Category Archives: in progress artwork

art, art exhibition, in progress art, in progress artwork

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

art, collage, color, encaustic, encaustic & collage, in progress art, in progress artwork, landscapes, mixed media

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….

art, encaustic, encaustic & collage, flowers, in progress artwork, Karen Tashkovski

Triplicates

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Part of me thinks I should not share unfinished work.  I am 100% not looking for criticism, help or anything in that realm.  I’m sharing because I thought it might be fun to explore the progression of my work for myself and for those who like that sort of thing.

If you saw my last post about this series, you will notice some changes.  I thought the stencil details were too busy and that I attribute to me getting into my head about what I think people would want (i.e. a nature inspired gallery) and what is authentic to me and my style.

I eliminated stems as well, and the little buds.  I reworked the paper collage items and added more colors.

I ordered more encaustic paints from dickblick.com.  I think they’ll be here Monday, if not sooner.  I really needed to incorporate more blues into my palette.  The original concept for these paintings was blue lotus flowers but I branched out into pink, yellow and white territory plus a few other more abstract choices.

I haven’t smoothed out any of the applications via a heat source.  I will re-carve the lines of the iconography eventually, add more color, do the more textured bits and finally, make decisions in the found object assemblage department.

I painted for six hours today.  When I am creating, it feels like the most important thing in the world.  I feel very impatient, like, I wish I had all the supplies I need right now.  But really, I just need fresh air and time to decompress in order to prepare for the next step.