Monthly Archives: August 2023

art, encaustic, Karen Tashkovski, oil painting

Encaustic!

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My art studio is a mess right now.

I’m creating two different series of encaustic and collage paintings. I am so excited about these new ideas. Encaustic is a combination of beeswax and oil paint. The action required is deliberate and fast-paced. As soon as you remove the brush from the paint tin (which is resting on a heated pancake griddle), you must plunk it down quickly or it will solidify. It requires incredible focus coupled with an intuitive spark.

So grateful for the rainy day today. I worked in the studio from 9:00 am until about 5:30 pm.

The next step is adding the collage materials. That part is a bit like when a stylist accessorizes a fashion show. I have an idea of what devices I will use, materials that will make sense with the story I am telling visually. Each painting is unique but they must also be cohesive as a group.

I’m in the process of setting up a Patreon page for my social media with the idea that I can have exclusive articles and videos to share with the patrons. And information regarding art exhibitions. Right now it’s a bit overwhelming because my focus is currently on the execution of the artwork. Once that is all settled, I can share the link and reveal what I’ve been doing. Stay tuned.

It’s never a good idea to reveal in progress work unless you really want a critique. My thought is I want to cherish it, keep it to myself and enjoy the process. For now.

Today I said to myself – This is the best day of my life! Creating art is such a gift. Thank you, universe! <3

fish fry, ISO - fish fry, Karen Tashkovski

ISO Fish Fry – Doug’s Fish Fry TOGO

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The Doug’s Fish Fry Food Truck is in Manlius today! They will be there until 6:00 pm.

Presentation – The fish is cooked to order. It is wrapped up and handed over in folded white paper that is easy to carry to your car.

Taste – so good! I brought the dinner home and ate the whole thing. Very moist fish. The french fries tasted better than they looked and I loved the coleslaw.

Restaurant Experience – The employees were very nice. One guy took my order and another handed it to me. This took about seven minutes.

Location – I bookmarked the Doug’s Fish Fry TOGO website and last night I looked at it, which was so random. It revealed they’d be in Manlius today. They are located by the ice cream stand in front of the Manlius Library on Arkie Albanese Drive.

They will be in Binghamton tomorrow.

Parking – Doug’s Fish Fry TOGO is located in a parking lot with plenty of parking.

antiques, history, Karen Tashkovski, museum

Historical Syracuse

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On a recent visit to the Onondaga Historical Association (321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, New York 13202), I was treated to this wonderful walk down local inventions memory lane. The Brannock device was invented here – that is a big one. It’s the foot measuring device that helps you discover the correct shoe size.

Here is a Franklin roadster from 1902. This is on loan from the Smithsonian and is enclosed in a special air-conditioned environment to preserve and protect it. This car is the third of its kind to be produced and possibly the only remaining one.

Does anyone else remember getting Byrne Dairy milk delivered? Or taking a special trip to Marble Farms to get ice cream after visiting the Burnet Park Zoo?

More inventions include washing machines and typewriters. I think my mom worked at the Smith-Corona factory at one point. There is also an entire floor devoted to Syracuse China.

In addition, there is a costume display. Clothing purchased at stores like Flah’s and The Addis Company were highly valued. The equivalent today would be shopping at Jet Black (6891 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, New York 13066).

There are perks to becoming a member of the OHA. You can research the history of your home for instance, which is something that I am very interested in doing. You can also get discounts in their gift shop and have exclusive tours.

For $10 per person, you can do an exclusive tour of the Magic Toy Shop set! I didn’t do that – I’d like to – who is in?

I was gifted this book, which documents the series.

I was on the show once, folk dancing with the other elementary school-aged girls from church to plug The Festival of Nations. It was an event where all the ethnic communities participated in a food, music and dance party, held at the Syracuse War Memorial every November in the ’70s and early ’80s. I was hoping our picture would find its way into the pamphlet but instead, the boys who make up the Macedonian band Merak made the cut. They are all at least ten years younger than me and never watched the show. Lol – I am beyond jealous!

Once again, this blog post will resonate with people my age. The Onondaga Historical Association has been around for one hundred years. Hopefully, it will not be lost to the youth of today. Syracuse has a rich history and there is still so much more life to be lived that will eventually become part of that history.

OHA Museum/Gift Gallery
Wednesday – Friday: 10 – 4
Saturday & Sunday: 11 – 4

OHA Administrative Offices
315-428-1864
321 Montgomery Street
Syracuse, New York 13202

Karen Tashkovski

Reverie

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Reverie is the title of Kent Maxwell’s Rothko meets Wyeth by way of Pollack seascapes. The essence of the works – a dream-like tranquility – belies their structure. Maxwell makes his own wooden floater frames. He tosses the resulting sawdust into the paint or adds polymers of some kind, which bind with the acrylic paint to add texture and depth to the pieces. He experiments with all sorts of junk to get the precise desired consistency.

I remember a docent telling me that Jackson Pollack would smoke cigarettes and drop the butts into his paintings. He painted in a barn with the canvas on the floor and sometimes bugs would find their end as they collided with the sticky tar-paint combo. Those casualties did not deter Pollack from his intuitive dance.

The difference here is that Maxwell finds Rothko-like serenity in that Pollack-y chaos. His understructure transforms into a top coat of soothing horizontals then he adds the splashes of Wyeth-esque ocean waves.

The paintings are about texture and color, and maybe creating a consistent recognizable style. Nothing more – no pretense.

Kent Maxwell had a tent on E. Onondaga Street during the M & T Arts & Crafts Festival in downtown Syracuse, New York over the weekend. Next up for him is the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair in Mt. Sunapee, New Hampshire, August 5-13, 2023.

He is represented by two galleries –

Nahcotta Gallery 110 Congress Street Portsmouth, NH 03801
The Gallery on Federal 2 Federal Street Newburyport, MA 01950

For more information you can contact him at kent@kentmaxwellart.com or visit his website.