Tag Archives: art by Karen Tashkovski

art exhibition, art for sale, fashion, Karen Tashkovski

Tashionista’s Trinkets & Boots

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BCBGMaxAzria top, pants and belt, BCBGGeneration sandals
BCBGMaxAzria top, pants and belt, BCBGGeneration sandals

I’ve been in a whirlwind of social activity, including art stuff – like I went to Plowshares, an art show at Nottingham High School in Syracuse, NY over the weekend.  I went there to shop for Christmas gifts because I am a firm believer in buying local.

BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West boots
BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West boots

The vendor in particular – Michelle DaRin.  Michelle is a jewelry designer and I absolutely love her work!  She often does art shows and fairs but you can also find her work here.  For Christmas, she is offering different specials every day.

Lord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, Rachel Roy top, Champion yoga pants, Nine West booties
Lord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, Rachel Roy top, Champion yoga pants, Nine West booties

I also stumbled upon a great boot sale at ninewest.com.  On Black Friday, they had 50% off boots then an additional 20% off that, so, I bought lots.  Not that I needed them, of course, but now that I am fashion blogging, I just desire new things.  Curbing spending will be a New Year’s resolution…or not.  I say it in my head then go – nah!

JCrew sweater, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West booties
JCrew sweater, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West booties

Most of my waking hours are spent on bcbg.com.  They have 60% off stuff!  Just bought a top, and pants that I haven’t worn yet.  As you can see, my new belt has been in heavy rotation these past two weeks!

JCrew cardigan, Trina Turk dress, BCBGMaxAzria belt, Nine West boots
JCrew cardigan, Trina Turk dress, BCBGMaxAzria belt, Nine West boots

I see Amanda LaDue at Miracles in Fayetteville, NY every three weeks.  She added more highlights to my hair to the point that my blonde sister asked me if I was single-white-femaling her, lol.  We are definitely twinning right now!

Trina Turk dress, Steve Madden boots
Trina Turk dress, Steve Madden boots

I took my sister’s yoga class for the first time ever.  She is an instructor at O Yoga.  It was really pretty amazing!  I am a pilates girl but I think Sophie is about to convert me to yogini – nah!, well…maybe….

Lord & Taylor cardigan, Bailey 44 top, Trina Turk pants, Nine West booties
Lord & Taylor cardigan, Bailey 44 top, Trina Turk pants, Nine West booties

Trina Turk was doing 30% off stuff.  What you need to do is get on the emailing list so that you can receive invitations for all the special sales.

BCBGMaxAzria dress and belt, Ralph Lauren boots
BCBGMaxAzria dress and belt, Ralph Lauren boots

I am not sure what is up next – there are loads of craft fairs going on.  A new art gallery in Armory Square and several art exhibitions that I have been invited to attend through my connections on Facebook.

Banana Republic cardigan and pants, Bailey 44 top, BCBGGeneration booties
Banana Republic cardigan and pants, Bailey 44 top, BCBGGeneration booties

As for my own work, I will wait for whatever comes my way in the new year.  I am planning to revise my Shopify.com store and you can still purchase merchandise with my artwork on it – phone cases, T-shirts and mugs – through http://www.redbubble.com.

Free People cardigan, Lucky Brand top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Nine West boots
Free People cardigan, Lucky Brand top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Nine West boots

I guess that is another New Year’s resolution – to be more the vendor than the customer – nah! well, you know…yes!

BCBGMaxAzria sweater and belt, Trina Turk skirt, BCBGGeneration booties
BCBGMaxAzria sweater and belt, Trina Turk skirt, BCBGGeneration booties

 

 

 

art education, art exhibition, art for sale, fashion, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, painting, paper collage, watercolor

Interviewed

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Hi everyone!

I was recently interviewed for a blog post on http://www.segmation.com. It was done via email.  I answered a series of questions.  My answers appear exactly as I had written them except for the part where I call myself an outward focused nurturer.  Those are not my words, lol, but I am flattered by the compliment.

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I am not sure how they found me.  I think it was through Twitter.  I haven’t been on my Twitter account in a couple weeks.  I better start paying it forward again by retweeting my followers to keep the good karma going.  I’m up to something like 6,400 followers now.  Now if I can get that many Instagram followers….  Lol, are we ever really satisfied?

Karen Tashkovski, Strength, 18" x 36", 1997, oil & collage, $675

Well…I am truly grateful for anything coming my way these days.  I love being part of an international art community and I love that I move closer to the dreams I have for myself every day.  So thank you, Segmation and everyone else who has been following me here and on other social media.  I am glad we are friends.

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See the interview here –

http://segmation.com/blog/2015/10/13/outward-focused-nurturer/#comment-1986

art exhibition, art for sale, Karen Tashkovski, watercolor

Stone Quarry Hill & Me

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For anyone who is planning to stay in town for the three-day weekend, I am thinking about joining in on this art sale at the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park.  I will be there on Saturday, October 10, 2015 at 10:00 am.  Sale goes until 4:00 pm.

http://sqhap.org/yoursale/

The thing is that it is a first-come-first served scenario and I am not exactly the early-bird-catches-the-worm sort.  Sooooo, hopefully, I will be one of the first to arrive and I’ll set up a nook to sell some of the watercolors I had for sale at the Everson Museum of Art Craft & Craft show (Syracuse, NY) and at Natur-Tyme (Dewitt, NY).

This artwork is not framed, but Cheryl Chappell of the Edgewood Gallery gave me 20% discount coupons to give out to my customers for framing at her shop on Tecumseh Road in Syracuse!  She is the best!

Plum, 12" x 9", watercolor, 2002, $75
Plum, 12″ x 9″, watercolor, 2002, $75

The Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is such a fun place to visit. They have all of these nature trails where you walk a bit then come upon an outdoor sculpture.  Some of these sculptures are permanent installations and others are temporary so it always changes, plus things look different with the seasons.  Crossing fingers that it will be a nice day!

Riches, 18" x 24", watercolor, 2002, $200
Riches, 18″ x 24″, watercolor, 2002, $200
Magma, 18" x 24", watercolor, 2002, $200
Magma, 18″ x 24″, watercolor, 2002, $200

Either way, the artists will be inside the gallery.  Lord knows I can’t sell watercolors in the rain.  They are like the Wicked Witch of the West, same as what I say about myself- specifically me getting my hair wet – they (I) will melt, be destroyed, etc.

Tunnel, 18" x 24", watercolor, 2002, $200
Tunnel, 18″ x 24″, watercolor, 2002, $200
Happy Tears, 18" x 24", watercolor, 2002, $200
Happy Tears, 18″ x 24″, watercolor, 2002, $200

For more information on the park, check out their website here-

Stone Quarry Hill Art Park is located at 3883 Stone Quarry Hill Road (off Route 20) in Cazenovia, New York.  According to their website – “In 2011, its 20th anniversary year, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park was recognized as #2 in National Geographic’s ‘Top Ten Sculpture Parks and Trails’ in Secret Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World’s Best Hidden Travel Gems.

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“Today, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park continues to offer visitors a place to enjoy art and nature .”

 

 

 

art exhibition, art for sale, Karen Tashkovski, paper collage, watercolor

Me & My Friend Baseball

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The sweeper in soccer is a defensive player who usually works her magic to intercept the ball when the opponent has penetrated the line of defense.  This player can also move the ball up field and even score on occasion, and is typically one of the fastest players.

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In baseball, a pinch hitter’s role is to bat for another player.  Usually this person is an outfielder who is also a good hitter.  And yes, I am as well-versed in sports as Amy Schumer’s character is in the movie Trainwreck, lol, which is to say not at all. I had to Google search these definitions because I was trying to create a sports analogy that defines my role in the new art exhibition at the Syracuse Tech Garden (235 Harrison Street, Syracuse, NY 13202).

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Forty-six paintings are on display in The Boys of Summer: Baseball Meets Art with a reception this Thursday, August 20, 2015, from 5 – 7 pm.  Steve Nyland is the curator.

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My role in this show is a blend of  sweeper and pinch hitter.  I added thirty-two paintings and paper collage pieces to round out the show and fill the walls.  My watercolors were untitled before and now they have baseball themed titles – cliché, perhaps but whateves.  I think it is kind of hilarious and fun, and makes me feel like a part of a team, the way Amy did during the climax of what was really a pretty terrific rom-com.

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Steve is also sharing his paintings in the art show, which will run through October 9th if you don’t have a chance to make it to the opening.

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

Natur-Tyme Flier

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I just received the business cards I created through moo.com so I decided to take some over to Natur-Tyme, Dewitt, NY where I am showing and selling the Echolalia series through September 2015.  I dropped some off in one of the little cubbies and on my way out, I came across the store’s flier.

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Someone had mentioned it the other day but I hadn’t seen it until now.  A few months ago, Maria Rizzo, Tom Huff and I did a photo shoot at the store.  It was so fun.  I felt like a celebrity.

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I had no idea what to expect and I am very pleasantly surprised.  This is just so amazing.  I’m grateful and thrilled to be in the inaugural exhibit!

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art exhibition, art for sale, Goodyear blimp, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media, Pompano paintings

Sullivan Summer Show

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Trust (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200
Trust (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200

Every year librarian Karen Trainer at the Sullivan Library in Chittenango, NY, offers me an art exhibit in the library’s community room for the month of July.  And every year when the time comes, I forget if I had asked her. I called last night and, yes, she was expecting me.  Said I could come in any time to install the show and also said I could have the space through August!

I Said the Wrong Thing (detail), 1997, oil & collage, $200
I Said the Wrong Thing (detail), 1997, oil & collage, $200

I love this small space.  I’ve shown my own work so many times – all sizes – and I’ve shown student work many times as well.  There are only eight of those long hook things that connect to a chair rail in the wall and additional S pegs if you want to display a lot more pieces.

Life (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200
Life (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200

I chose to do an exhibit of eight works from one of my Pompano series.  I created them in ’97-’98.  Eight 18″ x 24″ canvases depicting Pompano Beach, Florida and my subsequent life back in Syracuse, NY after graduate school.

We've Spoken These Words Before, 1997, oil & collage, $200
We’ve Spoken These Words Before, 1997, oil & collage, $200

My work is autobiographical and this time of my life was sort of a see-saw of comedy vs. drama.  It was about change, really, insofar as who I truly was as a person and what I presented to the public.  I wasn’t sure who I was and what I wanted, to tell you the truth.  I would have to say that I had misaligned convictions.

Quiet (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200
Quiet (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200

I was almost fighting the idea of traditional me and trying to be super artsy.  I’ve come to find out that I am somewhere in between.  Or maybe not.  😉

III, 1998, oil & collage, $200
III, 1998, oil & collage, $200

These paintings are like old friends.  Seeing them again makes me reflect on my progress in this crazy world.  It seems like art gallery dealers only want to see an artist’s latest work.  But I am comfortable sharing this retrospective.  I’m not like Madonna who once said she didn’t want to sing any of her old ’80s songs in concert because she was bored with them (I’m paraphrasing).  I saw her in concert (on TV) and I absolutely loved the way she retro-fitted her old songs with new melodies – taking dance tunes and turning them into ballads, for example, going guitar only or remixing old melodies with new and noticing commonalities in the lyrics.  So I guess it turns out that her comment had been a flippant in the moment thing and she found a way to welcome those old songs back into her life, lol.

Fool, (detail) 1998, oil & collage, $200
Fool, (detail) 1998, oil & collage, $200

I welcome you to see my exhibition.  These paintings are all framed in gallery style maple hardwood and are priced at $200 each.  I would love to sell them so they don’t end up back where I stored them in the little closet of my second bedroom.

Fish Out of Water (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200
Fish Out of Water (detail), 1998, oil & collage, $200

Whatever is old can be new again and these oldies look fresh to me again.  I’m glad they will see the light of day for the summer and I hope, if you are in the area, you will stop into this wonderful library right off the main “strip” in Chittenango, NY.  The Sullivan Library is located at 101 Falls Blvd., and is open at 10am most days in the summer.  Show’s up through August 2015 but if you want to buy one (or all) I can always switch it up.  I don’t mind a cash and carry art display.  And more about that coming soon.

 

 

fashion, Karen Tashkovski

Art Tease

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Bailey 44 top, INC pants, BCBG Generation sandals
Bailey 44 top, INC pants, BCBG Generation sandals

It got cold again in the ‘cuse this week after 85 degrees last week, so it was back to sweaters and long sleeves.  It also felt right to go neutral palette – black, white, cream, beige, and grey with some navy blue thrown in, which is pretty much my whole wardrobe (heavy on the black).

J Crew cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria leggings, BCBG Generation booties
J Crew cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria leggings, BCBG Generation booties
Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria leggings, BCBG Generations booties
Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria leggings, BCBG Generations booties

When I really like something I buy it in several colors.  I have the above Bailey 44 top in black and in red, and I have these BCBG Max Azria leggings in black with faux leather and in navy blue.

Lucky Brand jacket, Bailey 44 top, Banana Republic pants, BCBG Generation sandals
Lucky Brand jacket, Bailey 44 top, Banana Republic pants, BCBG Generation sandals

It’s already been a month since I got my smart phone, a month of different outfits and about a month of school left to go.

Black Brown 1826 cashmere sweater, BCBG Max Azria leggings, ine West booties
Black Brown 1826 cashmere sweater, BCBG Max Azria leggings, Nine West booties

Life seems really exciting.  I love that feeling I get when something is fun and the universe is filled with things to look forward to, as though it will fulfill its promises.  Not sure if that is bad for my art. Lots of artists seem to be brooders, creating work out of anger, misery or melancholy.  But I am all into happiness and joy.  I want people to feel good when they look at my work, as if they are in on a secret.  A secret language that enlightens, if that makes any sense.  I am thinking about painting on paper for the “futura” series. That feels right too.

BCBG Max Azria lace top with Victoria Secret camisole underneath, Calvin Klein jeans, Coach booties
BCBG Max Azria lace top with Victoria Secret camisole underneath, Calvin Klein jeans, Coach booties

I will have time to paint this summer, but before I do anything I want to work on the business of being an artist and that includes securing venues for exhibitions.  I have something in the works for July that I am VERY excited to share but I believe it will have to wait to be revealed, as it is some type of top secret thing-a-ma-gig.  Will let you know soon though.  I promise.

 

art for sale, hearts, Karen Tashkovski, mixed media

Prize

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[shopify product=http://karen-tashkovski-visual-artist.myshopify.com/products/prize]