e d p h o t o s o f M a r i l y n o v e r t h e f a m o u s s u b w a y g r a t e a n d t h e y a l l s h o w h e r u n d e r w e a r ! B e s i d e s t h a t , t h e b l o w n d r e s s s a y s Ò M a r i l y n Ó a s m u c h a s h e r f a c e d o e s .
. . .
M y o r i g i n a l d r a w i n g u s e d B e t t y P a g e i n s t e a d o f M a r i l y n M o n r o e . C h e t G r i f f i t h s s u g g e s t e d t h a t B e t t y P a g e w o u l d n o t b e i n h e l l . T h e m a n h a s a p o i n t . B e t t y s u f f e r e d a C h r i s t i a n c o n v e r s i o n i n m i d d l e - a g e . B e s i d e s t h a t , a n a m a z i n g n u m b e r o f p e o p l e o v e r 4 0 d o n Õ t k n o w w h o B e t t y P a g e i s . I w a s s t u n n e d .
L e t m e a s s u r e y o u t h a t i t Õ s d i f f i c u l t t o d r a w t h i s f a c e .
D o i n g t h e s e k i d Õ s s t a m p e d l e t t e r s i s n Õ t a s e a s y a s y o u Õ d t h i n k . . . e s p e c i a l l y o n p r i m e d p a p e r ! T h e i n k w o u l d w e l l u p o n t h e s u r f a c e . T h e s i d e w a y s Ò H Ó a n d t h e b a c k w a r d s Ò K Ó w e r e n o t i n t e n t i o n a l . T h e y w e r e m i s t a k e s p u r e a n d s i m p l e .
52 Left of the Lake / Making a Masterpiece...
r y but n o c i gar... t e c i N
It seemed like a winner, but it had to get trashed.
It has been 47 years since I thought of myself as a cartoonist. As an adolescent I was pretty good. It feels good to do this kind of thing again.
In some ways this cartoon was better than the Marilyn Monroe cartoon that followed. Done on heavy white paper, the colors bounce off this piece, bright and light. On several pieces that followed, including the “Marilyn” piece, I used primed white paper which complicated making a finished product. It took me a while to get back to using this paper.
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 trademark, but there is the issue of distracting peopleaway from the intended content.
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 incompetent. There’s a fine line.
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.
Jerry Belland / Left of the Lake 53
Title of Article / Left of the Lake 55
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