Category Archives: art gallery

animals in art, art, art for sale, art gallery, group art exhibition, juried exhibition, Karen Tashkovski

Horse Power!(!!!)

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I am honored to be a part of the latest exhibition at Main Street Arts, 20 W. Main Street, Clifton Springs, New York 14432.   Titled Horse Power!, it will be on display until July 15, 2026.

My painting is called Mustang Dance (see above).

The horse theme was inspired by the Chinese New Year celebrating the year of the Fire Horse in 2026.  And – OMG – there are so many wonderful pieces of art representing horses (and donkeys, zebras and even unicorns).  People and their horses, am I right???

Paintings, drawings, sculptures, fiber art, mixed media – so much to see and enjoy.

The show is the brainchild of Executive Director Heather Olson (*) who is a total shining star.  Her positivity is infectious and the atmosphere during the art reception today was truly heart warming.

It is a fabulous exhibit.  The artwork occupies two floors in this gorgeous little gallery.  YOU HAVE TO GO TO THERE – to experience this amazing energy and also to buy something.  There is an adorable gift shop in addition to all the art that is for sale.  And donations for this non-profit organization are welcome, as well.

Hours of Operation:

Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Saturday : 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

  • Heather Olson

    Executive Director and Gallery Curator

    Heather Olson joined Main Street Arts as Executive Director and Gallery Curator in January of 2025. An equestrian and lover of places, ecosystems, and the plants and animals which define them, her painting and photography work explores storytelling, erasure, movement, freedom, memory, and amends. Inspired by her summer-long artist residency at Chautauqua Institution and studies in Florence, Italy she weaves historically-driven narratives anchored in place. After living across regions of the US and Canada, Olson has a broad professional lens-bringing programming, planning, grant-work, business-ownership, teaching, and design experiences to Main Street Arts. She has public and private K-12 and college-level teaching experience. Heather earned a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art (honors), a Masters in Landscape Architecture, a Masters in Art Education, and has hours towards an MFA. Heather is building upon the exceptional programs and events developed by our prior director. She curates and hangs gallery exhibitions and works directly with artists, instructors, and our community for programs and events.

abstract, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, Karen Tashkovski

Smorgasbord

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Yesterday afternoon I attended the art reception for the Art Haus summer exhibition.  Called Smorgasbord, this is the first time the curators have displayed eight artists at once.  Usually the shows include about four artists.

Peter Allen

This time there is a sculptor, a photographer, an assemblage artist and several abstract painters,

Tyrel De Bique

The eight artists all happen to be men this time:  Peter Allen, Tyrel De Bique, CJ Hodge, Dennis Kinsey, Steve Nyland, Steve Pearlman, Marc Anthony Polizzi and Robert Poorman,

CJ Hodga

Steve Nyland

The art is available until July 11, 2026.  See the gallery website for more details including making a purchase.

Art Haus is located at 120 Walton Street, Syracuse, New York 13202.  Current hours of operation are Tuesday and Wednesday noon – 7:00 PM, Thursday and Friday noon – 8:00 PM and Saturday noon – 6:00 PM.  Visit them on Facebook for updates to this schedule.

It’s a great show with a little bit of everything that you never knew you wanted – color, texture, size, shape.  Viewing art in person in order to understand an artist’s point of view is just the best!

Marc Anthony Polizzi

abstract, art, art for sale, art gallery, art venue

Road Trip in Rain Finds Garden on Main

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I took a road trip today to visit Main Street Arts, 20 W. Main Street, Clifton Springs, New York 14432.  My painting, Mustang Dance, will be in the next group show, Horse Power!, which opens Saturday, June 6, 2026 with a reception from 3:00 – 6:00 PM..

The current display, The Garden Within, will be up until May 27, 2026.

The abstract work in this collection was created by former Arts-in-Education colleagues Sara Michalak and Jari Poulin.  For more information about them click here.

This is a beautiful art gallery!  I’m in love with this place.  It is worth a visit – rain or shine!  My trip was 100% rainy, lol, but so worth it.

I will be back on June 6th for the Horse Power! opening.  Join me if you can.  It will be nothing but horses-horses-horses-horses…..

Karen Tashkovski, MUSTANG DANCE, 2012, encaustic & collage, 12” x 48”
art, art exhibition, art gallery

Galentines

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Whimsy & Joy is the title of Edgewood Gallery‘s latest art exhibition.  Kathleen Crinnen’s acrylic paintings, Eva Hunter‘s jewelry, accessories and paintings plus Linda Malik’s sculptures comprise this colorful, very feminine show.

The exhibit continues through April 17, 2026.  Edgewood Gallery is located at 216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse, New York 13224.

Tuesday – Friday: 9:30 am – 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am – 2 pm
Sunday & Monday: closed

I visited Edgewood yesterday to discuss my upcoming show there.  I will be exhibiting in late August through Oct 2, 2026.  No decision yet on what artwork I will be presenting there.

Meanwhile, I will be picking up my painting from Mohawk Valley on Saturday and the Art Haus exhibit has been extended an extra week – pick up date for that show is April 18th.

Next for me – May and June 2026 at the East Syracuse Free Library.

abstract, acrylic, art, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, encaustic, encaustic & collage, Karen Tashkovski, painting, photography, watercolor

Soulscape

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This happened today:  the art reception/art opening for Soulscapes at Art Haus Syracuse, 120 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY (in Armory Square).

It was such a lovely experience.  There was food and drink, great conversation and each artist spoke briefly about our respective artworks.

My ten butterfly paintings look amazing flanking the Marc Safran photograph.  I sold two of them during the party.  Art can be puchased on-line here.

Visit the gallery Tuesdays and Wednesdays noon – 7:00 PM, Thursdays and Fridays noon – 8:00 PM, and Saturdays noon – 6:00 PM.  Check the gallery’s Facebook page for any changes to these hours.

from the Art Haus web-site –

⭐️art haus SYR is proud to announce the opening of SOULSCAPES, a dynamic group exhibition featuring four local artists whose work explores the diverse textures of identity and the environment. The exhibition will run from 2/28 through 4/11, with a public opening reception Saturday 2/28, 2-4pm.

Soulscapes brings together an eclectic mix of mediums—from global photography to surrealist painting—to create a dialogue between the internal psyche and the external world.

The Featured Artists

* CJ Hodge lll: Presents a collection of surreal mixed-media portraits and bold abstract paintings that challenge traditional boundaries of form and color.

* Marc Safran: Showcases global portrait photography that highlights the profound beauty of human rituals, cultural traditions, and the dignity of everyday individual life.

* Karen Tashkovski: Offers a delicate and textured series of mixed-media butterfly paintings, symbolizing transformation and fragile beauty.

* Meghan Murphy: Explores the extremes of scale and subject matter, featuring a series of tiny landscape watercolors paired with a collection of outlandish looking portraits.

„This exhibition is a celebration of the unconventional,“ says Marianna Ranieri-Schwarzer Curator at art haus SYR. „By pairing the grounded, global reality of Marc Safran’s photography with the surreal and outlandish visions of Hodge and Murphy, we invite the viewer to see the ‚soul‘ in all its forms—the beautiful, the traditional, and the delightfully strange.“

abstract, angels, art, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, art in libraries, art venue, encaustic, encaustic & collage, heart paintings, hearts, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media

Professional Artist @ Work

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Karen Tashkovski, “ CAMARADERIE “, 2017, 11” x 14”, encaustic & collage

Penny came by today to collect my painting, CAMARADERIE.  She’s going to deliver it for me.  The new art exhibition at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, Women. Art. Voices., begins next week with a reception on March 6th, 2026 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.  The show runs through March 28th.

Karen Tashkovski, SCHMETTERLING, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Karen Tashkovski, PEPERUTKA, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Karen Tashkovski, PILI PALA, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″

On Friday, I dropped off my butterfly paintings for the exhibition at Art Haus Syracuse.  The show starts on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, which is also the date of the art reception – February 28, 2026 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.  That show ends on April 4th.

So, I have two art shows in March.  I will have a solo show at East Syracuse Free Library during May and June 2026.  I’ll be displaying my new encaustic trees series at that show.

Today I started working on another set of encaustic heart paintings.  I created a new heart stencil.  They are 5″ x 7″ and I am planning to mount them onto 8″ x 10″ chalkboard.

What you are seeing here – not done!  No – this is just first passes of color plus the colorful rice papers and origami papers.

What I’m loving right now is how they are both familiar and fresh/new.  I have enough colors to fill five pancake griddles.  When I first started with encaustics, I only had one griddle!  The devices I add to my paintings has also expanded so this series is different, challenging and so fun!  I love making them and I love love. <3

Karen Tashkovski, PAPILLON, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Karen Tashkovski, FARFALLA, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Karen Tashkovski, BUTTERFLY, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
angels, art, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, encaustic, encaustic & collage

Angel News Flash

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Karen Tashkovski, “ CAMARADERIE “, 2017, 11” x 14”, encaustic & collage

Camaraderie, one of the paintings in my “Futura” series from 2017 and newly framed, will be on display in the upcoming exhibition at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, 410 Canal Place, Little Falls, New York 13365.

The exhibition is titled Women. Art. Voices.

It is scheduled for March 6, 2026 – March 27, 2026 with an opening reception on March 6, 2026 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.

Hours (of operation)

Thursday – Saturday: 12 pm – 4 pm
Sunday – Wednesday: Closed
Holidays: Closed

art exhibition, art gallery, Karen Tashkovski

Belonging

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What was once the Point of Contact Gallery is now the Warehouse Gallery (350 West Fayette Street, Syracuse, New York).  Last night I attended the art reception for Ecosystem Of Belonging: 2026 faculty survey, an art show celebrating the work of current Syracuse University faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Artists included in this show:

Adrienne Dagg, Assistant Professor of Painting, Studio Arts, School of Art

Jiangliu Dong, Instructor, Studio Art, School of Art

Meris Drew, Assistant Professor, Painting, Studio Arts, School of Art

Tamika Galanis, Assistant Professor, Film, Department of Film and Media Studies

Li “Lily” Jiang, Assistant Professor, Fashion, the School of Design

Quran Karriem, Assistant Professor, Communications and Rhetorical Studies, Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies

Yves Michel, Professor of Practice, Industrial and Interaction Design, School of Design

Meri Page, Associate Professor,Communication Design, School of Design

Austin Riddle, Instructor, Studio Arts, School of Art

Rochele Royster, Assistant Professor,Art Therapy, Department of Creative Arts Therapy

The Exhibition runs through March 5, 2026.

Gallery hours:

Tuesday-Wednesday noon – 6:00 PM

Thursday noon- 8:00 PM

Friday – Saturday noon – 4:00 PM

antiques, art, art exhibition, art gallery, Karen Tashkovski

Little Falls Showcase

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While the rest of the nation watches televised weather reports indicating a snow-mageddon approaching the east coast, Penny and I just returned from a trip to Little Falls, New York (from Syracuse) via the New York State thruway, which was dry as a bone, and coupled with the sunshine, it was a glorious, albeit cold, day for a road trip!

I think the actual storm is coming later in the day tomorrow.

We both had artwork in the Christmas exhibition at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts (410 Canal Place, Little Falls, New York 13365) and went there to pick up our work, as the show had ended.

While in the vicinity of the gallery, we had lunch then decided to check out Showcase Antiques (375 Canal Place, Little Falls, New York 13365).

Over thirty vendors are represented in this wonderful shop!  There are several aisles of items in glass cases, as well as individual booths that are curated as mini shoppes – vintage clothing, army paraphernalia, antique furniture, record collections, etc.

It is one of those places you must revisit regularly, as new “old” merchandise is always added.

I will be back for one of these crisp 1963 $2.00 bills (above).  Apparently, everything in the shop is pre-1975, which means that fifty-year-old things are antiques.  It is really weird to think that stuff I played with as a child is now an antique, lol.

And Pyrex bowls (above) are highly collectable these days.  We had the mint green ones back in the day.

I love this desk (above).

And this oak one (above) .

So fun!  Thank you, Penny!

 

abstract, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, art teacher, collage, painting, paper collage

In the Haus

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Penny Santy, Michelle Keib, John Paul Gardner, Robin Cortese and Karmin Schafer are the artists exhibiting in the new show at Art Haus (120 Walton Street, Syracuse, New York 13202).  Marianna Raineri-Schwarzer has put together a lovely show for us to ponder – the exhibit is called Ponderance.

Penny Santy has been represented by Art Haus for the past year.  If you want to buy something of hers, you must act fast.  She sold two paintings at the reception yesterday and possibly more – I left before it was over.  Penny is also a graphic artist.

Michelle Keib comes from a family of artists.  Although she is self taught, she is quite proficient in her renderings and her line quality is exceptional.

John Paul Gardner is a trained artist/scupltor and art teacher from Utica, New York.  His artwork here – paper collages that he plans to use as paper maquettes for future sculptures.

This is Robin Cortese’s first foray into sharing her paintings.  She brought a slew of collectors (from her charitable fund raising volunteering) to the reception (and cookies!).  I think she sold everything in her collection.

Texture is a big component in Karmin Shafer’s artwork.  I did not see her at the reception so no photo.  Hers were the curled birchwood pieces and some abstract text paintings.

The show and sale runs through February 21, 2026.