Tag Archives: Half Moon Bakery and Bistro

Where in the World

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C by Bloomingdales cashmere cardigan, Warner Bros. Hogwarts T-shirt, BCBGMaxAzria skirt, Marc Jacobs boots

Where am I?  I am back at work at Chittenango Middle School, teaching 8th grade Studio in Art, Art-8, and helping fifty kids a day with homework in two study halls.  My outfit of the day (#ootd) pictures have been hit or miss.  Not sure whether or not to resume taking them.  Katy C. and I have been so busy prepping lessons and organizing stuff – I only have a few pictures to share (even though we’ve been back at it for two weeks now).

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Talitha Collection silk top, BCBGMaxAzria silk velvet pants, BCBGeneration velvet booties

Meanwhile, my artwork is going places.  I am exhibiting encaustic baseball paintings and horseshoe paintings during the month of September 2019 at Half Moon Bakery & Bistro (6500 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, NY 13078).

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And last night I delivered six encaustic angel paintings from the Futura series to a new restaurant called 317 (317 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, New York) before heading to the Italian Festival, which is taking place in front of City Hall this weekend.  These paintings will be up in a group pairing along with other artists’ work (indefinitely, as of now).  317 provides an incredibly intimate dining experience right in the heart of downtown Syracuse adjacent to the Onondaga Historical Association.

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Finally, my twelve Japanese-inspired fan encaustic paintings are still available for sale at Kasai Ramen (218 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202) until September 16, 2019.

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P.S. I started designing bracelets!  I’ll be ready to launch that experience very soon – stay tuned!  The jewelry thing is my current passion and focus artistically.  The universe has been doing a great job of taking care of everything else.  Thank you, universe!  Life is good! <3

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Aqua Cashmere cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria T-shirt, Rag & Bone patent leather skirt, Marc Jacobs booties

 

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Thirteen paintings from my angel series “Futura” are currently on display at the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro in Jamesville, New York!  Bobbi Petrocci and I pulled the switch-a-roo – she took down the CBA Hope for the Bereaved exhibit and installed my show by lining up these encaustics to look like ethereal soldiers hovering from above to love and protect the foodie patrons at this wonderful café.

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The paintings are $111 each.  If you want one, just let proprietor Debbe Titus know.  She can contact me and I will meet you there.  You will get to take one (or more) home for Christmas!  They really do work best in multiples!  They are small:  8″ x 10″ paintings on masonite mounted on 11″ x 14″ chalkboard.

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It is always such a thrill to exhibit here.  I have a fondness for a captive audience – people who do not ordinarily go to art shows, so we bring the art to them.  Making the invisible visible is what it’s about.  The show will be up during the month of December 2017.

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Friendship & Art

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Coach baseball cap, Halston Heritage dress, Karl Lagerfeld Paris boots

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The closing reception for Art & Baseball, my watercolor show at Half Moon Bakery & Bistro, was sooooo much fun!  The baseball cupcakes were so cute, and delicious too.  I had a lemon one – yum!

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I have such an amazing support system of love from my immediate family.  My sister Kathy and my mom were there and my dad stopped in after a long morning of tilling his vegetable garden.  My friend Penny was doing the same at her place in Sylvan Beach before coming!  I have the best friends and I know how fortunate I am to have them in my life.

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Proprietor Debbe Titus said exactly that – “you have the best friends supporting you”.

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After the reception and take down, my friend Kim and I drove over to her hair salon, Kimberly’s Salon at 2520 James Street in Eastwood (Syracuse, New York).  We hung the paintings there.  So that is the answer to the questions, when and where is your next show?  They will be up indefinitely and are available for sale in a cash & carry.  I will just replace them with more art.

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Kimberly’s Salon hours of operation are as follows:  Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00 am – 6 pm, Wednesdays & Fridays 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, and Saturdays 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.  Call (315) 463-2735 for more information.

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I do have the very best friends a girl could ever ask for.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Today was such an amazing day in my universe.

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Life’s a Game

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Another perfect day in my universe…

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I knew I would install my art exhibition at Half Moon Bakery & Bistro today, but the details of the how and the when, and the other stuff of it all were not planned.  The artwork had been piled into a big blue bin on my back porch with two other similar bins resting on top of it (very difficult to access without making a huge mess) – so instead of wrapping my head around figuring it all out, I just had breakfast and sat in front of my laptop scrolling Facebook, mindlessly loving everyone’s posts.

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I was thinking about my friend Bobbi because she and I helped each other with our last events at the bakery.  My mind kind of wandered into – wouldn’t it be nice if she was available to help me?  And then, out of the blue, she texted me.

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I turned myself into a Tasmanian devil and within twenty minutes I had loaded the car with the art and all of the necessary install junk.  I have no recollection of how that happened mind you; it just DID.  We ended up meeting at Clark Reservation State Park in Jamesville, New York, which is down the street from the bakery, and hiking one of the many breathtaking trails there concluding with an awesome butt-blasting stair climb.  Then we headed over to Half Moon and had lunch – spinach quiche and a goat cheese side salad with maple syrup balsamic dressing.

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We hung the show together – thirteen watercolor paintings.  Honestly, if it wasn’t for her, I would not have been able to do this alone!  It really took two sets of hands to map out a plan with one holding the artwork while the other eye-balled the positioning.

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It really didn’t take long with my good friend by my side (thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  I <3 you, Bobbi Petrocci!) and the result is a very different exhibition than the one I had last time in October 2016.  These are my baseball titled watercolors.  They are priced to sell at $125 each.

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Proprietor Debbe Titus and I planned the artist party as a closing reception.  It is set for Saturday, April 29, 2017 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm.  We will have adorable and tasty mini cupcakes (planning three dozen) with frosting to resemble baseballs.

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It is going to be so cute and fun!  Please come if you are in the neighborhood!  In addition, I will have unframed watercolors there to peruse and everything will be a cash and carry sale.  You can leave with a happy tummy and a watercolor under your arm.

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The Half Moon Bakery and Bistro is open Monday through Saturdays.  Monday 10:00 am-3:00 pm, Tuesday 8:00 am-3:00 pm, and Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.  Call  (315) 492-0110 for more information or visit their web-site, www.thehalfmoonbakery.com. I trust I will see you there!

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Triple Whammy

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So, here’s something crazy weird and great – I will be exhibiting artwork in three locations during the month of April 2017.  Showing watercolors – the ones with the baseball themed titles – at the Half Moon Bakery and Bistro in Jamesville, New York.  No date as of yet for the reception, but I am hoping they will do a baseball cake or cupcakes for it.  That will be fun for spring, right?

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I’m installing an exhibit at Dolce Vita World Bistro in Syracuse, New York on April 2, 2017.  It would be nice to keep them up longer than a month, but no deets on this yet.  I would love to have a gathering one evening, maybe fill the dining room with friends and have music too, but I haven’t planned that far ahead.  Art shows are a great excuse for a party!  I will either exhibit the encaustic crown series from 2012 or something more retro – oil & collage paintings from 1998.  I don’t remember what I called this series.  I made them in the 2nd bedroom of my apartment on Woodbine Ave. during winter break that year.  Does anyone remember anything pre-new millennium?

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Crowning Glory, 18″ x 15″, 2012, encaustic, $125
LIFE. LIBERTY. HAPPINESS., 18X36, 1997 (300x156)
Karen Tashkovski, Life. Liberty. Happiness., 1997, oil & collage, $675

And finally,  my 1997 oil & collage series of paintings Messages (From the Other Voice) is up in the Chittenango Middle School library, Chittenango, New York, for the next two months!

STRENGTH, 18X36, 1997 (300x159)
Karen Tashkovski, Strength, 18″ x 36″, 1997, oil & collage, $675

So happy to be able to share my artwork in public spaces (you know, to captive audiences).  New work is actually coming soon.  My sister is opening a yoga studio around the corner from my house.  I will be making encaustic paintings to exhibit and sell there. I’m going to be turning my kitchen into an art studio during spring break next month to get those (horseshoe paintings and maybe hearts too) ready for Syracuse Yoga’s opening in May 2017.

Art & Birthday Cake

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The reception I planned for my art exhibition at the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro in Jamesville, New York on Thursday, October 20, 2016 was more a birthday party for my mother and a chance for my friends and acquaintances to come and experience this quaint business on the corner of East Seneca Turnpike and Apulia Road.  It is a tiny place and quite honestly, I did not expect such an amazing turnout for the hours of 3:00 to 5:00 pm.  Thank you so much!

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I am grateful for all of the wonderful people who came to celebrate and to support me and my artwork, and to eat delicious cake made by proprietor Debbe Titus.  I gave her full reign on the design of the cake and she created something spectacular for my mom and for us to share with the thirty + people who attended the event.

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Thank you, Debbe, for all of your hard work and for the opportunity to exhibit in this space.  I don’t actively seek out art exhibition opportunities – they tend to fall into my lap serendipity-like.  I seem to spend more time these days with my fashion interests, as well as supporting other artists, and so it meant the world to me that so many people took the time to spend an afternoon chatting with me about my artwork.

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The Talisman series is about seeking love, the desire to be loved.  I created the paintings in 2008. I’m finally breaking free of my lifetime of limiting beliefs regarding love in relationships, realizing that it is in fact, all around me and living inside of me.  I love my life and spending time with friends and family.  Love my world –  that I can create magic – see magic all around me every single day.  And that is just really fun.  I am truly blessed.  Thank you! <3

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Half Mooning

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I don’t know anything better – I certainly cannot think of anything better than when the owner of a business tells me that my artwork is a perfect addition to her venue.  Thank you, Debbe Titus!  I am so grateful for those kind words, grateful for the opportunity to share these paintings again.  They are from my Talisman series of oil and collage works created in 2008.  Fifteen of this series of twenty-four are represented here at the Half Moon Bakery & Bistro, 6500 East Seneca Turnpike, Jamesville, New York (13078).

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I do love the way they fit into the space, and that was all thanks to my friend Bobbi Rock Petrocci who came to my rescue and helped me install the show.  (gratitude times infinity – love you, Bobbi! <3)  No measuring devices this time – just our old-fashioned spatial intelligence, lol, and a power screw-driver.

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The artwork will be on display and for sale through the month of October 2016.  If you are interested in purchasing them ($200 each), I have left contact information via my business cards.

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There will be an artist reception for me on Thursday, October 20, 2016 from 3:30-5:00pm.  Light snacks plus you can try the delicious cookies and cupcakes, coffees and teas or go for a meal instead.  The quiche is out of this world!  Today they were preparing apple pies and other treats for an upcoming wedding reception and it smelled soooo good in there!  If you have never been there, please come out and meet me for a chat and a chance to fall in love with this gem of a place.

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About the Talisman series – the paintings took months to create.  I created thumbnail sketches first, as well as a list of the text I wanted to use.  The titles of each painting created a personal narrative reflecting the trajectory of my life at that time.  I layered canvas on canvas as collage then gessoed the surfaces, broke up the space into an 18″ square with six inches to spare at the top or bottom.  I painted the latter in chalkboard paint.  Then I drew the image in pencil and began painting in oils.

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These paintings are sort of the thread that ties all of my interests in art-making together.  I used abstract impressionist strokes, as I do in my watercolor paintings.  Months later I added varnish to these paintings, which is something I actually tried for the very first time in my work and I really loved the result – how it contrasts with the matte finish of the chalkboard area.  The chalk text is meant to eventually erase and/or be erased by the owner of the work, which might seem weird to a non-artist.  But I like the idea that love is like that text.  It comes and goes, grows strong or weak…and can grow stronger with help from the love of another.  The painting’s owner can interact as well, by writing their own graffiti on the chalkboard creating a dialogue with me.  I am especially fond of this idea.  We are all in this together sharing our love of life and through that togetherness the art transforms/will transform.  It’s all good.

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The Half Moon Bakery and Bistro is open Monday through Saturdays.  Monday 10:00 am-3:00 pm, Tuesday 8:00 am-3:00 pm, and Wednesday-Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm.  Call  (315) 492-0110 for more information or visit their website, www.thehalfmoonbakery.com. I trust I will see you there!

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