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The Scoop on Flavor City

By Monica Phillips

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there was an ice cream parlor named Flavor City at 45 Harrison St. If you look closely, you can still see where the name once crowned the front door. Today that space is a workplace for local artists Mike Bochner and Steve Smith.

For nearly a decade Mike has been at this location, which at one time was affiliated with the Art House next door. It wasn’t until Steve came along, though, that the space became known once again as Flavor City. He happened to notice the faded name while taking pictures of the storefront one day. The rest is recent history.

Steve, whose preferred art form is mainly large abstracts, although he also paints more impressionistic smaller paintings, stumbled upon Mike’s studio last October.

“I saw the sign in the window to share the space during Arts on Harrison last year and called Mike up,” Steve said.

Nine months later, Mike is still pleased about that phone call.

“Of all the people I’ve had in here, he’s right up there at the top,” Mike said. “Steve’s a good guy to share with. I’ve had difficult people, and I’ve had people who are nice, and a whole variety of things. … It’s nice to have somebody here.”

Both artists tend toward abstract painting, and they share a preference for color schemes. Conceivably, working together in a small, open space could contribute to such similarities. But, according to Steve, any influence on one another’s work is unintentional. To him, the result of sharing a space is really about getting the work done at all.

“There are a lot of similarities in our color palette, but I don’t think we are consciously influencing each other. We don’t really discuss our work as we are painting, because it’s kind of a private moment for each of us. We talk about sports or life outside of the studio. [But] we motivate each other, I think. We’re more of a kick in the pants [for each other],” Steve said .

Mike, who has a variety of competing interests and obligations, including writing poetry and tending his family’s garden, agreed. “Steve works a lot. I’m, like, really split up, because there’s different things that I’m doing. But I think having Steve in here makes me a little bit more dedicated. I feel like it takes a lot of energy to paint. I mean, not physically, but to be creative. It’s hard to do it when you’re worn down.”

Mike has been painting since he was 17 years old, when he found himself in need of an “easy credit” to graduate high school. He took a painting class, loved it, and has been at it ever since. But it hasn’t always been easy.

“I never really believed in the whole starving artist thing, probably because I like to eat,” Mike said, laughing. “But I think there is some sacrifice involved . . . you sort of have to remember that what you’re doing is hard. When you start running on automatic, it starts to slip away, so it takes dedication.”

Affordable rent has made it possible for Mike to pursue his passion while still supporting a three-squares-a-day habit. With two daughters and a move to Oak Park for good public schools, “I thought my days of having a studio [were over],” Mike said. “I didn’t think I’d be able to afford anything here, and I was really pleasantly surprised, because not only can you get space here, but I think this is cheaper than what you would pay for most places in Chicago. Even in a rotten neighborhood, because Chicago is Chicago, you can easily drop $600 for a studio.”

Steve, who plans to get involved with the Oak Park Arts District organization loves the area and feels it is perfect for him to get more serious about his art. Right now he is working on building a website for Flavor City, a single venue that will showcase each artist’s work separately. He’s also working on a few different large abstracts, using acrylics and oils.

“I like acrylics for faster drying and easier cleanup. I paint in washes on my large paintings, so I find acrylics easier and cleaner to handle. On smaller impressionistic paintings, I prefer oils for a thicker brush stroke,” Steve said.

Inspired by life in general and by one’s spiritual journey through it, Steve found that his first muse was Monet. Then it was Van Gogh. Studying the history of modern art, however, changed the way he thought about art. Currently, the Taos Moderns are a significant influence on his work.

Mike, on the other hand, is inspired by both Mother Nature and human nature. Although, according to him, “human nature disgusts as well as inspires, which is just as important, depending on the mood. Believe me, it's all in there.” To Mike, inspiration is similar to the aging process, “but more like how cheese ages (the good cheese, not the kind that gets all moldy with lots of fungus). The biggest thing, I guess, is that it becomes more difficult to impress yourself as time goes on.”

That kind of “topping” one’s self reflects the notion Steve has that there is a correlation between evolving as an artist and experiencing personal growth. “They go hand in hand. As I grow as a person, my art reflects that growth, which then helps me grow. Sounds redundant, but there is an evolution there.”

Mike sees it differently. “For me, making art is a way of stepping away from the issues that one may, or may not, be having as an individual. In a way, you work with a blank slate, and outside issues can't do much to mitigate what happens on the canvas. My art does not serve as commentary or therapy on, or for, my life.”

The unique ways in which Mike and Steve view their inspiration is reflected in how they express themselves artistically. As with the ice cream that once filled this space, these two are undeniably unique, but they are also more alike than different. They share key characteristics, an ease and humor around one another . . . and even a hometown. Mike, though, is quick to point out that they’re “from different sides of Skokie.”

“Yeah, I’m from the rich side,” Steve joked.

“There is no rich side of Skokie,” Mike chortled. “The only difference is the zip code.”

And that makes the point entirely.

If you would like to see more of Mike’s and Steve’s artwork, visit http://website.flavorcitystudio.com/ or stop by and say hi. They are happy to talk about art … and sports, too.

Blossom’s Backyard

By Monica Phillips

As you might imagine, all the rain and heat has had a profound effect on the garden. It’s a jungle back there! A few of the Blossoms have been busy staking tomato plants—and one wild and wooly tomatillo plant. But all this rain has also brought something unexpected.

One morning while Sharon, Cathy, and Sunny were working, they saw something amazing. According to Sharon, “It was between 8 and 9, and we were standing on the driveway getting ready to leave when a few dragonflies appeared. Then all of a sudden there was a small swarm of dragonflies, and you could see them going after the mosquitoes. The sun was coming over the building and you could see them going after these small insects and catching them in mid-flight. It is a wonder watching Mother Nature at work in our garden.” Says Sunny: “It was a wondrous sight for sure . . . a dozen, at least, dragonflies doing their dance in balancing nature . . . in sunlight and mist.”

Considered by the Japanese to be symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, Dragonflies (or Odonates) are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands, because their larvae, known as "nymphs," are aquatic. So it’s a little unusual to have them behind the Buzz. We certainly welcome their presence, as they are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes and other small insects, such as flies and ants. And, of course, they are exquisitely beautiful and delicate creatures. Just one more fascinating example of Mother Nature at work in our little microenvironment in the Blossoms Backyard.

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Letter from the Editor

Laura Maychruk

Dear Loyal Readers, Two Summers ago, we had a power outage at our home that lasted for 3 days. At that time I wrote a column on how wonderful those days were for me. The complete darkness at night, the quietness, the inability to access my email or computer, etc… It was like a forced vacation. A week ago, my worst nightmare took place in the form of a power outage—this one, at the café… As a result of a violent storm, the power at the café was knocked out from 6pm on Wednesday to 6pm on the following day—24 hours...In our 12 years, we have never had the power out for this long; usually just for a few hours.

If this kind of outage happens at your home, it is a terrible inconvenience! You have to put your food on ice and go without amenities like air conditioning, television and microwave available to you. In the case of a restaurant with 11 refrigerators and 6 freezers it becomes a logistical nightmare. Once the temperature in the coolers reaches 40 degrees we have to find alternative ways to keep the food cold or we have to throw it out...We watched the thermostat tick up all through the night, all the while praying for the power to come on, until at 4am we had to move everything we could onto ice—a monumental task… Then as 6am approached we knew we would not be able to be open. At that time Com Ed was telling us it could be “multiple days” until our power was restored. We were bracing ourselves and purchasing dry ice to assist our food-saving efforts. We had to call all of our employees to inform them not to come to work and bottom line– we were forced to disappoint our customers and lost a day of precious revenue.

Many restaurants in Oak Park and Forest Park suffered this exact nightmare, some ten-fold! The many restaurants on Madison St. in Forest Park as well as Lake St. in Oak Park were out of power for 2 or 3 days, then got the power back on, only to loose it again 2 days later...—an insufferable amount of anxiety and stress has affected all of the owners of these restaurants as well as the employees who were unable to work. The financial loss of revenue accompanied by the inevitable loss of food is a double whammy! I would like to encourage you to consider eating local the next few times you go out to eat to help those restaurants re-coup their losses.

As we move forward we will not be able to endure another storm without worrying and loosing sleep wondering if we will have to re-live the nightmare… I hope all of you weathered our recent storms and outages without too much inconvenience—I guess it’s one of those things where being without power can be a blessing in disguise and it can be one of your worst fears come true...

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