My 8th grade accelerated Studio in Art students created these clay fish sculptures. We used Sax under-glazes with Amaco gloss glaze on top.
I think this is one of my favorite lessons of all time. I just loved how much care the students took to build their sculptures and then to glaze them. We had twelve colors. They had to use at least six (two to three coats each).
Roll the clay out with a rolling pin (each piece was approximately 3″ x 6″). Then place crumpled up paper towel in the center. Close up one side. It will look like a waffle cone. Add clay to the top to smooth out the head then add fins, a tail, eyes, gills and other details. This is done using slip (clay and water) as the glue/mortar that seals clay to clay.
They took about four classes to create and four classes to glaze. I let the sculptures dry for two weeks before the bisque fire.
Here are pictures of the art exhibition at Summit Medical Group! Curator and space planner Elizabeth Wiech sent them to me this morning.
It is an animal art show featuring dogs and cats. I am thrilled to be a part of it.
The show has an indefinite end – somewhere in the six-month range. Summit Medical Group is located in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (1 Diamond Hill Road, Lawrence Pavilion). Call (908) 277-8806 for more information.
If you are interested in making a sale, connect with me here via the contact page or email me at ktashkovski@gmail.com. I have extra paintings that can replace the ones sold no problemo.
I just bought this phone case for my Samsung Galaxy 6! They finally added cases for my phone at http://www.redbubble.com! So excited. The quality of the case is outstanding. The color is so accurate. It is really so amazing to have my artwork on products!
This is my painting Blue Star. It is a 10″ x 7″ watercolor. It’s one of my favorites because it is a perfect representation of how my hand moves. I am not normally a blue person – I decorate my home in neutrals with greens and reds, but I do wear a lot of navy blue, at least lately – not as extreme as Diana Vreeland, but enough (to matchy-match my phone).
BCBG Max Azria cardigan, Banana Republic pants and leather top, BCBGeneration sandals
It is so sleek now. Before I had this leather wallet thingy on the cell phone, which carried my license and stuff, so it was convenient but very bulky.
Banana Republic sweater, Trina Turk skirt, BCBG Max Azria belt, Ralph Lauren boots
I received another email that I’ve sold another product on redbubble! I am on my way to actually getting a check from them. You have to sell tons in order for it to add up. If you are interested, find your favorite here.
I have not been to any other art receptions/shows since the one at the View and I’m waiting for the curator to send me pictures from the art exhibit in New Jersey. I will post them as soon as I can. I cannot get down there until at least the end of next month. That is when school is out for the summer! I think there are twenty-three school days left. Yes, exactly that.
Bailey 44 silk top, Calvin Klein jeans, BCBGeneration sandals
OMG, I cannot stop checking my phone. I am obsessed. I think I have been on Facebook and Instagram every five minutes today, like a total nerd. I am sure I will adjust to this newness unless…. Should I buy more cases? It was hard to decide which one to pick. Yeah, that would be cool to have phone cases that match each #ootd.
JCrew blazer, BCBG Max Azria top and pants, BCBG Generation sandalsLucky Brand top, BCBG Max Azria pants, BCBG Generation sandals
Here are my most recent #ootd pictures. I am grateful for Katy Conden, my fellow art teacher, work colleague and all around bestie who has been taking such good pictures with my Samsung Galaxy 6. She makes it so fun to vogue it up every morning.
I am getting my hair done more frequently these days. Amanda LaDue at Miracles in Fayetteville, NY is a true miracle worker. She has single-handedly transformed my look. The other day one of my work colleagues told me that I look younger now than I did ten years ago when we first started working at the middle school together! That is so sweet!
Banana Republic cardigan vest, Bailey 44 top, INC pants, Nine West sandals
It is such a thrill to get such positive responses on Facebook and on Instagram as well, where a lot of other fashion bloggers are giving me kudos, most notably the local fashion sylist, Jackie Terribile (@thesmalltownstylist) She is a friend of my little sister. Jackie blogs about the Syracuse fashion scene and does some guest hosting on a local morning show.
I am a lot older than the typical fashion blogger so, yes, it is all so flattering and wonderful. I am empowered by Madonna’s statement about her Met Gala outfit and the idea that age should not even be relevant when it comes to fashion, beauty and all that.
Coach headband, Lord & Taylor cardigan, BCBG Max Azria top, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West boots
The above picture was taken by Roberta Mou, the Home & Careers teacher (when Katy was absent one day). Note the kitchen background. I am never normally in a kitchen, lol. I never cook except to make cupcakes once and a while for the art talks we have at school.
BCBG Max Azria dress, Ralph Lauren boots, Fossil bracelets
I wore this white dress on a day I was demonstrating an India Ink lesson! I wore two smocks. In my defense, I love this dress and I can’t just stare at it in my closet and not wear it once and a while. I am going to an event at the end of the month that has a dress code – resort casual – and this dress is perfect except for the color. It is literally never appropriate to wear white to anything wedding-related unless you are the bride.
Honora necklace, BCBG Max Azria T-shirt, knit top and leggings, Ralph Lauren bootsVintage necklace, JCrew cardigan, Bailey 44 top, Calvin Klein jeans, Nine West sandals
Nine West asked to repost the above picture on their website and on their Instagram account. Those sandals are my most recent purchase. They are so comfortable. They come in two other colors – emerald green is one of them. They have a zipper in back and a gladiator style lace-up in front. I love the support this style offers!
Free People cardigan, Trina Turk top and pants, Nine West sandalsVintage necklace, BCBG Max Azria dress, Nine West booties
The beaded cross necklace – my mother got it from the Indian Village at the New York State Fair in the 1940s. I am in love with it! I built many of my outfits in the past two weeks around this blue, gray, beige and gold color scheme.
BCBG Max Azria T-shirt, Lucky Brand top, 7 For All Mankind jeans, Nine West booties
Now that the school fair is over, it is pretty much smooth sailing until the end of the school year. Hopefully, the backgrounds in my #ootd pictures will improve, meaning I will start cleaning the room and putting away unnecessary supplies. (Sure I will.) And then before we know it, it will be summer vacation!
Yeah, I guess I am not a typical fifty-something, lol. No cooking or cleaning, but a big yes to a stress-free aesthetic in four-inch heels.
Free People cardigan, BCBG Max Azria dress and belt, Calvin Kliein jeans, BCBG Generation sandalsMichelle DaRin jewelry bracelet, BCBG Max Azria top and pants, BCBG Generation booties
The Adirondacks is such a mythical place, isn’t it? The last time I ventured into that neck of the woods I was a child meeting the real Santa Claus, because as you must know, the North Pole is an actual place in New York State…in the Adirondacks.
So imagine my surprise (and major lack of geography knowledge) to realize that Old Forge’s View Art Center is only an hour and a half drive from my house! Like what? Seriously, I did not realize it. Thought it was further north, lol.
Penny Santy won an award – best landscape painting – at the juried exhibition, 2016 Central Adirondack Show on view until June 12, 2016 at View.
According to the literature, this show is “a long-standing Old Forge tradition, showcasing some of the finest artists from throughout the Central Adirondack region and beyond. Held for the first time in 1952, by View founder Miriam Kashiwa, the Central Adirondack Art Show is a testament to the significant place the arts hold within the hearts and minds of the residents and visitors to the Adirondacks.”
There are seventy-six artists represented here in varied media – ceramics, glass, mixed media, paintings, drawings, pastels and photographs. Most of the work is representational with landscapes making up the majority. Sandra Hildreth was the juror.
If you have never been to this gallery, you will be surprised by its modern elegance. It is a hop, skip and a jump from Enchanted Forest. (Seeing that sign again after all these years was like something out of a dream!)
I love these road trips to see art! I was more than happy to be at the opening to support my friend, and grateful to have my cousin Jackie as a carpool mate for the friendship and great conversation, and to watch out for numerous deer hovering at both sides of the highway on the way home!
View is located at 3273 Route 28 (P.O. Box 1144) Old Forge, NY 13420. Find them on the web at www.viewarts.org or call 315-369-6411 for gallery hours. They have numerous events coming up – lectures, workshops and more exhibitions!
Some say there are no coincidences in life. That everything in front of you is either a gift or simply put there as a lesson. And it is up to you to figure it all out….
When you check your surroundings, you can immediately be in tune to how you are feeling. Life is a reflection of you!
So what does it say about me, the woman who paints hearts, surrounds herself with hearts, says I-love-you all the time – even using it as one of the steps in a plaster of Paris lesson, lol (my students know what I am talking about) that I am seeing hearts on the trail at Green Lakes?
They are EVERYWHERE!
It doesn’t seem real. I mean, I never noticed them before, you know? And yet, here they are – hearts in mulch, in leaves, in stone….
It’s just so beautiful and adds another dimension to my happy place! I guess I am in love with love. It is so special. I am soooo grateful to have Green Lakes State Park in my life. It is the best! <3
In about an hour, Chittenango High School opens its doors to the public/community for the annual school fair. It takes about three hours to install the middle school artwork on the walls in the halls between the two gyms. I will be back later tonight to take it all down.
Here are pictures of 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade art – from my students and those of my colleagues Gina Fargnoli and Katy Conden.
Chittenango High School is located on Route 5 in Chittenango, NY. The school fair is a visual representation of our entire school’s curriculum with elementary school stuff in the large gym, middle school stuff in the small gym and high school stuff all around the two story building. It will take place from 5:30 – 8:00 pm tonight!
