Category Archives: sculpture

art, art exhibition, art for sale, art resources, Karen Tashkovski, painting, sculpture

Visions of Hope

Image February 20, 2017 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I was able to take a quick trip to New Jersey – thank you, Mother Nature, for providing magnificent weather for a safe journey in February! Yesterday I visited the Novado Gallery in Jersey City (blog post to follow), and today I stopped at the Summit Medical Group in Berkeley Heights.

I went to pick up the eight paintings I had on display (from April until a few days ago). It is such a beautiful space and the people are so friendly. I just love it there! Now, space planner Elizabeth Wiech has installed a show of these brilliantly hued text-infused paintings by Susan Hope Shaffer.

Shaffer, a cancer survivor, created these images to empower herself and others on their healing journey. Through art, she has discovered a source of positive energy and this is such a beautiful and magical resource. The exhibit is incredibly cohesive and captivating.

Refreshments and entertainment will be provided at an opening reception on Friday, March 3, 2017 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. The gallery space is located on the basement floor of the Lawrence Pavilion at Summit – 1 Diamond Hill Road (07922). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be donated to Pathways Women’s Cancer Support.

For more information call (908) 277-8806 or visit their web-site – www.summithealthmanagement.com

art, art exhibition, art resources, fashion, found object, jewelry, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, sculpture, Syracuse University

Army of Thieves

Image February 10, 2017 Karen Tashkovski 2 Comments

According to the literature for this exhibit of sculptures by Vanessa German, “when assembled together, these power figures resemble an army of women on the march”. German creates them from a plethora of found objects. The mannequin parts are plastered and tarred then assembled and dressed via wiring, sewing and gluing the objects in place, adding jewelry and dress that evokes some form of armor.

They become modern soldiers lined up in effect, like those terra-cotta figurines found at the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in China. It is incredibly breathtaking and powerful to witness. The work is in the Sculpture Court and in the Wampler and Robineau Galleries on the first floor of the Everson Museum of Art (400 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York).

Tonight was the art reception for this exhibit titled de.structive dis.tillation (a nod to the chemical construction of tar), as well as for the Bradley Walker Tomlin retrospective. I will be attending an in-service for teachers in March that focuses on the latter. I titled this post Army of Thieves because the German sculptures stole the show, which is totally ironic in that the upstairs galleries are full of local artists work and that has ALWAYS been my dream for the Everson, lol, and includes my colleagues and former S.U. professors in its mix. Vanessa German is a product of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

German’s dolls are meant to tell the story of/create a dialogue about the social injustices of the African-American experience. It’s to do with destructing in order to construct. Rebuilding a world and giving voice to a type of commitment to peace, joy and love in spite of challenges. The result is the whimsical and harmonious sound of texture, a cultural heritage-based beauty and personification that has the potential to resonate for everyone in our community.

It is the flavor of intense joy. There is so much to see here! Flea market finds that take your breath away. Attention to detail with regard to fabric and fibers. The sculptures are skateboarding and riding tricycles, standing on soap boxes and rejoicing as they stand for one’s tears and for the healing hope of a better future.

You need to see them! I really ought to plan a field trip for my Studio in Art students. We just finished creating sculpture/mobiles of paratroopers using plaster, found objects and humanoid forms, so, this would be right up their alley.

The exhibit continues through May 7, 2017. The Everson is planning a day camp for students during the week of Mid-Winter recess (that starts a week from today). Go to their web-site for more information or call them at (315) 474-6064. They will also be doing a Saturday workshop for children, and in addition, several events such as family day and docent led tours of the exhibitions. <3

art, art exhibition, art for sale, ceramics, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, sculpture, Syracuse University

Matter of the Minefield

Image January 21, 2017 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Size Matters is the title of the latest art exhibition at Clayscapes Pottery, Inc. (1003 W. Fayette Street, Syracuse, New York 13204). The ceramic sculptures by Syracuse University grad student Peter Smith will be on display and for sale through February 23, 2017.

The show is a combination of two things – the idea of farm equipment enlarged and age simulated to act as a metaphor for man’s “relationship with the environment” according to his literature, and brilliant-hue glazed ceramic weapons mixed with porcelain gas masks, which I am assuming constitutes man’s willingness to destroy it.

The work is found attached to walls, resting on tables, hanging from the ceiling and strewn about the floor. This, for me and my band of fun artist friends, created a sort of surreal adventure in art wonderland, as we contemplated the minefield of meaning around the space.

It was the dialogue I was having as we posed in these pictures. Guns and missiles glazed in beautiful colors, a wall of blades that reminded me of the backdrop in a knife throwing performance at the circus…. Should we laugh or be afraid? Pretty weapons. Fragile weapons. But still weapons. And the haunting effect of decaying metal artifacts produced a kind of guilt-ridden sorrow.

There is definitely something about Peter’s work that makes you want to start a discussion. I love the idea of that narrative. Love the way the work fits together in a cohesive way and yet any one of the pieces could find a home and continue to resonate on its own. These gas mask castings are priced individually.

It was surreal and beautiful. Like whimsical horror. I just love this meeting of minds, love the way a college student can be such a free thinker, creating art for art’s sake but also as a means to tell a story or voice an opinion of the world as he sees it. It’s all in the perspective! You really ought to see this show.

You can read about Peter in this month’s issue of Ceramic Monthly.

The gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Call (315) 424-6868 for more information or visit their web-site at www.clayscapespottery.com. They are also on Instagram (clayscape_pottery) and have a Facebook page (Clayscapes Pottery)!

art, art education, art resources, Karen Tashkovski, painting, sculpture

Going Greek

Image December 21, 2016 Karen Tashkovski 1 Comment

This was a fun lesson – another one of my inventions: Greek urns. They are made of Pariscraft, not clay. We used the plastic water bowls as molds, so it was a stagger start since I don’t have very many of them.

Students placed 4 layers of plaster of Paris on the bowl. In the following class, they were in a déja vu re-run because we needed two bowl molds for the armature. Next, they added plastic cups (from Subway, Wendy’s, and various cottage cheese varieties). I cut the hole at the bottom of the top cup and at the top of one of the plaster bowls. They added plaster to the separate pieces then taped the bowls together with masking tape and went back to the plaster station to complete the step. (Aluminum foil for the handles.)

This was followed by painting the urn one solid color and then applying Greek patterns – and more color.

They are stunning. I love them! Really substantial two and three feet sculptures. I want them to write a note to their future selves and store it inside the vessels. I am always thinking about my thirteen-year-old self. Is she proud of who I have become? (I know she is!) The note would serve as an artifact, the way Ancient Greek urns found in an archeological dig teach us about the culture that once was. So fun!

art, art education, art exhibition, art resources, ceramics, festival, Karen Tashkovski, museum, sculpture

New Packaging

Image November 26, 2016 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

I strolled through the Everson Museum of Art today (401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY 13202). In the basement wing, they’ve flipped the Education Center with the Ceramics section and created a gorgeous inviting space for part of the ceramics collection (the rest, like the Robineau funerary urn, is in storage).

It is spectacular! The art looks fresh again. You can actually enjoy the nuances of individual pieces and appreciate them for their craft. The Everson has a very large collection of ceramics. I’m not sure if it is one of the largest in the country, but something like that. The old shelves made the collection look like it was all in storage, like they never really wanted people to look at it. I remember taking students on a field trip there once and there was so much stuff, it read like junk and nobody looked at anything.

The museum has never looked better! We have this incredible resource right here in Syracuse, NY. So great. I was delighted to see a handful of visitors there. They are charging a fee to get in these days, but it is free for Everson Museum members.

EVERSON MUSEUM OF ART HOURS:

SUNDAY 12-5
MONDAY CLOSED
TUESDAY CLOSED

WEDNESDAY 12-5
THURSDAY 12-8
FRIDAY 12-5
SATURDAY 10-5

Next week they are installing the Festival of Trees, so maybe you can plan an outing for that! Call (315) 474- 6064 for more information or visit their web-site www.everson.org.

art, art education, art exhibition, ceramics, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture

The Fair

Image August 28, 2016 Karen Tashkovski 2 Comments

I went to the New York State Fair on Friday night. It was one of those perfect evenings where everything just fell into place. The traffic was reasonable – relatively light for the amount of people at the event. My cousin Jackie and I found a great parking spot within minutes of driving down State Fair Blvd in Syracuse, New York.

We were there for the Toto concert. They played in Chevy Court at 8:00 pm.

We had enough time to hit the bathroom before finding a seat. I suggested my favorite one in the whole place, the lavatory on the second floor of the Art & Home Center.

It isn’t a heavily trafficked area, hence super clean and no queue for a stall. I’m actually not sure if there is an elevator to get up there – I mean, there must be, although it is one of the oldest buildings at the fairgrounds. The Art & Home Center is home to Arts and Crafts competitions with Fine Art upstairs.

Here are some pictures of the art on display. Photography, drawing, painting, sculpture with different divisions based on age. It is sort of a hodge-podge of work. The giant ribbons indicate the winners, but you kind of need your readers to decipher the category and age brackets of said winners.

They make the most of the display area with art hanging in close proximity covering all the walls and doors plus work on stands resting on several tables scattered around.

For those of you who have attended The Fair and never knew this existed, you’re welcome.

Competition is inspiring for the winners, especially for school-aged children, because it offers validation and perhaps a nudge in the direction of the arts career-wise. For adults, it is a chance to add to one’s resume, another award/group exhibition, which could lead to more of the same, as well as future gallery representation. Hey, you never know.

Here is the link to the web-page where you can download entry forms for New York State Fair competitions.

The Fair continues through Labor Day, Monday, September 5, 2016. For more information, visit their website here. Last year, I actually went to it twice after a decades long hiatus. I have plans to go at least twice more this year!

As for the concert, Jackie and I scored 5th row center seats about one minute before the concert began. It was the craziest thing! Later, we walked around with friends who’d messaged me after seeing my face on the giant screens then established a rendezvous point at the wine pavilion, lol. (“Was that you?” “OMG, yes!”) Perfect night. So fun!

art, art education, art exhibition, art for sale, Karen Tashkovski, products, sculpture

Alert the Media

Image August 20, 2016 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Boundless Brooklyn is a company that sells 100% recycled cardboard model kits – crafted billboards, lighthouses, mailboxes, halfpipes, lifeguard stations and water towers that can be turned into amazing works of art.

You can also purchase the water tower kit at Target!

Art Above All is the brainchild of tattoo artist Jamie Santos, who paired these kits with local artists to create this amazing exhibition. She is a dynamic force in the Syracuse art scene! I connected with her via Facebook after attending and later writing the blog post about that pop-up pizza-themed art show. My blog went viral for several days with that one, with the most views in a day in the history of my blogging “career”! Jamie was responsible for that show as well.

I love her spirit and energy. And while I have never considered getting a tattoo, I know I would be in good hands should I ever change my mind. She works out of Tymeless Tattoo in Baldwinsville, New York (and also curates their gallery space). Jamie curated this unique art show of billboards and water tower models at SALT Quarters gallery (115 Otisco Street, Syracuse, New York), which is within walking distance from her art studio at the Delavan Center on West Fayette Street. SALT Quarters will be open again today and tomorrow from noon to 5:00 pm. Contact jamiesantosartworks@gmail.com for more information.

The opening reception took place last night. Upon arrival, we were greeted by three artists painting murals. Penny, Joyce and I chatted with them about the creation of art and the process of mark-making while they set about creating these large-scale pieces. I loved hearing their philosophies. It doesn’t seem to matter how people arrived at the idea/conclusion of becoming an artist, I mean in terms of their backgrounds or the age at which their idea manifested into their reality – the truth is the language of art is the same. It is the language of the journey, of self-discovery, of the role emotion plays in creation and the joy of living a dream-life through art.

Inside – we viewed these whimsical three-dimensional creations while listening to the sounds of Backpacker’s Field Manual (two Chittenango grads!)

I am so inspired by this show. The artists really seemed to transcend their materials. They don’t look like cardboard cut-outs at all. Their ideas range from humor to social injustice and are created with paint and mixed-media in graffiti, Pop Art, Impressionist and traditional styles. The models are essentially advertising media and so, the message seems to be the message, lol – to alert the media through media, so to speak. To give voice to the artist within, whatever that statement may be.

I just love the camaraderie of this exhibition/event. Artists joining forces in the spirit of fun and love. It is truly a magnificent use of this tiny gem of a gallery. I would love to gather a bunch of these models and see what my students at Chittenango Middle School can do with them!

The artists in this exhibition include Aaron Z. Lee, Andrew Peters, Brandon Lazore, Casey Landerkin, Cayetano Valenzuela, Charlie Sam, Chris Sosa, Dan Styles, Doug Aldrich, E.L. Downey, Jacob Alan Roberts, Jamie Santos, Jemola Addley, Jesse Gabriel, Jesse Ryan, Josh Montgomery, Marcus Osmun, Michael Giannattasio, Michael John Heagerty, Monty Ses Esposito, Paul Ulrich, Steve Sie, Tommy Lincoln, and Tony Tompson. Some of the art is priced to sell – not sure about all of it, but the artists have supplied contact information via email in order to connect.

Loved it! <3 You will, too!

art, art exhibition, art for sale, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, sculpture

The Tactile Artist

Image August 7, 2016 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Auburn, New York has a First Friday thing.

Seventeen venues were open last Friday evening with special happy hour deals and art exhibits (including the Cayuga Museum, Seymour Public Library, Seward House Museum, The Copper Pig, Moondog’s Lounge, Finger Lakes Artist Co-op, and the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center to name a few).

It was another gorgeous summer night in Central New York. Joyce, Janine and I met at the Schweinfurth. Edgy Folk played outside to the crowd of people who enjoyed a free mini-painting workshop.

Inside, we viewed the exhibit – Transgressing Traditions: Contemporary Textiles from the Surface Design Association.

This is an international exhibition of textile work from sixty-five artists. People from all over the nation, as well as from Canada, Hungary, Korea, France, Germany, and the UK! The Schweinfurth is such a beautiful space and this work looks AMAZING in it!

So modern! It is just so incredible what artists are doing with traditional sewing techniques. These are not your grandmother’s crochet and knitted afgans – my grandmother, while being known as the best crochet-er in New York State as acknowledged at the New York State Fair for many years, never created her own patterns or took the art to another level the way these artists do.

The show continues through August 21, 2016.

The Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center is located at 205 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York. Call (315) 255-1553 for more information or visit their web-site – www.myartcenter.org

art, art exhibition, art for sale, ceramics, Green Lakes, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, painting, photography, products, sculpture

Art & Music!

Image July 30, 2016 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

Yesterday was one of those perfect days where I accomplished everything I said I would do. I did pilates, as well as some light housekeeping then went to my hair appointment (love you, Amanda!), hiked at Green Lakes State Park, and ended up downtown for some great art and music!

For real, lol. I took these pictures and everything (for those of you who maybe thought I was still off my rocker chasing Pokemon).

The AmeriCU Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival is in full swing. I caught the tail end of it last night – the vendors will be there all day today and tomorrow until 6:00pm in Columbus Circle in downtown Syracuse, New York. A lot of my friends/Facebook friends are there: Michelle DaRin, Barbara Conte-Gaugel, Peter Valenti, Tim See, and Michael Heagerty, as well as dozens of artisans from around here and out of the area.

There is so much to see. There’s clothing, jewelry and accessories, paintings, ceramics, furniture, soaps…. It is really an incredible experience. And since working the Lavender Fest for Michelle that time, I can appreciate the dedication it takes to spend all day in a small tent in ninety-degree heat with few bathroom breaks in order to interact with customers face-to-face.

I think that is the best part of making a purchase from one of the vendors – that you get to know them and you walk away with an experience rather than just some trinket. You experience the artist’s passion for what they do and you take with you a part of them, the part that contains a vast amount of love.

That is truly special. I love that.

Last night’s music event in Clinton and Hanover Squares was the Northeast Jazz & Wine Festival. More music tonight with the band Atlas taking the stage around 8:00 pm! Hope to see you there!

Summer rocks!

art, art education, art exhibition, art for sale, ceramics, Karen Tashkovski, sculpture

Sizzling Summer Ceramics

Image July 27, 2016 Karen Tashkovski Leave a comment

My new favorite place: the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro! It is located at 6500 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, NY (13078).

Cozy…and delicious! The cupcakes are perfection. This place reminds me of every Wayne Thiebaud painting I have ever seen. Proprietor Debbe Titus prepared amazing quiche and salad (and iced coffee!!!) for my friend Bobbi Rock Petrocci, art teacher at Christian Brothers Academy, Dewitt, NY, and me last week when we visited to discuss our upcoming art exhibitions. Mine will be during the month of October 2016. We installed Bobbi’s show this morning.

Bobbi’s former student Beth L. helped too – a recent graduate who will be attending college in Albany this fall. We used the technique I call measuring! Lol – math and art are like two fingers crossed, as are art and every other subject in school. There was a lot of measuring here – to make sure the shelving was of unified height and the same distance apart and to insure the shelves were level. This part took the longest but once the structure was in place, everything made sense and the pieces fit beautifully. It is the first ceramics show in the bakery!

It was really incredible watching Bobbi work out how to decorate this space. It was as if her vision was coming alive before our eyes. She used the small shelves to exhibit her own work alongside student work created during CBA’s Sizzling Summer Ceramics Camp.

Students created these pieces during the intensive one-week event. The work will be on display through the month of August 2016.

For more information regarding this exhibition and the bakery including hours of operation, contact the owner at 315-492-0110 or check out the website – www.thehalfmoonbakery.com

More information to come regarding my show including a plan to have a little gathering/reception, maybe on a Sunday afternoon. I will be showing a dozen paintings. Super excited! <3 And Bobbi Rock Petrocci will be back in November 2016 with a new crop of CBA student ceramic art! 🙂

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