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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

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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)

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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!

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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

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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

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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

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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

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