Statue of Liberty | Karen Tashkovski

IMG_20160311_094123 — Warner Bros. Harry Potter top, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West boots

IMG_20160307_094621 — Free People sweater, BCBG Max Azria top and T-shirt, Trina Turk pants, Coach booties

Just got home from an amazing business/fun trip to Jersey City, NJ. Now I am in my PJs with my cat on my heart thinking about what I will wear to work tomorrow.

IMG_20160308_092106 — Banana Republic skirt and suede top, Ralph Lauren boots

IMG_20160309_091353 — BCBG Max Azria top and pants,BCBG Generation sandals

Here are my looks from the past couple of weeks.

IMG_20160310_084704 — Michelle DaRin jewelry, Trina Turk dress, Nine West boots

IMG_20160226_093409 — Banana Republic suit, Syracuse University T-shirt (from Target) Nine West booties

The weather is getting warmer here but for a while it will be darker and probably colder in the mornings because of Daylight Savings Time.

IMG_20160229_094824 — Michelle DaRin jewelry, BCBG Max Azria dress, Nine West boots

My new Michelle DaRin choker is currently in heavy rotation, lol. I have been wearing a lot of pink because of it.

IMG_20160301_091922 — BCBG Max Azria cardigan and pants, Bailey 44 top, BCBG Generation booties

All of my clay projects are drying and the 5th grade wood sculptures are glued (will need to put all the boxes away!). Am going to be doing some painting in some classes starting tomorrow, so I will need to compensate by wearing short sleeves.

IMG_20160302_090132 — Michelle DaRin choker, Banana Republic cardigan, BCBG Max Azria top and leggings, Ralph Lauren boots

Hmm…what to wear…what to wear??????

IMG_20160304_093319 — J Crew cardigan, BCBG Max Azria dress and T-shirt, 7 For All Mankind jeans, Nine West booties

I introduced the work of Peter Max to students in two of my classes. I still encouraged them to create their own style on their Statue of Liberty paintings. Some did respond to the energy in his brush strokes.

These are acrylic paintings on 16″ x 20″ canvas panels.

I really love teaching students about a contemporary artist who is still alive. They could potentially meet Peter Max, as he visits galleries that represent him all over the country – all the time.

Max will be in Short Hills, NJ on November 14, 2015, Ft. Worth, TX on Nov. 21 and 22, and King of Prussia, PA on Nov. 28.

Here is a link to his website – http://www.petermax.com/

I was looking for rhythm and texture. These paintings were part of my SLO tests. New York State art teachers are required to give tests that are authentic assessments. These were graded by my colleague. I then grade her tests, so that we retain a more objective result. Detail and composition were also assessed.

The only problem with this type of grading system is emotion is thrown under the bus. The other teacher does not see the commitment, the emotional journey a student takes when learning to paint. She doesn’t see the eureka moments and the process to create the product. Oh well. In the attempt to standardize, we roll with those punches. Can’t fight to liberate ourselves from the standardization of public school.