Category Archives: art education

art, art education, contest, drawing, illustration, Karen Tashkovski

Doodle for Google 2019

Image February 16, 2019 Karen Tashkovski 2 Comments

I just mailed these Chittenango Middle School entries to the Doodle for Google 2019 contest. This year’s theme is “When I Grow Up, I Hope….”

These are some of my Art-8 and 8th grade accelerated Studio in Art student entries. My 5th graders also took part in the contest. The deadline is March 16th so there is still time to mail in the stragglers’ art after winter break, thank goodness.

Among the recurring themes – ending world hunger, space exploration, and fun with animals. Other ideas included fashion, graduating from high school/college and cheating death.

One of my favorites was this one above – solving mysteries with the Scooby Doo gang. Who doesn’t dream about this from time-to-time? Really, I know you do!

The prize is $30,000 for the individual student, $50,000 in technology for their school and their google doodle will be on a T-shirt. It will also grace the web-site for twenty-four hours (and proclaim the winner the title of Chief Doodler for the day). So cool.

What a huge and most amazing thing it would be if one of my students wins the whole shebang?! It will be the greatest thing that would and could ever happen in my career, lol, except…this was the assignment I gave as lesson plans for the substitute when I was absent on family leave the week of my father’s passing. So, technically, I guess … no – oh, come on now, this is crazy talk…I will still take pride in a win. Making art that helps a student visualize their dreams? – now that is a win-win! ❤

art, art education, art exhibition, Karen Tashkovski, school library, sculpture

Dozens

Image January 24, 2019 Karen Tashkovski 1 Comment

I thought it would be fun to create trompe l’oeil donuts. We made them from an armature of aluminum foil, paper towels and masking tape.

Students then applied Mod Podge with a brush to paper towel bits, adhering them to the armature. They really looked like glazed donuts – so cool!

Cell-u-clay was next. It is a paper pulp that is applied wet in a sort of oatmeal consistency. This was the frosting.

Each student (in two of my 8th grade art classes) created a dozen donuts. Because I didn’t think six was enough, lol. They painted the Cell-u-clay with acrylics and added decorative details.

Some students glued their finished pieces to foamboard and others placed them in boxes provided by the local Dunkin’ Donuts. The projects are currently on display in the library at Chittenango Middle School, Chittenango, New York.

I just loved this project. I think everyone loved it! Students in the 9th period B day class even came in during their study hall to become “donut fairies” – they helped the A day group! Everyone helped each other and it was truly magical. So fun! ❤

art, art education, fashion, Karen Tashkovski

2018 Fashion Finale

Image December 25, 2018 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

IMG_20181203_094105_468 — Rebecca Taylor top, French Connection skirt, Calvin Klein booties

IMG_20181205_093818_170 — Talitha top, Banana Republic pants, Nine West booties

IMG_20181206_083710_436 — Saks Fifth Avenue sweater, BCBGMaxAzria skirt, Eliffete tights, Marc Jacobs booties

Here are my #ootd pics from December 2018. A few new pieces are in the mix, like the lace tights and my first Milly top. OMG, I love stretch silk, which is a silk blend with a bit of spandex in it. You can tell that I am a huge fan of silk, cashmere and leather.

I wear two smocks while painting and using Mod Podge, which is my new go-to instead of using Plaster of Paris for sculpture. I’m doing a form of papier mache instead and it is amazing. Can’t wait to share my donut project!

IMG_20181210_092442_806 — Aqua Cashmere cardigan, Trina Turk skirt, BCBGeneration booties

IMG_20181211_090936_630 — Rachel Zoe dress, Calvin Klein booties

IMG_20181212_084739_183 — BCBGMaxAzria dress, Karl Lagerfeld Paris boots

The other big project is…Artist Books! My Studio in Art students are creating these very cool books using sports equipment, lunch boxes, ceramic bowls and musical instruments. They will be done by the end of the semester. Then we will start watercolor!

IMG_20181217_084057_076 — Trina Turk dress, Marc Jacobs booties

IMG_20181219_084310_859 — C by Bloomindales cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West boots

IMG_20181220_093019_057 — Milly top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Marc Jacobs booties

I will eventually clean off the back counter and prepare for new students in February. Art – 8 only meets every other day for one semester. I am able to do about three or four projects in that time – a drawing, a painting, a sculpture and a clay project or some combination of those things. Right now we are finishing up sculptures in the five classes and drawing in the other two.

IMG_20181221_090457_600 — C by Bloomingdales cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Ugg boots

I did not get any clothes for Christmas, lol. Or did I? Santa was good to me. I know him! (I really do!) ❤

IMG_20181212_215415_789 — Rachel Zoe dress, Coach clutch

IMG_20181224_175520_286 — BCBGMaxAzria top, pants, and belt, Nine West boots

art, art education, art exhibition, art gallery, art resources, classroom, education, illustration, Karen Tashkovski, photography

Who’s Greek Now?

Image December 21, 2018 Karen Tashkovski 2 Comments

I decided to infuse the 8th grade Medusa drawing project with real people. I was driving to work a few weeks ago and the idea just came to me, lol, but would the teachers at Chittenango Middle School go for it?

On the half day, I sent out an email then I ran around taking pictures of those who were receptive to being immortalized as Medusa. The principals were even on board, which was so, totally, awesome!

Students selected from the faces and added the snake hair and Greek pattern border. We watched excerpts from 1981 and 2012 Clash of the Titans while using Sharpies and colored pencils. Here are the results. They used 16″ x 20″ white heavyweight tagboard and Prismacolor colored pencils.

I have two classes working on a new batch on brown Kraft paper. It is such a fun project. So many possibilities with regard to color schemes and composition. So incredibly satisfying!

This artwork is currently on display in the hallway outside of my classroom at Chittenango Middle School in Chittenango, New York. It will be up for a while, at least until the end of the semester at the end of January. I will display some of them at the school fair in May too.

art education, art exhibition, art gallery, illustration, Karen Tashkovski, school library

The Kindness of Peace

Image December 1, 2018 Karen Tashkovski 2 Comments

Kindness Matters was the subject of this year’s Lions Club sponsored Peace Poster contest. My Studio in Art class students spent about six weeks working on their illustrations.

Emily’s poster won the local and regional competition. It is on its way to the state competition next and if she wins at the international level – well, that would be a huge win for all of us: $5,000 for her and twelve years of poster-making and working closely with the beautiful people/lions who make up the committee that will culminate in an enormous sense of pride and victory for our small community in Chittenango, New York.

The Chittenango Lions threw us a classroom pizza party and awarded monetary gifts and plaques for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place picks. The rest of the students were all unanimously honored with honorable mentions. Their work was spectacular.

These peace posters will be on display during December 2018 in the Community Room at the Sullivan Library, 101 Falls Blvd., Chittenango, New York 13037. Visit their website for hours of operation.

art, art education, art exhibition, art gallery, Karen Tashkovski, sculpture, Syracuse University

In Bronze

Image September 6, 2018 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Syracuse University has wowed us yet again with another fabulous art exhibition at their art gallery in the Shaffer Art Building on S.U. campus. This time a collection of bronze sculptures by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) fills the space. The art is actually owned by the Iris and Gerald Cantor Foundation – they organized the show as well.

Penny Santy and I attended the opening reception tonight – it was the perfect thing to do on this back-to-school night, an opportunity to fully immerse myself in the visual stimulation of an artists’ life work and then discuss it all with my fellow artist friend. The kind of discussion that catapults our individual journeys as we sort of translate what we see into how we see ourselves as artists – our respective places on the path. It is just so incredible how modern this body of work really is – how this master artist took things a step further, editing body parts to emphasize movement. Doing things because he wanted to, because it was necessary for his own growth without crumbling in the face of criticism.

Innovation always comes with critics riding shirttails, doesn’t it? People can be so limited in their thinking and so, when I see a show like this, I see that Rodin’s confidence and trust in what he knew was right is what influenced and still influences artists one hundred years later.

Inspirational thinking. So, so amazing!

Rodin: The Human Experience will be on display until November 18, 2018. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday 11:00 am – 4:30 pm. In addition, they are open until 8:00 pm on Thursdays. (315) 443-4097

art, art education, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, Karen Tashkovski, painting, school library

Little Birdie

Image June 12, 2018 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I hosted a closing reception for Jamie Santos’ art show. The exhibition had taken place in the Chittenango Middle School library (Chittenango, New York) during May and June 2018. Since they administered the algebra regents exam in the library today, we held the party in my art classroom.

About twenty students attended this end of the year celebration. Cookies were served.

Jamie Santos is a tattoo artist. She works at Tymeless Tattoo in Baldwinsville, New York. Jamie is a 2003 graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High school. She says drawing is an important part of her life. She gets up by 9:00 am and starts the day by sketching ideas for tattoos or paintings – she brought several notebooks full of these wonderfully executed drawings to share with the students.

Her focus lately has been on birds.

Students had a lot of questions about the tattooing process – does it hurt? How long does it take to finish a tattoo? Do people bring snacks? ( Lol, love that one ❤ )

Jamie was very honest about the process, the time commitment, the pain. She explained how the needle works, how it vibrates when you hold it, how the artist gets better with every job.

She used to work every day and now she books clients only four days a week, devoting the rest of her time to creating art in her studio. Designing her own unique look, her own motifs are crucial to her success and she takes pride in the fact that her work ethic has truly improved her skill.

I asked how many of these eleven to fourteen-year-old students think that they want to get tattoos when they are older and the majority of hands flew up! Should I be surprised by that? I guess not.

The students absolutely loved her! She is amazing. Thank you, Jamie Santos, for being such an inspirational voice for your profession.

A thousand thank-yous, as well, goes to my fabulous colleague, Katy Conden, for working with me to make these art talks happen. They are no fun without you!

If you would like to see more of her work, Jamie will be exhibiting in a show of tattoo artists at the Everson Museum of Art.

June 30–August 5, 2018

Embracing the Underground explores the rich and diverse culture of modern day tattooing. This exhibition is the second presented through the Everson’s Community Exhibition Program, which provides opportunities for Central New York organizations to present the work of area artists.

	Karen Tashkovski on Doodle for Google 2019
	Karen Tashkovski on The American
	Judith Hand (Judy) on Doodle for Google 2019
	Eleni J on The American
	Karen Tashkovski on The American

Karen Tashkovski

Category Archives: art education

Doodle for Google 2019

Dozens

2018 Fashion Finale

Who’s Greek Now?

The Kindness of Peace

In Bronze

Little Birdie

EMBRACING THE UNDERGROUND: THE ART OF TATTOOING

Visual Artist

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EMBRACING THE UNDERGROUND: THE ART OF TATTOOING

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Visual Artist