Serving The Creative Communities From Chicago To Milwaukee
Free! Issue 10
Articulate Visions: Intertwining Art & Science
Articulate Visions: Intertwining Art & Science September 9th - November 14th, 2015 Opening Reception: September 17th 4:30 - 7:30 pm
Sandy Kessel Pumpkin Watercolor 17" x 12.5" 2015
Botanical illustration is a delicate and graceful art that delights the eye while informing the mind. This selection of works by the Reed-Turner Group consists of botanical artists guided by the parameters and goals of the American Society of Botanical Artists. As stated in their mission statement the Reed-Turner Botanical Group “ works to further the interests of botanical art, conservation science, botany and horticulture at the local level. And to emphasize the beauty and importance plants play in our lives by educating, promoting and exhibiting members work in collaboration with local institutions. The Group has been in existence for ten years and meets at the Reed-Turner Preserve.” Material Sustenance: Carthage College Art & Graphic Design Faculty Exhibit November 30th - December 13, 2015 & January 5th - 23rd, 2016 (Closed Winter Break, December 14th - January 3rd) Opening Reception: Friday, December 4th 4:30 - 7:30 pm
Opening Reception:
Exhibit Runs:
November 6th, 4:30- 7:30 pm
November 6 to December 13, 2014
Throes of Progress II: Kathy Weaver, Jacqueline Moses and Dominic Sansone Feburary 2nd - March 19th, 2016 Opening Reception: Thursday, Febuary 11th 4:30 - 7:30 pm
(Closed Nov. 24 – Nov. 30 for Thanksgiving Break )
Rare Fruits & Tall Tales: Jerry Belland, Kay Knight and Eric Penington
28th - April 29th, 2016 Special March Christmas Festival Reception: December 5th, 4:30- 7:30 pm Opening Reception: Thursday, March 31st 4:30 - 7:30 pm
Free and open to the public.
Studio Art Thesis Exhibitions May 2nd - 14th, 2016
Gallery Hours: Opening Reception: Saturday, May 7th 1 - 4 pm Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Thursday Evening 6 - 8 p.m. Gallery Hours: Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. Monday- Friday 12 - 5 pm Thursday 6 - 8 pm Saturday 1 - 4 pm
For more information on upcoming events, visit www.carthage.edu/art gallery For more information on upcoming events, visit www.carthage.edu/art gallery
423 Main Street, Racine (262)635-0580 | thenorthernlightsgallery.com
Custom framing, gift registry, layaway, complimentary gift wrapping, and unsurpassed customer service.
AMessageFromThePublisher By Chet Griffith
Disclaimer: if you have read this column before, you already know that I own ArtWorks, a small, but very cool shop and gallery in Kenosha and that I’m optimistic about the future of the arts as well as the development of this entire area. This column is unlike the others. You want to know what really ticks me off? When this city is called “Kenowhere.” It’s the same ugly complacency that’s also alive and well in both Racine and Waukegan, so listen up. “Kenowhere” is not really representative of a place; it’s more like a…well, like a virus. It means that anyplace is better than here, and nothing good ever happens, or will happen here. It is a cynical mantra that I hear far too often and it undermines the beauty of a very good, deeply-talented arts scene. I’m tired of hearing musicians, artists, business owners, writers, or anyone else whine about a lack of support. Really? Ask yourself, are you doing these things: • Properly advertising and marketing your work or events? A Facebook post the morning of your event doesn’t quite cut it. • Being supportive of others and their creative endeavors? • Presenting yourself and conducting your business in a professional manner? • Setting goals? What’s your objective? Have you even thought about it? • Constantly refining your craft? • Being proactive in building your audience? This is huge. If people don’t know about you they can’t support you. It is your responsibility to build and nurture your audience. You cannot assume that people will magically find you. Get out there and find them. Here’s one more: don’t be so thin-skinned. Things can and do go wrong. There are a million reasons why someone may or may not attend an event. Low attendance, for example, could be due to the weather, a busy activity night, or just bad luck; however, it is never the audience’s fault. The blame is ultimately on us; it is our responsibility to learn from whatever mistakes we have made and forge ahead. My shop will no longer tolerate the “Kenowhere” mentality. The expression is dead to me. We all work here, we all live here, and I think we are pretty damn lucky.
4 A Message From The Publisher / Chet Griffith
Issue 10 Fall 2015
Left of the Lake
06 Flash Fiction Contest Results
By Left of The Lake
07 Removal
By Joe Engel
08 Dee Hutch: Marking our Human Experience
By Peg Rousar-Thompson
13 Losing Bloom
By Kathleen Laybourn
14 Mortal Coil
By Matthew Mulder
15 Giraffe
By Matt Bellefeuille
17 Tomahawks
By Drew Davis
18 Baby Joins the Circus
By Suellyn Scoon
22 The Dandelion Gallery
By Leisa Shannon Corbett
25 Prophecies
By Dave Gourdoux
26 Picasette Detail
By Tom Clark
28 untitled
By Brigitta Richter
30 Tattoos
By Joshua Vaughn
32 Dia de los Muertos Artist Card Deck
By Left of The Lake
34 2FL: Moone Boy
By Jav Rivera
38 Stripwax Flashback
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
By Jeff Moody
Cover Artist: Dan Simoneau “I Dream, Therefore I Become” Table of Contents Photo: Glen Larson
FLASH FICTION CONTEST To showcase our local literary talent, back in February Left of the Lake Magazine conjured up the idea of a flash fiction contest. To make things even more magical, we waived the usual entrance fee and allowed each writer to submit up to three pieces of fiction, each not longer than our one-page length of 400 words. Yes, 400 hundred words to tell a story. There was much whining and wailing. Thank you to everyone who submitted work and a huge thank you to Chris DeGuire from Columbia College for being our judge. Congratulations to our three winners!
FIRST RemovalPLACE: by Joe Engel
Joe Engel lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He graduated with a BA in English from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. His writing has appeared in Harpur Palate, Other Poetry, Cold Mountain Review, and Prick of the Spindle.
SECOND Mortal Coil PLACE: by Matthew Mulder
Matthew Mulder is a freelance graphic designer. Published work appears in Crab Creek Review, H_NGM_N, The Indie, Rapid River Magazine, ISM Quarterly, Wander, The Blotter and others. His article “Why I Left Asheville” published in The Asheville Blade continues to attract attention from around the country. He lives in Union Grove with his wife and children.
THIRD PLACE: Prophecies by Dave Gourdoux
Dave Gourdoux is the author of the novel, Ojibway Valley, and a staff contributor to the web site, 2nd First Look (www.2ndfirstlook.com). His work has appeared in the Midwest Prairie Review and Left of the Lake Magazine. He leads a local Parkinson’s disease support group, and volunteers as a tutor for the Kenosha Literacy Council. 6 Flash Fiction Winners / Left of The Lake
Removal by Joe Engel
I was sitting with my back against the red brick bus station as he looked down at me, his hair blowing from his forehead enough to reveal a freshly removed tattoo. There were too many people around for him to mug me and his lips were not in a grimace, just hung at the corners. “Do you have a cigarette?” he asked. His eyes were like light bulbs, dimmed way low, as if to conceal the fact of seeing. “How do you know I smoke?” “I don’t.” I reached into the cargo pocket of my shorts and retrieved a pack. The wait at the bus stop seemed to drag, but I was early because I’ve missed the bus before, ran four blocks to watch it turn a corner. He sat down beside me and I gave him a cigarette. He had a lighter of his own. “Are you going to Milwaukee?” I asked. “Yeah, I just came from there this morning too.” I did a double take on his forehead, trying to be sure of what I saw. It was a red, raw mark in the shape of a swastika. I felt sweat bead on my face. I shifted a few inches away.
“Do you want to smack my forehead?” he asked. He was thin and jumpy, parts of him always moving. “Kind of,” I said. “I came here to get this removed at Mendota State. I was pinned down by some guys in my apartment and they tattooed it on me.” The depot was filling with people of many colors. I narrowed my eyes at him. “It was backwards,” he said, “ like the Hindu symbol. They took it off with lasers.” A woman passed us and I looked around. The bus pulled onto the lot. It was going to be a full ride. I looked furtively at his forehead, trying to recall which way each symbol went. His hair had fallen back over his forehead and I decided I wouldn’t know. “I usually wear a hat but I can’t right now because of the wound. ” The bus had emptied and we stood to join the line. “Don’t worry, I won’t ask to shake your hand.” I let him go first. “Thanks for the smoke,” he said. When he sat, I wanted one more look, but I passed him for a seat among the larger, unbranded group in back.
Joe Engel / Flash Fiction: Removal 7
Dee Hutch Marking our Human Experience
By Peg Rousar-Thompson
Photo Credit: Gary Sabin Photography 8 Danny and Aimee Crucianelli / Left of The Lake 
Nana is an authority on what nice girls don’t do and I’m pretty sure no tattoos tops her list. She grew up in a time when only the people on the outer edges of society – bikers, sailors, circus performers – told their stories on their skin. In Papa’s case, tattoos were the result of weekend leave in Honolulu, tattoo parlors were in sketchy neighborhoods and you woke up the next morning with a skunk on your leg that you’d regret for the rest of your life. But since the beginning of time and across all cultures, we’ve used tattoos as a way of marking our human experience. From Sailor Jerry to Kat Von D, tattooing has become both a creative outlet and an obsession. Today, the stigma is gone and I think more people have tattoos than not. Dee Hutch grew up watching this progression. His Marine dad was a tattoo artist for Racine’s first tattoo studio, The Body Shop, and Dee says he hung out there whenever
he could get a ride. This was old school tattooing at its best, skulls and grim reapers. At fifteen, he was doing menial tasks around the shop, answering phones, sweeping the floors, and observing. His dad let him sketch a few things for clients and Dee proved to be a watch-and-learn sort of guy. Today, Dee and his dad run Black Hand Tattoo Studio and Gallery at 232 Main Street in Racine. Immaculate, with Dee’s eye-catching paintings hanging on the walls, studios have evolved along with the art form. And like tattooing, running a business is also something Dee seems to be good at learning as he goes. Dee says his dad wanted him to be a teacher, but he’s dedicated and following his passion. From a basic concept, to sketching it out, to applying it to skin, Dee is really good at tattooing. Really good. He took a job with Johnson Wax and used his first paycheck to buy the necessary equipment.
Peg Rousar-Thompson / Dee Hutch: Marking our Human Experience 9
He immediately sat down and tattooed his own leg and then convinced his brother and cousins to let him practice on them. Today, as one-third of the team of Black Hand Studio, Dee has a style that’s distinctly his own. He is influenced by the graffiti world, which is interesting because one of the tenets of graffiti is its impermanence. He blends graffiti’s wildstyle and bright colors with his own intricate designs to create what he calls a “bastard form of all the common styles combined, heavily influenced by old Lowrider art, ‘90s graffiti, cartoons, and High Renaissance art.” Dee and his dad also airbrush t-shirts and do some non-traditional painting. Their large, bright canvases hang on the shop walls. When I asked about his art background, Dee says he took a few classes in high school, but everything else he’s learned through practice, practice, and more practice.
Dee Hutch has blended his love of art with his talent for tattooing, and is leaving his mark on Racine. And I’m looking at tattoos with a new eye. Just don’t tell Nana. For updates and photos of Dee’s work, friend him on Facebook at Black Hand Tattoo Gallery. The 4th Annual Origins of Hip-Hop event is set for Saturday, August 15th from 4-10pm at Smoke’ d On The Water, 3 5th Street in Racine. Partners of the event include Smoke’d On The Water, Black Hand Tattoo, Willy’s Sole Kitchen, Family Power Music, and the Downtown Racine Corporation.
We discussed choosing a tattoo, finding something that is uniquely yours. Outline, color, how they fit the natural curve of the body – all these things are the mark of a professional, experienced tattoo artist. When I asked about advice for us first-timers, Dee said research; know what you like, look at the artist’s portfolio and previous work to see if it fits what you want to have done. Looking for an infinity symbol on your wrist? The artist who does large scale or portrait work may not be the best choice. Dee’s quietly involved in Racine’s community, having been a guest presenter at Pocket Renaissance, an art and writing intensive for teens. Again this year, he’s organizing the graffiti portion of the 4th annual Origins of Hip-Hop event on Racine’s lakefront. 10 The Dee Message Hutch: Marking / Chet Griffith our Human Experience / Peg Rousar-Thompson
Kathleen Laybourn / Losing Bloom  13
Mortal Coil By Matthew Mulder
Curious items of truth often reveal themselves when one is down on his or her knees. Somehow that position humbles, enlightens, frightens and consoles individuals. For me, while on my knees cleaning the grease and gunk off the stove, it was finding a pink plastic ring, a champagne bottle cork, coins and a flattened beer top. The illusion of a clean apartment revealed a different story once I moved appliances away from the wall and opened cabinet drawers. During a supper work break, I tell my wife about the discovery in the master bathroom. “Who does that?” I asked as she warmed up bean and vegetable soup on the front burner of the stove. “Isn’t that what a trash can is for?” “That is odd,” she said. “The whole bathroom drawer beside the sink was full of fingernail clippings and hair,” I said and sat down at the folding table for supper. “You’d think she could at least use a trash can.” She sighed. A little soup spilled over the edge of the pot and the scent of burned protein started to scent the kitchen air.
of wealth and dedication to spirituality. To become an Aghori Sadhus one must meditate for twelve years, locate a teacher and follow the guru’s discipline. What if the teacher dies? How long have I grown my hair? If my teacher abandons me, do I cut my hair? What is it that Hamlet says in the cemetery? Tomorrow and tomorrow… no, wait, that is from Macbeth. To be, or not to be… something, something, something… For in that sleep of death what dreams may come… and so on and so forth. What is the purpose of poetry if not for the sake of sifting through the space of someone else’s temporary existence? I balled up a paper towel in my latex-gloved f ist full of black ugliness from cleaning under the stove and threw it into a trash bag. Somewhere in the apartment complex someone turned on a shower. It echoed like the ghost of the previous tenants. I walked through the empty rooms and turned off each light.
After supper, I walked back to the apartment unit and continued the deep cleaning project. As I cleaned the unit, the silence of that empty space filled my mind with thoughts. I read about the holy men of India. Their jatas are a sign of their rejection 14 Flash Fiction: Mortal Coil / Matthew Mulder
Matt Bellefeuille / Giraffe  15
Drew Davis / Tomahawks  17
18 Baby Joins the Circus / Suellyn Scoon
The Things ThaT Remain
A Veteran Print Project
Together, veterans and artists express historical experiences through traditional methods of fine art print, opening an ongoing dialogue.
Kelly. Artists: Kathryn Kloehn and Jamie Gutkowski; Veteran: Kelly McMeans, Army National Guard. (Not at Ease: A Veteran Print Project, 2012)
July 4 – novembeR 15, 2015 Kenosha Public Museum
5500 First Avenue • Kenosha, WI 53140 • 262-653-4140 • www.KenoshaPublicMuseum.org Hours: sunday 12 to 5 pm • Monday through saturday 9am to 5pm • Closed Holidays
The Dandelion Gallery in Waukegan By Leisa Shannon Corbett
The hum of the Dandelion Gallery vibrates to the same frequency as the people of Waukegan. We are all sure that Waukegan is a bohemian, urban city that attracts musicians, artists, actors and interesting characters. In our hearts, we are in the same league as Chicago or Milwaukee. While working every day to transform this old industrial city into an arts and entertainment center for northern Illinois, we remain proud of its history and reputation for inspiring creativity. We have buildings and parks named for native Waukeganites - comedian Jack Benny, and writer Ray Bradbury. Ray Bradbury’s book, Dandelion Wine, is the inspiration for the gallery name. The Dandelion is managed by its member artists. We have a really Zen way of doing things - whoever wants to accomplish a task just goes ahead and does it. We coordinate with one another and somehow everything falls in place just in time for ArtWauk, a gallery stroll and music evening that takes place on the third Saturday of every month from 5-10 pm. We also create a new bimonthly exhibit. Each gallery member pays dues and a percentage of gallery sales. We all pitch in to clean the space and bartend during ArtWauk evenings. We are known locally as the friendly gallery because we welcome everyone to come in, relax, and talk with us. You might be saying to yourself right
now that we can’t make it as a gallery because we don’t operate like most businesses - yet here we are halfway through our fifth year in existence. We treasure our collectors because they are so passionate about artwork and enjoy visiting Waukegan. They know that you don’t have to be rich to amass a great art collection. Do our collectors think that one day the art they buy from the gallery will be worth lots of money? I don’t think they worry about that. They collect what they love and what speaks to them. We artists are grateful the collectors come back every month to buy more. Our member artists all live in Illinois or Wisconsin because we are active in running this gallery as well as making the work we exhibit. During the past two years, we have invited guest artists to exhibit in themed exhibitions, such as the Swingline Stapler company art collective in 2014 and the Waukegan Tire art collective exhibit held this summer. We invited community artists to apply for our very first juried exhibition, which took place this past spring. The collaboration of member artists, guest artists and local business has worked out so happily that we are planning more exhibits like this in the future.
22 The Dandelion Gallery / Leisa Shannon Corbett
Leisa Shannon Corbett / The Dandelion Gallery  23
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Prophecies
By Dave Gourdoux They arrived late in the morning in two white minivans, on a blisteringly hot day in what had already been a long and hot and dry summer. They pulled over to the side of the street, one behind the other, and they exited the vehicles. Counting the drivers, there were a total of eight: five women and three men, six Caucasian and two African American. They ranged in age from twenty-two to sixty-seven. They were all well dressed, the men in white dress shirts and black slacks and neckties, the women in colorful dresses with long skirts that flowed to the ground. They each carried enough of the literature to reach every house. On the front page, in bold print, the word of Jehovah God as quoted in Isaiah 65:17, was highlighted: “Here I am creating new heavens and a new earth; and the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.” They were eager to spread the word, that the establishment of God’s kingdom on Earth was imminent.
would be forbidden in the new order of things. At first, Julie was on board, but then, somehow, they got to her, and she took the kids and was gone. Since then he’d made a point not to trust anyone, not even his doctor, and he stopped taking his medication. The drawn curtains were no substitute for the broken air conditioning, and he sat on the couch, sweltering, his Smith & Wesson 686 on the coffee table in front of him. On the street, the first four had started door to door on the north side. The other four were huddled together, deciding who would get which houses on the south side.
He sat behind drawn curtains in his living room, looking at the photo of him and his wife and their two children, his son and daughter, on the pier. It was all gone, he thought, they’d taken everything, starting with his job, then the cabin on the lake, and finally, his family. He still had the house, the small ranch on the south side at the end of the street, and he wondered when they’d be coming for that. The radio said that possession of private property Dave Gourdoux / Prophecies 25
26 Picasette Detail / Tom Clark (photo by Nancy Harrer) 
28 untitled / Brigitta Richter 
frazer creative
illustration + design
www.jkfrazer.com
Joshua Vaughn / Tattoos  31
Dia de los Muertos Artist Playing Card Deck Lisa Bigalke Left of the Lake is honored in 2015 to produce a deck of playing cards, commemorating Dia de los Muertos--The Day of the Dead--with colorful artwork by 54 female artists. The women who participated in this venture were captivated by the imagery and symbolism found in the holiday that celebrates the lives of loved ones lost. The release of the Dia de los Muertos deck will coincide with a silent auction of the original pieces of the work found on the cards. To see them in person, visit ArtWorks, 5002 7th Avenue, in Kenosha, Wisconsin during the month of October, 2015. To bid online for work this Fall, visit the Left of the Lake Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/LeftOfTheLakeMagazine The Dia de los Muertos playing cards will be sold through the Left of the Lake website, www.leftofthelake.com, as well as at ArtWorks and other stores in Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin. Price is $12.00. Left of the Lake also has playing cards for sale from prior years, including an Edgar Allan Poe themed deck, on its website and through a variety of shops. 32 Dia de los Muertos / Left of The Lake
Gallery
&ARTIST STUDIOS
4625 Sheridan Rd. Kenosha, WI 53140 • (262)764-6603 revisionartgallery@gmail.com • revisionartgallery.com/ www.facebook.com/revisiongallery
Belland
Antaramian
Kressel
By Jav Rivera Chris O’Dowd is becoming a force to be reckoned with. His big break (in the U.K.) was playing the disgruntled and socially awkward character Roy on the hit series The IT Crowd. In the U.S. he gained popularity playing love interest to Kristin Wiig in the film Bridesmaids. Most recently on his TV series Moone Boy, O’Dowd plays multiple rolls as creator, writer, director, and actor. Moone Boy follows an Irish family in the late 1980s and the early 1990s. O’Dowd’s character, Sean Murphy, is an imaginary friend to Martin, the youngest of the Moone family. Martin (David Rawle) is loveable and innocent; he’s also a bit dim. O’Dowd challenges TV standards by avoiding the stereotypical formula of a precocious child surrounded by jealous family members. Instead, O’Dowd created a very average family living in the small town of Boyle, which makes the show so fun. The characters aren’t trying to find fame or fortune; they’re just trying to find a small bit of happiness in an otherwise dreary life. The head of the family, Liam (Peter McDonald) is a sign maker, and prefers to hide out in his little backyard shop to avoid the daily family drama. His wife, Debra (Deirdre O’Kane), finds herself trying out various jobs, sometimes as a door-to-door salesman and other times as a therapist, 34 2FL: Moone Boy / Jav Rivera
none of which she is qualified to do. Their eldest daughter, Fidelma (Clare Monnelly), is a new bride after becoming pregnant immediately after high school. The next child down is Trisha (Aoife Duffin) who’s the outcast. Oddly enough, and despite her rebellious nature, she’s the most levelheaded of the Moone clan. Next in line is Sinéad (Sarah White) a young teen in that weird stage between child and young adult. She’s the one with back acne and a peach fuzz moustache. But the cast is more than just the family. They live in a town full of simpletons and odd characters, and all these characters are the most charming part of the show. Besides the well-written characters and the surprising amount of heart to the show, one of my other favorite aspects of Moone Boy is its lack of any real format. It’s as if the writers picked a moment from their pasts and fit it into the show, which would make sense since the events in the show are mostly based on O’Dowd’s childhood. Currently, all three seasons are available in the U.S. on Hulu. Read more articles by Jav Rivera and other contributors at www.2ndfirstlook.com.
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 36
38 Stripwax Flashback / Jeff Moody
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