I bought more frames. I spent the day reworking then framing the encaustic & collage target paintings, the ones that I’d created last year. They are 5″ x 7″ hardboards mounted on 8″ x 10″ chalkboard. I will photograph them tomorrow then post the results.
I boxed up (with the boxes from the frames) a bunch of books I’m planning to sell, part of my attempt to purge/de-clutter – I’m in the process of getting rid of things stored in the basement to make room for more art storage. Eventually, I will sell more art thereby having space to make more (or buy a bigger house).
I also finished my third reread of The Alchemist by Paul Coelho. I will be writing a book report in a bit – I need the experience to digest. It felt different this time because I have had more life experiences and am more attuned to esoteric language.
In addition, I’m preparing for the art show at East Syracuse Free Library. I created the information sheet/price list. The installation is scheduled for May 1, 2026. The plan is to show the encaustic trees AND the new encaustic heart paintings. They will be resting on table easels and displayed at the top of the bookshelves.
Karen Tashkovski, CHERRY, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, BESTIE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”
Karen Tashkovski, LIFE SUPPORT, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”Karen Tashkovski, HANDBAG, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”
I just completed this collection of twenty-four paintings. I am fascinated by the handbags depicted in ancient civilization bas-reliefs and sculptures across continents.
I created twenty-four different stencils to carve into ,my 6″ x 6″ hardboards. Then I used encaustics (and paper collage) to add color and texture.
Karen Tashkovski, TOOLKIT, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”Karen Tashkovski, PURSE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”
I painted the backing board with both chalkboard paint and magnetic paint, as the mysterious handbags of old were perhaps electromagnetic in nature.
Then I added collage items that reflect my own history, as well as my signature arsenal of devices: game pieces, keys, ribbon, jewelry, wood chips and bobbins.
The fleur-de-lis dominoes have a beautiful patina, as they are new ones mixed with vintage pieces, which I love.
Karen Tashkovski, DEVICE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”Karen Tashkovski, BACKPACK, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”
All are framed and ready for their conquest of the world.
There is such a rewarding feeling of validation and joy to the completion of a new series. I will bask in that after-glow while contemplating what to do next – possibly a second set of these or incorporating the handbags into a larger work, or, or, or?
Karen Tashkovski, CLUTCH, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”Karen Tashkovski, CARRYALL, 2026, encaustic & collage, 8” x 10”
Yesterday was a day of art immersion – two art shows and a fabulous day spent with my friend and fellow artist, Penny Santy. In conversation, I kept going back to this series, thinking about what I wanted its journey to be and truthfully, it would be amazing if someone wanted to buy them all and keep them together, because I feel like they are meant to be together.
But then, I think about how the ancient handbags are found in South America, Egypt, Turkey and Iraq. They stump archeologists as to their function. Maybe my handbags will be separated and valued individually, and treated with questionable mystery by the viewers who encounter them.
Karen Tashkovski, ROSEBUD, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, LIKE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, MERMAID, 2016, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”
I just completed photographing the new collection of heart paintings. They are encaustic and collage, 5″ x 7″ on hardboard mounted on 9″ x 12″ chalkboard and framed.
Photographs do not do them justice. They are really vibrant in person and so full of texture.
Karen Tashkovski, SUNSHINE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, LOVELY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, HEARTY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, WARMTH, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, LOVE POTION, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, BESTIE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, FORTUNATE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, FRIENDSHIP, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski KINDLY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, SEXY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, JUICY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, PURELY, 2016, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, EVERLASTING, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, FAITHFULLY, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, FRESH, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, SWEET, 2026 encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, LOVING, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, LOVE LETTER, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, ROMANCE, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, SWELL, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”Karen Tashkovski, SPLENDID, 2026, encaustic & collage, 9” x 12”
I’m contemplating what to do next. The ancient handbag series of paintings are on the floor of my living room resting on their chalkboard mounts, which I have infused with magnetic paint to simulate the electromagnetic resonance of the original objects, as they have been described in my research.
I’m also awaiting a couple of orders of mini dominoes to add to the hardboards. It is really fun to hunt for specific vintage items and thank you, universe for the interwebs, lol. What a godsend, really.
I also ordered frames for these paintings, as well as frames for the new heart paintings, some of which are also on the floor and on the dining room table. I will title them, sign them, get them in the frames and photograph them all by next week.
It is a gloomy day with rain – yesterday it was 70 degrees outside and beautiful. Tomorrow it is supposedly going down to 32 degrees. It is a sad day for me for personal reasons and yet, when I focus on this artwork it brings me so much joy and strength, and purpose.
My exhibition of butterfly paintings is still at Art Haus Syracuse. Selling them will validate me externally, and that is a sliver of an artist’s vocation. When you believe in yourself then the world will follow suit. But if people don’t want to share in your artistic vision, you don’t stop breathing. Buy them here.
I finished a new series of heart paintings yesterday – they are 5″ x 7″ mounted on 9″ x 12″. I used metallic embroidery floss on all of them. In addition I’ve used mulberry papers and origami papers, dominoes, playing cards, Scrabble pieces and vintage stamps. I love them. I never get tired of making heart paintings.
But, with that said – I did pivot into a new idea. I am fascinated with the Ancient Civilization handbag. You find them in Ancient Egypt, Gobekli Tepe, within Mayan sculptures and other places around the globe. I researched shapes then created my stencils – twenty-four different bags.
I decided on 6″ x 6″ boards that will be mounted on 8″ x 10″. I layered the boards with beeswax and traced the stencils onto them. Today I added the mulberry papers and some origami papers, and tissue papers. I didn’t finish that step because I started rethinking color. At first, I thought I should use a different color for the handles and then – no. I changed my mind. I might have to remove some of what I did because I think I want to limit the color palette, since these handbags are always depicted as made of stone with cuniform marks or hieroglyphics on them. I will let it go for now and trust that I will have clarity in the morning. (Stay tuned).
The art reception for Women. Art. Voices at Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts is tomorrow evening from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. That exhibit is only up for about three weeks.
410 Canal Place
Little Falls New York 13365
(315) 823-0808
There are only eight butterfly paintings left to purchase at Art Haus Syracuse, 120 Walton Street, Syracuse, New York 13202. You can make a purchase using this link .
Karen Tashkovski, MARIPOSA, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Art Haus will be open tomorrow and Saturday noon – 7:00 PM.
Karen Tashkovski, PAPILLON, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″Karen Tashkovski, PITALUDKA, 2024, encaustic & collage on gesso board, 8″ x 8″
Karen Tashkovski, COTTONWOOD, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, SYCAMORE, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboard
It was three below zero in Syracuse today. I did not visit my favorite trees on a hike – I draw the line at eleven degrees, thanks.
I spent the day completing my encaustic trees collection. These paintings are 6″ x 8″ encaustic & collage mounted on 11″ x 14″ chalkboard, and framed.
Karen Tashkovski, POPLAR, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, OAK, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboard
I added oil pastels, vintage stamps, keys, embroidery floss, checkers, cedar chips, ribbon, 1963 pennies and French bobbins – from France!
I am so in love with them. It is such a weird feeling – so happy to have completed them, proud of myself and the choices I made, but also sad that it is over.
I feel like I should expand the series. I created twenty-four of them, twenty-four different tree shapes. Do I make twenty-four more with twenty-four different shapes? Do I reuse the shapes and change the colors, as I did with the lotus collection? I don’t know yet.
Karen Tashkovski, HONEYLOCUST, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, MULBERRY, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboard
I don’t even have a plan for where I will exhibit them. I am scheduled to show at the East Syracuse Free Library this May through June, so, maybe there.
Karen Tashkovski, CHERRY, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, HEMLOCK, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboard
I am actually still waiting for a back order of frames (four are technically not framed – I just set them in a broken frame in order to photograph them). Once they get delivered, all the paintings will be stored away and I will vacuum and reclaim my living room floor, and my dining room table – until the next project presents itself. <3
Karen Tashkovski, APPLE, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, FIR, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, DOGWOOD, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, GUM, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, BERRY, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, WILLOW, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, SPRUCE, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, HICKORY, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, MAPLE, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, PINE, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, TAMARACK, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, CEDAR, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, ELM, 2016, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, CHESTNUT, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, BIRCH, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboardKaren Tashkovski, WALNUT, 2026, 6” x 8” encaustic & collage mounted on 11” x 14” chalkboard
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.
It started snowing at 9:00 AM and now, at 5:00 PM we have already had what I think is eighteen inches of snow. It has been relentless, but, no biggie, because we all knew it was coming.
So happy that my art studio is in my house because I’ve been working all day. I added to the crown paintings – they are almost done.
Before I did that, I heated up the beeswax-filled crockpot then placed three coats of wax on 6″ x 8″ Ampersand hardboards and then traced the tree stencils onto them.
There are twenty-four boards and each will have a different tree design. They are fresh and modern, and fun! I’m excited. I am an avid hiker. I finally realized that trees should be an important part of my encaustic iconography. Today was the day!
In fact, I had a realization about my artwork that I will share with you soon. My series of crowns, horses, fans, bungalows, hearts, targets and now trees are all connected and I hope that they can all be shared together in one (or more) large gallery in the near future.
The overlap is a bit out of control focus-wise because, let’s face it, we are all attracted to the new thing, the latest thing. I don’t want to rush the conclusion of these crowns. I may have rushed adding collage materials today – I will allow the experience to digest and look at the work again with a fresh perspective later tonight or tomorrow.
I am loving my productivity though. I think I am an Existentialist and this is my purpose. A vocation rather than a business. I trust that the business and financial element will follow because I have already secured so many shows for 2026.
In that realm, next up is the Art Haus group show with a drop off in late February and the reception scheduled for Saturday, March 7, 2026 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. I will be at the East Syracuse Free Library during May and June 2026, the Fayetteville Free Library in July 2026, the Hazard Branch Library in August 2026 and the drop off for another group exhibition in mid August at the Edgewood Gallery. That show will be up through October 3, 2026.
This is the current state of affairs: my dining room table has been hijacked by the second wave of three dozen paintings in the lotus series, now called The Lotus Collection. I have added thistle and Japanese lillies to this group, although all flowers are abstracted.
In addition, I have incorporated my game devices, which I totally love. When I was on that Buffalo road trip with Penny, we chatted about verbalizing our visual language. I feel like that explanation should be the same spoken as it is written.
The thing with me though – I know what every brush stroke means. Every choice is deliberate, whether it is conscious or subconscious, and some of that is private, meant only for me. Jasper Johns never really shared his intentions and I love that bit of privacy.
However, this doesn’t sit well with the powers that be who offer art shows in their galleries. They want you to resonate with the masses and lately those masses are chronic malcontents. Complaining about everything in society. And misery loves company.
My paintings are flowers, but they are also autobiographical, and I’m a person who has climbed an emotional ladder. I finally found a belief system that sidesteps fears and all the shitty stuff. Seeing beauty in a colorful brush stroke or femininity in a ribbon, or familiarity in vintage game pieces – that is my art.
Meanwhile, just to be clear, these paintings are not finished. They are on the operating table, so to speak, waiting to be finessed. What I do at this stage is allow myself to walk away and then approach them with fresh eyes, discerning eyes, questioning whether the devices are enhancing the pieces or just covering painting mistakes. The artwork must work as a collective group but also stand alone.
I am also awaiting some supplies that I ordered: more ribbon, the apparatus to add wire to the frames. Can’t really move forward until I have all of the pieces to this puzzle.
