I am opting for loose fitting dresses and peplums, as I navigate the end of the school year. I am up a smidge more than five pounds since the school year began. This is due in part to ice cream and most recently, to the spanakopita from St. Sophia’s Greek Fest (so good!).
It is also because I have spent the majority of the school year sitting behind a desk. I will get myself back to normal soon. No – I will not be the person with a closet full clothes that do not fit! <3
I did a mini skirt/dress week. It is getting warmer outside here in Syracuse, so, why not? Ten weeks left until summer vacation.
I guess you could say I am in a golden fashion mood lately – meaning I am really into golds, butter yellows, creams and caramel colors while still doing the occasional black Monday looks.
I’m thinking it may be because my hair is blonde now – IDK. Although, I’m feeling the desire for change again. Saw a picture in a magazine of someone with my dream hair and realized it was my old look. Right now I don’t truly feel like me. I mean I don’t feel like I am being true to my authentic self.
Maybe it has something to do with wearing masks all the time. It’s a metaphor for hiding yourself from the world, isn’t it (insert Billy Joel’s The Stranger here). I keep making excuses to myself about why I haven’t been painting or writing much. Why I haven’t been blogging about art events either.
Some of those excuses have to do with the pandemic, with the time it is taking to complete the renovations on my house, with my frustration with myself in regard to my faith, belief system and pursuit of happiness. Who am I?
Everything is a work in progress including ourselves as individuals. Will it ever be finished? Will we ever achieve the ultimate self-actualization? I’m going with no…(it’s the journey, it’s the journey, infinity).
Fashion is the only thing right now that I feel like I can count on – the luxurious comfort of enjoying cashmere, leather and silk on my skin. I appreciate having someplace to go where I can wear clothes that may or may not reflect the lifestyle I have in the now.
I am in love with Vince, Theory, Rag & Bone…. My Vince lamb leather skirt is in heavy rotation, currently. It is like butttttaaaahhhhh!
I look forward to the time (the actual day and moment) when I can set up my jewelry shop, both on-line and on my back porch where one side will be jewelry and the other side will be my encaustic art studio.
I have visions of new paintings based on the instructions I gave for my students’ peace posters, as well as work that piggy-backs on the past – hearts, fans, horseshoes and other familiar motifs.
I am contemplating creating a viral holiday, called Positivity Day or Creation Day or Art Appreciation Day, where friends gather in party form (parades would work too) to simply celebrate one another’s talents, as its primary goal/function.
The dream is to have it all – the art, the fashion, the writing, the celebration – that creative life is the golden dream.
That’s what’s authentic. <3
I know – I have a lot of sweaters. I keep them in two cedar chests. Pullovers in one, cardigans in the other. I am in love with Theory right now. The cashmere is luxurious!
This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for on-line shopping. And of course, for all the wonderful people in my life including you. I feel incredibly blessed – thank you, thank you, thank you! <3
Last week there was a day I forgot to bring a mask. I had to wear a standard issue one from the stash the school gave me. Ugh! It is crazy how different school is these days with the masks and the social distancing – the integration of the on-line technology and all the paperwork/organization/mayhem. But it hasn’t put a damper on the fun.
My students are happy to be back in school. I only actually have classes twice a week and students are there one day and at home the other day. My colleague and instagram photographer, Katy, and I, have been working together to recreate our art courses to align with the new safety protocols and to allow students to access the courses on-line. No clay, paint or collage work this year – the focus is more on formal principals of art, illustration and design.
We purchased sketchbooks for everyone, as well as dry media including markers and colored pencils. We are still working with the local Lions Club (awesome!) to create peace posters for their international contest. Some of my students may become professional artists by the end of the month.
I know I haven’t blogged much since the onset of these “Covid-19 months”. I plan to improve my on-line store on this site – I’ve upgraded the website to the bells and whistles one, but I haven’t really gotten around to uploading more than a few bracelets for sale. I have a new email address – artist@karentash.com. And I did go to a museum today. I’ll be writing a couple of blog posts about that soon.
I’m happy to be back to school too. I love fashion sooo much – love getting dressed to go someplace. I’m having fun incorporating the mask into the mix – the ones from Kes are phenomenal because I can wear them around the neck during mask breaks. My other favorite ones are by Jonathan Simkhai and, yes, my own, available on www.redbubble.com.
Oh, and, of course, I am a blonde now so I look a lot different than I did in March.
Change is good. <3
Here are my outfits of the day for the month of March 2020. No more school for a while. I just discovered a show on ABC called Schooled to help with my school withdrawal. It is almost as funny as the silly things kids say at real school. It’s set in the ’90s, which is when I started working at my job. Back then I think my fashion look was sort of Monica from Friends.
Just completed a legit full week of work with outfits of the day to show for it. I am all about silk, silk-velvet, leather and embellishments, and have taken to wearing the bracelets I created over the summer.
There are over five hundred bracelets in stock with more on the way. I’m obsessed with this new venture! I’m waiting for the arrival of tags and some other supplies. Will be launching the collection soon! <3
Location #ootd part II: with friends and family
Here are some of my Instagram photographs taken outside of the classroom. Summer rocks! So grateful for time off of work, for time to enjoy the sunshine. And for time to bask in the creation of art, and in the appreciation of it. #blessed <3
I am currently obsessed with Theory cashmere sweaters. I have five and wore them every day this week. Love, love, LOVE!!! <3 . I guess I also love that it is still chilly enough to wear them to work, lol (it is May, after all).
Love how you get one new thing and all of a sudden everything in your closet feels new too.
One more week until the school fair. It is on Friday, May 10, 2019 from 5:30 – 8:00 pm at Chittenango High School. On Monday, I will make final edits on what I will be bringing this year. And after that, we will be on the tail end of the school year!
There is still a lot to do. My Art-8 students are all making papier-mache sculptures or reductive floral foam sculptures. Next week, 8th grade Studio in Art students are going to take a time-out from their still-life paintings to do a clay project and my Art-5 students are glazing clay sculptures. We are very busy/very messy right now. It is really fun! I love my life!!!
