innovate magazine
DESCRIPTION
A monthly magazine publication devoted to emerging artists of all kinds – musical, graphic, fine and otherwise.TRANSCRIPT
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Meghan Q. McCookCapturing an Essence p.9
Tricia Rumbolz the Perfection of Process p.4
Scott Wesley BandDena Nord
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CONTENTS
Tricia rumbolz
t he P rocess o f Pe r fec t ion
Dena norD
Mak ing I t i n M i lwaukee
9 meghan mccook
Captu r i ng an Es sence
7ScoTT WeSley banD
B lueg rass Roots
Volume 13 • August edition
129
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ImagIne spendIng an entire day, an unbroken 24 hours, creat-
ing a work of art with a technique reminis-
cent of pointillism, and counting each dot as
you went. If you can envision this, then you
can begin to understand the commitment
and borderline obsession it takes to create
the work of Tricia Rumbolz. Her work is
married with the process of its own creation;
every piece reveals a unique mind-state and
experience that the artist ventured into, and
recorded for the viewer to contemplate.
Her processes are usually associated with
time in varying degrees; some incorporate
the specific duration of time it took to create
the piece in the title, and some only suggest
the notion of time. For example, Rumbolz's
piece “1/4 Teaspoon White Powder, One
Breath,” implies the single instant in time
in which the piece was created, and captured
forever. The white powder is spread across a
black, felt canvas in a scattering motion that
from afar, could easily be construed as
a shooting star.
A Chicago native, Rumbolz is actively
producing art while working at a myriad
of other positions, some which she draws
inspiration from. A piece entitled “45
Consecutive Days, 6am to 9pm” details her
daily experiences over the course of 45 days,
with a picture taken at every hour between
6am and 9pm. During this time she was em-
ployed refurbishing sailboats at a shipyard.
Rombolz's photos give us a snapshot
into wherever the artist was, and what she
happened to be doing at the time. The result-
ing pictures are mounted on a wood panel
and are individually attached to a separate
piece of wood protruding from the panel
approximately 1/4". Each photo is 1" x 3/4",
and they are arranged in a grid over the 81"
Viewers can find themselves lost in trying to imagine what happened in between the hourly photos.
the perfection of process
rumbolzricia
173 Horizontal Lines
5
x 23.5" panel. Each day is a column on the
grid and the rows represent each hour.
Scenes from Rumbolz’s job of working
with sailboats, personal moments in her
home, snapshots from her car, and other
scenes litter the landscape of photos.
Viewers can find themselves lost in trying
to imagine what happened in between the
hourly photos. Her hourly breaks almost
even got her fired!
Rumbolz was recently exhibited at the
David Weinberg Gallery in “Overlap,” which
featured two other Chicago artists: Beverly
Kedzior and Stephanie Serpick. “Overlap”
featured 10 of Rumbolz's pieces. These works
range in medium, size, and scope from the
large photo-documentary, “45 Consecutive
Days, 6am to 9pm” to a two-piece pair, each
18" x 18" entitled “100 - 1/8 Inch Pieces of
Thread Dropped from 12 inch Height” and
“100 - 1/8 Inch Pieces of Thread Dropped
from 48 inch Height.” These sister pieces
mirror her “1/4 Teaspoon White Powder,
One Breath” in capturing a brief moment
in time.
Her most impressive production
displayed in the show was a series of three
works, created on 43" x 42" wood panels,
and respectively titled “75,643 Dots, 12
Hours,” “150,012 Dots, 24 Hours” and
“296,372 Dots, 48 Hours.” These three
pieces employ her pointillism technique;
in this series she used a white paint pen on
a flat black background, and tallied as she
made each dot that creates the final image.
The artist reports that although she has
attempted to work for 48 consecutive hours
in the creation of a piece in the past, for this
series she worked non-consecutively, on the
account that 48 consecutive hours is trying
on a person no matter what the activity.
Graduating from the University of Il-
linois at Chicago with a BFA, Rumbolz has
made a smooth transition into
the fine art culture of Chicago. Through
the David Weinberg Gallery, her work was
displayed at the 2009 Art Chicago fair.
“173 Vertical Lines” was purchased there by
75,643 Dots, 12 Hours
296,372 Dots, 48 Hours
150,012 Dots, 24 Hours
67,685 Dots, 24 Consecutive Hours
con t i n u ed on pa g e 10173 Horizontal Lines
6
arTiST’S STaTemenT
a well-known art collector, Cleve Carney.
Carney is the Executive Vice President of
the Elmhurst Art Museum, and has made
several generous donations to the commu-
nity, including the DuPage Community
Foundation and the Dartmouth arts
community.
“173 Vertical Lines” is also drawn on
black panel, and it was created by beginning
with a single, perfectly straight line run-
ning the length of the 71.5" x 30.5" panel.
Rumbolz completed the other 172 lines by
hand-drawing consecutive lines in close
proximity to each other across the width of
2,987 Colored Rectangles (Detail)
the panel. With this piece, she achieves the
portrayal of imperfections in the motion of
her hand as she creates the lines. With each
undulation her hand involuntarily creates,
she attempts to follow that imperfection in
the consequent lines. From a distance, this
piece gives the impression that the lines are
string, or something of a three-dimensional
quality.
Rumbolz does not have a web site for her
artwork, but she can be found online. Also,
her work, although not on display in the
current show, can still be found at the David
Weinberg Gallery.
“I employ repetition because it effectively reveals subtle shifts and undulations that are directly proportional to the amount of time and energy spent.”
con t i n u ed f rom pa g e 9
Exploring the interaction between time,
energy, and material form as it relates to
my particular physiology is a primary
artistic focus of mine. Simplistic
gestures, minimal shapes and clearly
defined working parameters are used
in an attempt to remove subjective impli-
cations. I employ repetition because
it effectively reveals subtle shifts and
undulations that are directly propor-
tional to the amount of time and energy
spent. It is also a way to illustrate these
ideas from a simultaneously microcos-
mic/macrocosmic perspective, and gives
me an opportunity to examine the rela-
tionship between an individual unit and
the sum of it’s parts. These subjects are
suggestive of the work’s intrinsic connec-
tion to nature, which I continually strive
to maintain and understand.
45 Consecutive Days, 6am to 9pm (Detail)
7
WesleyBand
Scott
He produced his first album, “Open Eyes,”
receiving national critical acclaim. He is now
represented by Jeff McClusky & Associates,
who also have worked with artists including
Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2.
The Scott Wesley Band can be found
on Facebook, and more information about
Holt can be found at scottwesleymusic.com.
Members of the band will be performing
every Sunday night at the Oasis Cafe hookah
bar in West Chicago.
inTer ieWQ: Why did you decide to form a band?
a: I started a band because I really just love
to write music and perform it. It’s my whole
life. It’s not just a hobby for me. I really want
to pursue it as my career and the best way
to do that is to go out and play as often as
possible.
Q: How did you become the Scott Wesley
Band?
a: It started my freshman year of high
school when I started my own solo project
in my studio in my basement. I called my
self Scott Wesley because there is actually
a Scott Holt out there already. I wrote a
bunch of songs, made a full album and then
eventually wanted to start doing some gigs.
So I then asked some friends/musicians if
they would want to back me up to do some
live shows.
Bluegrass undertones mix with rock and reggae to give the Scott
Wesley Band a refreshingly unique sound.
They can be heard playing originals and
covers featuring the music of bands like the
Beatles to the Grateful Dead. The practiced
harmonies work beautifully together to emit
a sense of happiness and positive energy.
The name-sake of the band, Scott
Wesley Holt, began following his passion for
music seriously in high school, when he was
signed to a local indie label, Four Winds.
con t i n u ed on pa g e 8
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con t i n u ed f rom pa g e 7
Q: Who are the other members of the band
and some background information on them?
a: Honestly, right now I don’t really have
any permanent members in the band. I basi-
cally have been playing with anyone who is
willing to play with me. At the very moment
I am playing with a long time friend Nick
Visi (bass player) who I have been jamming
with ever since my early high school days.
My last drummer just went off to school in
Montana, so I’m searching for a drummer.
Q: Some background information about
yourself?
a: I started playing piano and writing songs
when I was 6 or 7. I started playing drums
for a few years and eventually moved on to
guitar. Music has been my serious passion
ever since I can remember.
Q: When did the band start playing together?
a: My most recent drummer, Gavin Ninow,
and I have been playing together since I was
a sophomore in high school and we played
together until a few months ago, so about
5 years. Besides that I have gone through 4
different bass players and a couple differ-
ent guitar players. All together I have been
doing the whole Scott Wesley thing for 5 or
6 years.
Q: What is your mission, or goal?
a: I really would like to start touring
eventually and just make enough money to
be able to support myself one day down the
road. I’m not exactly looking for stardom
and fame and be at the top of the charts, but
I would love to just spread my music to as
many people as possible.
Q: What kind of music do you play?
a: I would categorize my music under the
rock/pop genre. It often goes through a lot of
different phases depending on the other
musicians I’m playing with and
the direction they hear my music going in.
Q: What kind of venues have you played?
a: We have played at tons of different
venues. I would say we have played over 100
different venues and hundreds of shows. We
have done things like graduation parties, ca-
fes, and county fairs to actual music venues
in Chicagoland. Recently, I played the most
outrageous show I to date, we were behind
the check out counter in a record store. It
was hilarious.
Q: What are the future plans for the band?
a: Set up a tour, keep on writing music and
keep on performing. Basically just keep on
pushing the envelope until we are all content
with where we stand as a band.
See the Scott Wesley Band on September 5 at 7pm at the Taste of Melrose Park Festival!
9
capturing an essence
passIonate Is the work of Meghan Q. McCook. She
is an artist and an educator who has found her perfect niche in the
Chicago culture. As an artist, she creates functional and sculptural
glass art at the Chicago Sculpture Works studio in the West Loop,
and blown glass at various glass blowing studios, most recently in
Racine, Wisconsin. As an educator, she is the Educational Coordina-
tor for the David Weinberg Gallery in River North. She works with
children to young adults in helping them to understand the purpose
and the goals of fine art, as well as the role it plays in society.
McCook graduated from the University of Illinois at
Champaign-Urbana’s School of Art and Design in 2001 with a
dual BFA in Art Education and Crafts with a specialization in
glass. She was on schedule to graduate in 2000 with her Art
Education degree, but in the first semester of her last year she
finally got into a glass blowing class, which had filled up too fast
in the past for her to get in. It was this class that changed her life’s
path; she fell in love with glass and decided to put off her student
teaching to complete her Craft Degree as well. McCook says she feels
lucky to have this formal, educational training in glass because she
got to learn from other professional artists.
Since graduating, she has been working constantly to improve
and explore her vision of glass art. She has exhibited her work in
several cafes and art and craft fairs in Champaign-Urbana as well
as small galleries and cafes around Chicago.
In the summer of 2006, McCook ventured to start-up a business
for her artwork: Glashjärta Glass, which translates to “glass heart” in
Swedish. Glashjärta has been successful for McCook, and has
allowed her to begin to make a name for herself.
McCook works out of a studio owned by Jim Brenher who rents
5 smaller spaces within the studio to other artists, and has one space
for visiting artists who can use the space for short amounts of time.
McCook’s functional art takes the form of jewelry, blown vases,
and ornaments. Her sculptural work includes wall hangings and her
Terrahives, hanging glass containers for plants called tillandsias. The
con t i n u ed on pa g e 10
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Terrahives, shaped like bulbs, are suspended
from wire that wraps itself around the form
before coming together at the top to act as
the suspending support. McCook achieved
this affect by creating the wire mold first,
then blowing glass into the mold.
Currently, McCook focuses mostly
on her jewelry. She uses the techniques of
fusing, casting, forming and slumping to
create her work at the studio. Whenever
possible, she travels to “hot shops” or glass
blowing studios to rent time to create blown
glass pieces.
McCook spends just as much time work-
ing with her art as she does with students.
Not only is she the Educational Coordina-
tor for the David Weinberg Gallery, but
through this position she has also become
involved with several educational programs
in Chicago including Marwen, 826 CHI,
and Noble Street Charter School. Marwen
and 826 CHI are not-for-profit organiza-
tions whose goal is to supply opportunities
to students who want to pursue artistic
expression. As is the case with a majority of
inner-city schools, there is a lack of funding
to provide an adequate art program, and
these organizations work to supply students
with the opportunity they deserve. McCook
works with the gallery’s owner, David Wein-
berg, to supply a student with a scholarship
every year. The past two years, the gallery
has awarded another promising young artist,
named Marta, with a scholarship to pursue
her photography. Marta will be attending
Columbia beginning in the fall of this year.
Meghan also hosts free Educational
Programs for students of all ages at the
gallery. There are three different programs
offered with varying focuses. One is called
Focus and is open to elementary through
high school aged groups. Focus includes a
tour of the gallery, a discussion of the cur-
rent artwork, and an art making workshop
inspired by the displayed artwork. The next,
Gallery Exploration, is open to any school,
college or educational group and includes a
tour of the gallery, discussion of the artwork,
the goals and roles of artists in the art world,
and the role of a gallery. The third program,
Get Critical, is also open to any school or
educational group and includes a tour and
an in-depth group analysis of the artists and
their work. Meghan can be contacted at the
David Weinberg Gallery Tuesday – Friday at
312.529.5090. Her glass work can be viewed
on her website: glashjartaglass.com.
Terra Hive 4 (Detail) Terra Hive 5 Terra Hive 1
con t i n u ed f rom pa g e 9
It was this class that changed her life’s path; she fell in love with glass and decided to put off her student teaching to complete her Craft Degree.
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arTiST’S STaTemenT There are numerous conflicting and contrasting qualities held in the medium of glass.
Glass can be loose, fluid, and organic and in the same breath, heavy, harsh, or stagnant.
Using these known qualities of glass, my work is inspired by observations made of forms,
textures and patterns found in the natural world, from a micro to macro level.
I focus not only on surface textures and colors, but also interior textures, colors, and
spaces. The use of other media such as photography, metal, wire and wood, compliment
and contrast the smooth and often shiny tendencies of the glass.
The fluid, sensual, and calming qualities of my work come from an intuitive sensibili-
ty of the material and it’s possibilities. I am very interested in the similarities between the
nature of glass and the nature of the human condition. I am fascinated by the memory
left behind in touched glass.
Treatment of the glass as a skin is evident of my process, and created through surface
manipulation and scarring of the glass. I approach much of my work by exploring the
relationships between memory, reality, personal histories, and physical tangibility. The
awareness of the intimate relationship between my art and the viewer never escape the
ultimate solution and realization of any problem I approach.
inTer ieWQ: What influences your art?
a: My art is influenced by my life — I am
constantly seeking out new information; I
am constantly stimulating myself with read-
ing; I love music; I love to cook and garden;
I’m also love teaching. It might seem frag-
mented but all those things coexist. What
I’m interested in exploring and expressing
tends to be inspired from the world around.
For me it’s geared a lot towards nature, sci-
ence, form, function and process. I’m really
interested in taking the world around me,
jumbling it up in my mind and spitting it
back out. I’m also fascinated by Swedish
glass, art and design, and the culture all
around; I have been since I got into glass 10
years ago. I’m very intrigued by the simple
yet sophisticated form and colors that you
find in Swedish glass.
Q: What are your future goals?
a: My future goal is to eventually be full
time; I was full time for 3 months before I
started working at the gallery. Then I got
pulled into the gallery, which has been
a fabulous, great experience so I’m not
complaining about that; but eventually I’d
like to be doing [my art] full time. I’d like
to continue doing my functional work, [but]
it’s really important for me to start focusing
more on my sculpture because right now,
especially with working at the gallery, I feel
like I spend a lot of time and energy on that. Cicatrix
Cicatrix (Detail)
con t i n u ed on pa g e 15
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WIth outstandIng and unlimited creativity and the personality
to match, Dena Nord is a promising graphic
designer with big plans to unveil to the art
world. Dena resides in Milwaukee, where she
graduated with a BFA from the University
of Wisconsin, Milwaukee through the Peck
School of Arts. It was here where she refined
her skills in the fine arts, concentrating on
traditional and mixed medias, acrylic and
oil painting, as well as photography. When
she began taking courses in graphic design
her true calling came to bloom. With an
extensive portfolio and experience in such
programs as Illustrator, Indesign, Flash,
Dreamweaver and After Effects, this woman
can do it all!
Dena’s design work is clean and elegant.
Her use of color exemplifies the goal of
the work, and is powerful without be-
ing overwhelming. Her logo designs use a
unique personal touch rooted in her painting
techniques that brings a refreshing sense of
individuality to the design. Below are two
pages from a layout Dena created discuss-
ing a local design firm to Milwaukee called
Planet Propaganda, as well as a poster adver-
tising an AIGA event.
During Dena’s four years with UWM,
she worked at the Peck School of Arts intern-
ing for the newspaper, and working with the
advertising department. By senior year she
held the position of advertising manager, and
A dozen apples for a ceramic bowl; a brochure for new cabinets; a jump rope for a pack of gum; the possibilities are limitless, and completely left to the barterers to decide and establish.
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was responsible for the layout and placement
of advertisements, and conversely the income
for the newspaper.
Dena also served as the fund-raising
coordinator and later the vice president for
the student chapter of AIGA Milwaukee.
Their monthly meetings, arranged and lead
by Dena and the president, were focused on
bringing art students into the real world, and
making the connection reciprocal. She held
this position her junior year during which
she contributed designs and concepts for new
and inspiring events.
Through conceptual design classes,
and inspiration found in her own painting
endeavors, Dena conceived and proceeded to
produce a new line of painting tools called
Scumbles. These painting tools are used to
create textural patterns commonly used in
artwork created in Photoshop. They are simi-
lar to paint brushes, but replacing the bristles
is a plastic pad with a texture embedded
into, or protruding out from it. This pad is
connected with a flexible spring, so the artist
can apply it quickly and precisely, or impre-
cisely as desired. These can then be washed
by hand or just tossed in a dishwasher.
Also, Dena aspires to unleash Barter
Markets onto the streets on Milwaukee.
Similar to methods that have recently been
adopted across the world, and specifically in
California on the west coast and Massachu-
setts on the east coast, Barter Market would
be a gathering place for individuals and busi-
nesses alike, where items and services would
be traded and exchanged without the use of
currency. A dozen apples for a ceramic bowl;
a brochure for new cabinets; a jump rope for
a pack of gum; the possibilities are limitless,
and completely left to the barterers to decide
and establish.
Dena is currently employed by Neutool,
a parts supplier out of Milwaukee. She is
doing web and print work for Neutool and
preparing her personal work on her own
time. Neutool provides car parts to such sup-
pliers as Auto Zone and they just released a
new website developed by Dena.
De ordNaMaking it in Milwaukee
14
Where are they now?
Stephanie Serpick
Serpick had achieved a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie
Mellon University and has since then achieved a Master
of Fine Arts from the University of Chicago 1996.
She is now working as a graphic designer and a fine
artist in Chicago.
David BurdenyIn 1993 Burdeny graduated with a Bachelor of Interior
Design from the University of Manitoba. Since then he
has gone on to achieve a Master of Architecture from the
same school, and been named the Nature Photographer
of the Year and become faculty at his university.
Doug Bosch
Bosch had earned his BFA in photography from the
Columbus College of Art & Design in 1989. Since
then he has switched gears, receiving his MFA in sculp-
ture from Yale University in 1992. He is now teaching
at the Rhode Island College and has been shown in four
fine art exhibitions.
Chandelier Swarm
Jennifer Scott McLaughlinMcLaughlin had graduated in 1996 from the
School of the Art Institute in Chicago, and has since
gone on to sell her works to private collectors and
museums, such as the Museum of Contemporary
Art in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Specimens at Sunset III
So Unprovided
Pearl Beds, Japan
15
So I have only had time to focus on my
jewelry and my functional work. Sculpture
has always taken me a lot longer to work on;
it’s a different thought process. I really have
to incubate ideas more with my sculpture; I
think a lot more. Some day I’ll have a bigger
studio, I’ll have more kilns and I’ll be put-
ting out more. I’d like to have a show every
two to three years; to have a body of work,
whether it’s some work from the past or not.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
a: My dream goal is to have a studio in
the city and a studio out in the country.
My dream is to keep on the path I’ve been,
taking baby steps. Each year I do a little bit
more to add to my goals; the past couple
it’s been, ‘I want to have a studio, so how
do I pay for it?’ I have been selling my work
so I can survive as an artist, just to purchase
materials, supplies and the tools you need.
Every year I’ve been buying something.
Last year I bought a kiln and this year I
bought the belt sander. I have a lot of sup-
port from my husband and our ultimate
dream is to be able to have a great urban
atmosphere that constantly stimulates us
and gives us ideas for expression. Also, [I
want] to be able to slow down and focus and
have a place out in the country and get away
and make art because it is what you want
to do and not because somebody wants you
to make a certain kind of art, or because it's
what’s selling.
con t i n u ed f rom pa g e 11
Lace & Veins
Cobalt Blue
16
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