Category Archives: jewelry

#ootd, accessories, art, art for sale, ceramics, clothing, fashion, flowers, found object, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, painting, products, retail, still life

Appleseeding

Image August 18, 2019 Karen Tashkovski 1 Comment

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The former Johnny Appleseed’s furniture store (3402 Old State Road, Erieville, New York, 13061) is now The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseeds. The brainchild of Erica Gilmore and her husband Patrick, it is an over fifty vendor facility, with artisans setting up individual shopping experiences creating little vignettes throughout this amazing space.

It is a still-life lover’s dream. Charming folkloric visual merchandising at every turn. The vendors are not there hawking their wares. You are left to enjoy the process of discovery. Vintage clothing, handbags, jewelry, greeting cards, home decor including furniture and housewares, candles, art (Wendy Harris is there!) and even bird houses.

***from the web-site

The Shoppes at Johnny Appleseed reopened in the spring of 2017 as a retail space for crafters and artisans alike. We are excited to offer such a unique venue and are always looking for talented people to continue to grow with us as we build a future at this historic Central New York location.

There is a restaurant as well, the Apple Kitchen, and they serve apple crisp! <3

Store Hours:

Wednesday-Saturday, 10-5 Sunday 11-5

Apple Kitchen Hours:

Saturday, 11-4 pm

Sunday, 11-4 pm

They have various sales and events – pet adoptions on weekends via a liaison with Wanderer’s Rest and more! You can stay informed by linking to their Facebook page. <3

Current list of vendors –

The Apple Kitchen • Alexandra’s Attic • The Heckled Hen Antiques • Decorative Edge • 13 South Metal Signs • Wendy Harris Fine Art

• Hidden Hearts Honey • The Nook • Kaylie Beth’s Boutique

Patrick Gilmore Furniture Designs • The Crazy Chair Lady

Bayside Wood Products • Mary Gosden Studio

Carter’s Pond Jewelry • The Wire Chick Jewelry • Hop Scotch Farms

Bird on A Wire • Gideon’s Gallery • Final Harvest Woodturning

Kate’s Place Polish Pottery • West Hill Woodworks

Beyond The Twig Fence • Clay In Motion Pottery

Iron Art Glass Works • Balsam Rose Soap Company • Russel’s Books Johanna Wall Jewelry • Mames Place, Vintage Jewelry

Primitive Beginnings • Branchwood Cottage Antiques • Glassy Crafts

Elfriede Dietrich Designs • The Nantucket Cat • Past Times Treasures

Flowers off Main • Wrapped Up Beads • A&K Furniture Designs

Songbird Sewing Company • Classy Glass • The Lucky Lab

Marcia’s Country Cupboard • Richard Stricker Birdhouses

Amondale Farms • Dappled Blue • Old and Everlasting Greeting Cards Rustic Willow Furnishings • Random Acts of Craft, Mirrors

Blooms and Blossoms • The Tulip and the Toad • Brenda’s She Shed

Orchard Ridge Wines • Jenna Paulsen Fine Artist • Mila Group Prints

There is rental space available! Contact johnnyshoppes@yahoo.com for the deets.

#ootd #selfie Marc Jacobs sunglasses, BCBGMaxAzria top and shorts, Nine West booties, Coach crossbody

#ootd, art, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, ceramics, etchings, illustration, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, landscapes, printmaking, retail, sculpture

Worlds Real & Imagined

Image August 16, 2019 Karen Tashkovski 1 Comment

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We all trudged through an unbelievable (unreal/unimaginable, etc., lol) thunderstorm to flood the Edgewood Gallery (216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse, New York 13224) tonight for the opening reception of a new exhibition called Worlds Real and Imagined.

Cheryl Chappell has gathered three etching artists – James Skvarch, John Fitzsimmons and Grant Silverstein and paired them with “architectural and organic” jewelry designer Sylvia Hayes-McKean, and “sculptural and functional” ceramist David MacDonald to create this incredible show, which will be up through September 27, 2019.

Grant Silverstein‘s smaller pieces are perfect for the beginner art collector. They are diminutive, yet intricately detailed and framed so beautifully. Some are as low as $75! <3

I did not know that John Fitzsimmons was into etchings. He is known for his award winning oil paintings – mainly portraits and landscapes. So cool! His response – “I’ve been busy!” (working in his studio at the Delavan Center, 501 West Fayette Street, Syracuse, New York 13204). <3

James Skvarch is sporting a sling because of a left shoulder injury. Good to know he is on the mend and that he is right handed! He is such an incredibly proficient artist. The depth and detail in his landscapes is really out of this world! Love! <3

Sylvia Hayes-McKean is at it again, after a brief hiatus, a sculptor turned silversmith with modernly feminine earrings and necklaces that she creates at her studio in the Delavan Center. Her grandson was a wonderful supporter/salesperson/helper tonight! So adorable. <3

David MacDonald – he is the best! I can’t say enough about how much I love his ceramics. He told me that when he was in college, he was a painter and someone suggested he switch majors to art education, which instigated the left hand turn into taking necessary ceramics classes! And the rest is history, lol. Such an amazing person! His positivity is infused in every single one of his pieces, whether decorative or functional. <3

#ootd – Milly top. BCBGMaxAzria shorts, Nine West booties, Coach crossbody

EDGEWOOD GALLERY

216 Tecumseh Rd. • Syracuse, NY 13224 • (315) 445-8111

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

art festival, art for sale, art museum, clothing, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, museum, music, outdoor art, painting, photography, products, retail

City Market

Image August 11, 2019 Karen Tashkovski 1 Comment

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When I met Jason Alexander, I did that goofy Cinderella’s step-sister thing and asked him how he liked our Syracuse, New York weather.

He replied, “It sucks!” This was after a performance of the play he’d directed at Syracuse Stage. My friend and I looked at each other in an are-you-kidding-me glance because we both love it here, both love to hike whether in rain, snow, sleet or hail. And our weather had been particularly great in June.

So funny – and that is why I don’t have a selfie with the Seinfeld alum.

Today’s weather is sheer perfection – a magnificent sunny and breezy day to explore the offerings at City Market. Sponsored by the Everson Museum of Art (401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY 13202), the market is housed on the museum grounds around the fountains.

It takes place on the second Sunday of the month from 10 am – 4 pm. There are two dates left before the season ends – Sunday, September 8, 2019 and Sunday, October 13, 2019.

There is a lot to peruse – jewelry, trinkets, clothing, food, furniture and flea market-y miscellaneousness. And art, of course.

Ken Nichols is there selling the mugs and rice bowls created in his studio at Clayscapes Pottery.

Tyler Cagwin created Nostalgia Chocolate. He manufactures the product here in Syracuse with international cocoa beans. The flavors are rich and satisfying! Gourmet chocolate with health benefits! (That’s a win-win).

I loved these ceramic pins and magnets created by Beckie Bortel of Beckie’s Pottery. They have a substantial feel to them and they look like ginger snap cookies. Great patina!

Terry Lynn Cameron is selling originals and prints of her colorful paintings. The prints are done on canvas, which is very cool. I am really impressed with how she markets her product! Some of the art has been adhered to sketchbooks and daily planners. Love!

Lori Lizzio‘s work can be found as originals, prints and notecards. They are ink and wash pieces of animals and figures.

Syracuse does have beautiful weather, Jason Alexander, and beautiful people – and art. It is satisfying and fun. Really fun. It doesn’t suck. <3

accessories, art, clothing, fashion, festival, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, outdoor art

Art City

Image July 28, 2019 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I visited with four friends in their tents on Montgomery Street yesterday. They are all participating in the AmeriCU Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival, which continues today from 10 am – 5 pm. The festival occupies and includes four streets around Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, New York.

Barbara Conte-Gaugel sells unique, handmade handbags and wallets.

John Oneal Heard (johnonealheard@gmail.com) is also a drummer. His paintings on glass reference music.

Charlie Sam creates whimsical illustrations on T-shirts. They are known as having a “both cute and creepy” dichotomy.

And, of course, Michelle DaRin. I love her vibe – and feel privileged to be among her tribe. <3

American Indian, art, art exhibition, art gallery, clothing, education, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, museum, sculpture

The Thaw Legacy

Image July 15, 2019 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Eugene and Clare Thaw began collecting Native American art in 1987 when they lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They donated the collection to the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, New York where it currently resides in the downstairs gallery across from the Herb Ritts exhibition.

The life of Eugene V. Thaw is eloquently reviewed in an obituary written by Holland Carter for the New York Times, which I have included in this post. It documents a man’s life-long passion for the arts. His dedication to collecting, amassing more like, and also preserving and selling art is a gift to the world.

In this case, American Indian clothing, jewelry, pottery, and both decorative and functional objects depict the powerfully dignified beauty of a culture/civilization. Although the collection began in the Southwest, the Thaws expanded it to include every region of the US. The pieces are exquisitely displayed via region.

I am especially drawn to the costume, the leather hides, the intricate beadwork and the colors. Just fabulous!

Thank you, Mr. & Mrs. Thaw, for your life’s work and vision – preserving American history through the beauty of its art. <3

The Fenimore Art Museum is open today 10am – 5pm.

5798 STATE HIGHWAY 80 (P.O.BOX 800)
COOPERSTOWN, NY 13326
607-547-1400
INFO@FENIMOREART.ORG

****From the New York Times website

Eugene V. Thaw, Influential Art Collector and Dealer, Is Dead at 90

By Holland Cotter

January 5, 2018

He was born on Oct. 27, 1927, in Washington Heights in Manhattan. His father was a heating contractor, his mother a schoolteacher. They named him for the socialist leader Eugene Victor Debs, who had died the previous year.

As a young teenager, Mr. Thaw took drawing classes at the Art Students League on West 57th Street in Manhattan. But he did not pursue the hands-on practice of art.

“I can’t create the objects I crave to look at,” he later said, “so I collect them.”

After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx at 15, he entered St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md., and began making day trips to art museums in nearby Washington.

Returning to New York in 1947, he took graduate classes in art history at Columbia University with Millard Meiss and Meyer Schapiro. He also followed the city’s contemporary-art scene, getting an early immersion in Pollock’s work at the Betty Parsons Gallery.

Having neither the money nor the social connections generally required to be a museum curator in those days, Mr. Thaw decided on selling art as a career option.

In 1950, with a loan from his father, he opened a gallery above the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel on West 44th Street. He gathered stock in part by rummaging through antique stores and hanging out at small auction houses.

His wares were eclectic. To keep the doors open, he sold Nabis prints and Toulouse-Lautrec posters. But he also researched Rembrandt drawings, handled some Native American material and mounted the first solo show of a newcomer named Joan Mitchell.

In 1954, he moved to Madison Avenue, where he shared a floor with a carpet dealer and a beauty salon. That same year he married Clare Eddy, his gallery assistant, who suggested that when he found things he really liked, he keep them rather than sell them.

With that, his parallel career as a collector began in earnest. It would take him, often in partnership with his wife, in many directions. Although drawings were a lifelong passion, he also built what he termed “subcollections” of 18th-century French faience (a type of tin-glazed earthenware), bronzes from the ancient Eurasian steppes, medieval European ornaments and architectural models, all of which found homes in museums. In 2002, the Eurasian bronzes were part of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

During these early decades, he was mentored by some of the great dealers and collectors of an older generation, including Pierre Matisse and Janos Scholz, and worked closely with contemporaries like Leo Castelli and Sidney Janis. In 1962, Mr. Thaw became a founding member of the Art Dealers Association of America, which he once described as “a fractious, individualistic, secretive, eccentric but talented group of venture capitalists.”

From teachers and colleagues he learned useful sales tricks, one of which involved collaboration with the renowned conservator Mario Modestini. Mr. Thaw would bring clients to Mr. Modestini’s studio and sell paintings “from Mario’s easel, having him clean passages in front of their eyes to reveal truth as old varnish and dirt disappeared.”

Before long, these clients included major museums — the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the National Gallery in Washington — and private buyers like Paul Mellon and Norton Simon, whose Pasadena museum Mr. Thaw did much to shape.

His closest institutional tie was to what is now the Morgan Libraryand Museum, which in the 1950s was one of the few New York museums to have a curator of drawings. In 1975, after the museum had expanded its acquisition parameters to include 19th-century work, the Thaws decided that the Morgan would be the recipient, in incremental allotments, of their ever-growing holdings. The Morgan exhibition “Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings From the Thaw Collection,” which opened in September and closes on Sunday, marked the completion of the gift, encompassing more than 400 sheets.

Among them were works by modern and contemporary artists in whom Mr. Thaw took particular interest. In the 1950s, on summer vacations in East Hampton, N.Y., Clare Thaw had struck up a friendship with the painter Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock’s widow. With Ms. Krasner’s cooperation, Mr. Thaw began preparing the multivolume Pollock catalogue raisonné, an annotated listing of all the artist’s known works, in the 1970s, hiring the art historian Francis V. O’Connor as co-author.

At Ms. Krasner’s death in 1984, Mr. Thaw served as executor of her estate and helped establish the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, which gives grants to artists in need.

The Thaws had established their own foundation, the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, in 1981, using the proceeds from the sale of a single van Gogh painting. The trust supports the arts, the environment and, of particular importance to Ms. Thaw, animal rights.

By then Mr. Thaw was preparing to retire as a dealer, discouraged by the direction the field had taken. “The astronomical growth in wealth over the last generation has fueled merely an interest in treating art as a financial asset,” he wrote.

In 1987, the Thaws moved from their farm in Cherry Valley, in Otsego County, to Santa Fe, N.M. There they began collecting Native American art, eventually acquiring more than 1,000 objects. They later gave the entire collection to the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., not far from Cherry Valley. A wing designed by Hugh Hardy was built in 1995 to house it.

The Thaws returned to Cherry Valley five years ago, and Ms. Thaw died there in June at 93.

They also lived for many years in an art-filled ground-floor duplex apartment on Park Avenue in Manhattan. An article in The New York Times in 2007 said the home “could be mistaken for a museum,” where, among paintings and other art objects, framed drawings by Rembrandt, Goya, Degas, Delacroix, Picasso and Matisse lined the walls.

Mr. Thaw is survived by a son, Nicholas, and a granddaughter.

In the months after his wife’s death, Mr. Thaw focused on seeing the Morgan drawing show through to completion. It is, effectively, a record of his history as a dealer and collector, and of theirs as a couple.

In parting with art that he had devoted his life to collecting, Mr. Thaw was matter-of-fact.

“After I’ve owned them and learned about them, I don’t need them anymore,” he told The Times in 1994. “They’re with me, and I can give them away.”

***From the Fenimore website

EUGENE AND CLARE THAW: A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

April 2 – December 31, 2019

Discover the most outstanding items from the Thaw Collection American Indian Art. Objects of transcendent beauty that span the continent—from the Arctic to the Southwest, and from the Eastern Woodlands to the Pacific West–encompassing close to 2,000 years of artistic tradition and innovation in North America.

fashion, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, retail

Retail as Art

Image May 1, 2019 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Pam and I ventured into Camillus, New York territory tonight to attend a Michelle DaRin Jewelry trunk show at Synple (70 Main Street, Camillus, New York 13031). Michelle’s new pieces are vibrantly bold yet feminine talismans. Each piece is uniquely handmade. I loved everything!!!

This quaint village shoppe is the brainchild of fine artist, art therapist, stationery designer, mother and retailer Kelly Landau. The merchandising is picture perfect.

Synple is a comfortable nook in the heart of the village where you will find friendly people who are passionate about their merchandise – housewares, clothing (Free People is a mainstay), jewelry (including a selection of Michelle DaRin pieces), candles, soaps and all sorts of amazing gifts, treats and stationery.

The Made in the Deep South items are currently 50% off until they are gone. I want that beige cowhide bracelet with the crystal jewel!

Hours of operation are Wednesday – Saturday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Kelly is currently working on updating the store’s website. For more information on merchandise and future events such as this one with Michelle, give their Facebook page a LIKE. Here is the link.

Next up for Michelle – a show at The Finger Lakes Academy of Decorative Arts this Friday and Saturday. Information is on their Facebook LIKE page here. <3

art, art education, art exhibition, art gallery, art in libraries, art resources, classroom, education, fashion, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, museum, sculpture

Secret Chamber

Image February 21, 2019 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I have always been drawn to the exquisite beauty of all that is Ancient Egypt. I took an Egyptology course at University College while teaching at Bryant & Stratton back in the ’80s to answer a student who questioned why and how Egyptian fashion was selected as the first chapter in the costume history textbook.

The answer lies in art, because all of our history to do with ancient cultures comes not from the written word, but from pictures – in this case hieroglyphics, tomb murals and, of course jewelry, as well as the remnants of clothing made of linen fiber.

I learned that Napoleon’s French army invaded Egypt in 1798. They rediscovered the antiquities and were the first archeologists to investigate the area. It wasn’t the painstaking attention to delicate detail that it is today or even remotely a respectful handling of human remains.

Many mummies were burned as fuel for steam engines, which is just so tragic. Later on, in the following century, Egypt became an exotic vacation spot for wealthy Americans who enjoyed purchasing the baubles, scarab beetle decor, and mummies!

They held mummy unveiling dinner parties back in the States, stuff like that.

Howard Carter uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. This significant find catapulted Egyptian archeology in terms of the level of importance, the regard for history and the sheer magic in attaining this priceless treasure.

Somewhere in the middle, during the Victorian age, Cazenovia Public Library benefactor Robert James Hubbard and his son accumulated a collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts including an intricately wrapped-in-linen mummy for the purpose of creating a museum.

And so, yes, there is a mummy in this library.

Yesterday, Janine and I visited Cazenovia, New York; first stop, Cazenovia Artisans, second, Common Grounds and next, to the library to see this exhibit. We ended up at Empire Farm Brewery for lunch. Janine had never been to any of these spots nor had she an idea this breathtaking collection even existed. So, my thought is that not many of you know about it. You’re welcome!

When I taught elementary art at Bridgeport Elementary School in our district, I decided to add a few lessons on Ancient Egypt culture to the third grade curriculum, because I had this knowledge I wanted to share. I created a cat mummy sculpture lesson. Naturally, no pets were harmed. Students’ sculptures were made of an armature of plastic bottles and styrofoam balls. They were void of remains, unlike the actual cat mummy at this museum.

At Chittenango, it is the sixth graders who study the ancient civilizations in Social Studies. They do take a field trip to Cazenovia Library, as the village is adjacent to our school district via Route 13. I highly recommend a visit. It is free and really quite extraordinary.

The library is located at 100 Albany Street, Cazenovia, New York 13035. It is open Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm, Saturday 10:00 – 5:00 pm. They are closed on Sundays. Call (315) 655-9322 for more information.

The museum space is also home to a gallery for rotating local artist/art organization exhibitions, as well as a wonderful exhibit of birds and plumage in fashion. They also have many interesting activities for children including puzzle clubs and such. Yesterday they had a hot chocolate and cookie station available. Set in a Victorian mansion, this is truly a quaint and lovely experience that really packs a secret chamber punch. So special! <3

art, art exhibition, art for sale, art gallery, ceramics, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, painting

Au Naturel

Image January 11, 2019 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Today in Syracuse, New York, the weather took a nosedive into frigid dead-of-winter temps, but inside the Edgewood Gallery, ( 216 Tecumseh Road, Syracuse, New York, 13224) the landscape is vibrant, warm and creatively cozy.

Proprietor Cheryl Chappell has curated “Nature of Things”, a delightful show of oil paintings, ceramics and jewelry, which will be on exhibit and for sale now through February 22, 2019. The art reception was tonight with two of the four artists in attendance.

Rob Glisson‘s landscapes in oils are the stars of this show – several of them sported red sold stickers within the first hour of the opening. He starts the work as plein-air pieces then takes them into the studio to re-envision them as fantasy worlds contemplating shadows while paying attention to color, volume and depth. He concentrates on creating worlds that tell a story inviting the viewer to lose themselves within the frames. I am a huge fan of his work and it is such a pleasure to see so many pieces hanging salon style alongside the lovely cow-dominated oil paintings of fellow artist Adriana Meiss.

Jan Navales pinch-hit for Dana Stenson tonight, offering visitors information and guidance in selecting for purchase some of the silversmith’s latest creations.

Karen Jean Smith‘s ceramics have the look of carved wooden objects. These tromp l’oeil pieces are thrown then hand carved. She adds the knots and other textures using an intuitive style. Her work evolved into these thrice-fired amazing creations via an interest in representing nature, specifically water chestnuts, which led her to focus on representing wood. Some of the pieces are kiln-fired and others are wood-fired. They are painstakingly glazed using a watercolor technique. They are really so, so cool. I just love this series! She also sold a few pieces at this opening. 🙂

These artworks are surprisingly affordable. A lot of them smaller pieces, to add to your art collection or to start one, which is a great New Year’s resolution – I will start my art collection this year! I will support local artists! Oh, yes. That has a nice ring to it. Seems like the natural thing to do. <3

abstract, art, art education, fashion, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, painting, sculpture

Workin’ It

Image November 6, 2017 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

IMG_20171010_084609_146 — BCBGMaxAzria dress, BCBGeneration booties

IMG_20171012_084645_458 — Trina Turk top and pants, BCBGeneration sandals

IMG_20171013_085416_974 — Banana Republic cardigan, Bailey 44 top with BCBGMaxAzria T-shirt, BCBGMaxAzria pants, BCBGeneration sandals

Catching up on blogging – there is a new feature on word press – maybe not so new; I only just discovered it – that I can program when the blog articles are posted. So, now I can write a bunch on the weekends and post throughout the week, which is genius!

IMG_20171016_092402_113 — Trina Turk top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, BCBGeneration sandals

IMG_20171017_083950_667 — Lord & Taylor cashmere sweater, BCBGMaxAzria pants and sandals

It has been a whirlwind autumn – exercising, meditating, socializing, art business-ing, shopping, lol. So much to do! I have attended art shows that I did not post about due to their fleeting nature – those pop-up shows offer no opportunity to generate customers after the fact and I simply could not post in real time. I am just not that organized, unfortunately.

IMG_20171018_092325_984 — BCBGMaxAzria sweater, Banana Republic skirt, BCBGeneration booties

IMG_20171023_092703_632 — Trina Turk top and skirt, BCBGeneration sandals

I was invited to join a group holiday art show. I will investigate that more today to see if I have anything that will fit the space. I’ll keep you posted.

IMG_20171024_124456_976 — Free People cardigan, Rachel Zoe top, BCBGMaxAzria sandals

IMG_20171025_092551_591 — Banana Republic cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and skirt, BCBGeneration sandals

Here are my most recent outfits of the day at work. You can see the progression of the plaster pig sculptures behind me. They are finished bar three. Students painted them, added details and finalized the last component, which had them finding a location and photographing the pig in a composition. I will post those pictures soon!

IMG_20171027_115457_527 — Screw blazer, Bailey 44 top, 7 For All Mankind jeans, BCBGeneration sandals

IMG_20171101_093725_140 — Banana Republic sweater, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Nine West booties

All of my students bring the school I-Pads to class. Some have taken to photographing or videoing their progress on art projects and it is really fun to see that progression. We are always in the now and tend to forget the immediate past on the way to the journey. This is such an amazing way to witness their own incremental learning. I love it! In the earlier #ootd pics you saw the beginning stages – how students wrapped bottles with paper towel and tape and they just looked like blobs. A little leap of faith later and these sculptures became badges of honor. I love it when students take pride in their work. It is just the greatest gift a teacher can receive.

IMG_20171102_203428_261 — Trina Turk dress, Karl Lagerfeld boots

IMG_20171103_092143_403 — Michelle DaRin Jewelry ring, Trina Turk top, 7 For All Mankind jeans, Nine West sandals

IMG_20171103_194521_530 — Banana Republic cardigan, Bebe top, 7 For All Mankind jeans, BCBGeneration booties

art, art education, art exhibition, art for sale, encaustic, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media

Kickstarting

Image April 17, 2017 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I spent the weekend creating encaustic paintings of horseshoes to exhibit in my sister’s new yoga studio. Sophie Tashkovski will be opening the doors to Syracuse Yoga sometime in May. This is such an exciting time for our family! We are so proud of Sophie. She is an amazing yoga instructor and business woman.

Sophie’s logo is a quatrefoil of horseshoes. It is a combination of relaxed elegance, abundant positive energy and a pinch of luck.

The artist in me had been dormant of late – the facelift I gave the Honor Thy Master series kickstarted an eruption in me. The red hot magma (love saying that) is the passion/blood/desire flowing from me to paint again. On Friday, I purchased some supplies then spent all day and well into the evening on Saturday in production. I felt the electricity of luck flowing through me as I worked. Today I mounted the dozen piece collection onto chalkboard-painted masonite. Tomorrow I will do touch-ups and pick up some hooks to attach to the backs so they will be ready to hang.

I also plan to purchase a few more things from the art supply store. I have momentum now and I don’t want to lose it. I will continue to make progress. There’s a smaller series of horseshoes on deck and I hope to create angel paintings and maybe more hearts – they are my bread and butter. I love when I not only have an idea in the creating of work but in addition, a place to put them once they are done. Yessss!

Janine came over as I was painting and I gave her a lesson in encaustics. That was fun – she took these great photographs to document the process. (And, OMG – no make-up and junky paint sweats, lol!)

As much as I love teaching, I really wish this could be my life all the time. It is so much fun! I would need more than a kickstart of motivation though, in order to turn it into a real 24/7 business. I would need to be passionate about the business end and that is more dormant/inactive (really closer to extinct) volcano in me all the time. When Sophie and our friend Gina were talking spreadsheets over drinks at Kitty Hoynes last month, I kind of zoned out, as if they both sounded like the teacher on Peanuts. Blah-blah-woh-waah….

Gina operates Saunacuse, a sauna studio using infra-red technology. (At Christmas, I bought my sisters gift certificates to go there – it is amazing!) I wish I could be as business savvy as they are, and like our friend Michelle DaRin is.

She is the business woman’s business woman role model – artist, educator, wife, mother, jewelry designer, and…kickstarter.

Michelle and her husband are looking to expand their business, which has gotten a lot of press/national attention recently. I am in awe of her raw talent. Her work is infused with so much positivity. Wearing the copper-based enameled bracelets, rings, earrings and necklaces, you can actually feel the energy radiating from the collection and affecting you harmoniously as you dance your way about the day. And by you, I most definitely mean me. I LOVE wearing her jewelry!

img_20170202_103602_760 — Michelle DaRin jewelry bracelets, BCBGMaxAzria dress and leggings, Ralph Lauren boots

IMG_20160620_091110 — Banana Republic T-shirt and skirt, Michelle DaRin jewelry, Calvin Klein sandals

Michelle DaRin Jewelry has started a Kickstarter campaign. They are looking to fund a project in which Michelle has more studio space and in addition, a place to teach metal-smithing classes (She has an Art Education degree from Syracuse University).

https://www.michelledarinjewelry.com

Check out the link to the funding page at the bottom of this blog post – you aren’t just handing her money for the heck of it. It is a business transaction. You will receive jewelry – and basically get it for a lot less than the retail value. The more you give the more you get of her hand-made one-of-a-kind pieces. The money will also go towards the hiring of staff trained in the manufacturing of the goods, as there is a strong need to meet the demands of the increased interest in her work. Win-win!

I am so honored to know these beautiful, talented young business women! They are truly kickin’ it!

Click the link below to see how you can participate in manifesting this new and improved vision for Michelle DaRin Jewelry! I promise you will love it! <3

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/392921309/jewelry-with-soul?ref=project_share

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Store Hours:

Wednesday-Saturday, 10-5 Sunday 11-5

Apple Kitchen Hours:

Saturday, 11-4 pm

Sunday, 11-4 pm

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***From the Fenimore website

EUGENE AND CLARE THAW: A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE

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Visual Artist