Category Archives: in progress art

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Working on the Robes

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Still working on this second set of thirty-six 12″ x 12″ encaustic, mixed media & collage Robes.  Getting closer to finishing – my goal is to have them done by the end of the month.

I also revised three paintings from the first series.  Eventually, I will rephotograph them and upload these new versions here.  I need to sit with them for a bit to make sure I am happy with them.

Meanwhile, I’m installing another Canastota Public Library show on Monday.  And the group encaustic show at Rochester Contemporary Art Center begins on Friday.  “Mustang Dance” is there.

Oh, and my exhibition at Hazard Branch Library continues through August 31st.

in progress art, in progress artwork, Karen Tashkovski

In Progress: Robes II

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This morning I finished adding the papers to my second batch of robes.  There are thirty-six more.  For some reason, I’ve been creating collections of six dozen: the crowns, the fans, the lotus flowers and now the robes.

If it continues to rain all weekend, I will pivot from other activities and focus on painting them.  I could conceivably finish them by September 1st.

I have them all spread out on the living room and dining room floors and on the dining room table.  I also have a color printout of the other three dozen to  cross reference – the finished paintings are currently in storage.

I am in love with them.  It was a lot harder to choose papers for these because I didn’t want to repeat myself.  The other “problem” was that there are a few I like better than others and I wasn’t sure I could select pattern combinations I’d like as well.  (I did though and so, I am very pleased with my progress.) <3

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The Art of Creation

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Yesterday I experienced a meltdown.  I was adding the hardware to the backs of the frames and it was taking longer than I wanted it to, which led me to the inevitable existential crisis – what am I even doing and why??????

I took a mini-break to collect myself then continued until I finished that task.  I went for a hike, came home and had lunch then continued to tweak the paintings.

Adding the collage materials makes me feel a bit like a fashion stylist.  The items should enhance each individual painting while creating a cohesiveness that is essential for the overall arch of the series.

I began to have clarity and after hours of work… suffice to say that the new gold enamel paint had been delivered and I decided, at midnight that I had to apply it.  The gold to me represents the Japanese art of kintsugi.  So, it felt like a culmination of the emotional journey of this day.

I didn’t love it but I kept at it because it had worked nicely on the Lotus paintings.  But it WASN’T WORKING!!!!

This morning I spent several hours removing it. A painstaking process but one that was entirely necessary.  Metaphorically, it felt like I was erasing the negativity and the desire to fix something that is broken with something better, as kintsugi is known to do.  It is supposed to be a form of respect.

But these new paintings weren’t broken.  And they do not have any sort of negative emotion or melancholy infused in them.  They are my trees – the ones I visit every day while on my hike.  And if you believe in animism, they are strong, loving creatures that support one another in a storm, that provide shelter from the rain, that reach for the sun at all costs.

I wiped away the residue, like wiping away the tears I had shed earlier, and decided that what I am doing is important, because it is fun – and that is all that matters.

I am still waiting for a back order of frames and there is still  more work to be done on this artwork because it is all about the layers – the depth of character and all that hidden stuff that creates my visual language.

Stay tuned for the big reveal….

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Blizz

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It started snowing at 9:00 AM and now, at 5:00 PM we have already had what I think is eighteen inches of snow.  It has been relentless, but, no biggie, because we all knew it was coming.

So happy that my art studio is in my house because I’ve been working all day.  I added to the crown paintings – they are almost done.

Before I did that, I heated up the beeswax-filled crockpot then placed three coats of wax on 6″ x 8″ Ampersand hardboards and then traced the tree stencils onto them.

There are twenty-four boards and each will have a different tree design.  They are fresh and modern, and fun!  I’m excited.  I am an avid hiker.  I finally realized that trees should be an important part of my encaustic iconography.  Today was the day!

In fact, I had a realization about my artwork that I will share with you soon.  My series of crowns, horses, fans, bungalows, hearts, targets and now trees are all connected and I hope that they can all be shared together in one (or more) large gallery in the near future.

The overlap is a bit out of control focus-wise because, let’s face it, we are all attracted to the new thing, the latest thing.  I don’t want to rush the conclusion of these crowns.  I may have rushed adding collage materials today – I will allow the experience to digest and look at the work again with a fresh perspective later tonight or tomorrow.

I am loving my productivity though. I think I am an Existentialist and this is my purpose.  A vocation rather than a business.  I trust that the business and financial element will follow because I have already secured so many shows for 2026.

In that realm, next up is the Art Haus group show with a drop off in late February and the reception scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM.  I will be at the East Syracuse Free Library during May and June 2026, the Fayetteville Free Library in July 2026, the Hazard Branch Library in August 2026 and the drop off for another group exhibition in mid August at the Edgewood Gallery.  That show will be up through October 3, 2026.