2.22.2011

TPT: Stars+Rocks

So, last Tuesday I only wrote one post. It's been a rough week, ya'll. ROUGH, but I'm still here. Hopefully I will get to two posts today, I just have to paint something, which may or may not happen. I do have a BIG project I'm working on right now. I'm thinking I'm going to count it as three pieces. That's the amount of time and headache it will cause. So, yep. It's been decided.

When I decided to Be the Change and stay out of the store to support other hand crafters bakk in December, I made a purchase from Stars+Rocks too. I was partnered with Stars+Rocks for some time as Jazmine was responsible for making all the jewelry I sold over the last few years. She recently went off to serve our country in the army, so I tried to help clear up her inventory before she made the move. Here's what I bought:

OOPS! I forgot a pair of earrings! I haven't worn them yet. 

I've really had a Stars+Rocks weekend. I wore that big chunky nekklace w/ the spider bracelet to Finer Womanhood Sunday with the sorors. I would have taken a picture, but I was too cute and too late when I left. I don't like the after a few hours photos. They don't seem fresh. Just know I rokked it. Yesterday, I wore half of the lokk and key earrings. Just the lokk. I rokked SYM1 Yesterday too!


Oh and ya'll know I love peacokks! I wore those earrings...well one of them to lunch with the sorors last month right after the snow storm. With my RED lipstikk! #BOOM


You can chekk out more of the sparkly flyness from Stars+Rokks at the Etsy store. Only bad news is the store isn't open right now, since Jazmine is away and all. The store will reopen in June and I'll repost this so you all will know how to get more faaaaabulous jewels.

P.S. I still haven't purchased anything other than cosmetics from the store. I did, however, go to Macy's yesterday. I used a gift card though. Two months...no shopping. I'm amazed that I'm still here.

2.15.2011

TPT: Naming Paintings, What You See

I'm so gangster (I like the ER), I'm just gon skip Monday and move right on over to Tuesday's posts. 

You know what is the most fun and possibly challenging thing about these canvas pieces? Naming them. Of course, I could just skip all that because they have ID numbers, but I'd be a bad mother if I call them my babies and didn't give them proper names. Sometimes they choose their own names. Sometimes we argue about what they should be called. Sometimes I name them while they are still in my head. Sometimes I wait until they are done...and sometimes I name them again after that. 

Part of the difficulty is trying not to be so obvious. Trying not to be cliche. Trying not to be repetitive. Most importantly though, I'm not necessarily trying to make you see what I see in a painting. One thing I really love about art is that you can decide for yourself what it is, what it's trying to say and how it makes you feel. So, although I may know off top what the paintings says to me, I'm okay with letting you decide what it means to you. If I say it's an elephant and you say it's a big grey dog with alopecia, I'm cool with that. 

One of the things I hate most is for "experts" to try to dissect artwork and tell you what the artist meant. And that is what it means leaving absolutely NO room for personal interpretation. Well that just destroys a part of the process. I feel like it actually kills the art. Now it's no longer fluid...and open. Now it just IS. Kind of like a magic trikk when you know exactly how it's done. Just takes the magic out of it. So, I'm always interested to see what you all think about or see in my work. I take pleasure in it.  

2.14.2011

Big Numbers: 42-44 I finished stuff!

Heeeey! I was doing just fine...mostly...I think. I painted every day though I did not write. I started things. I finished things. I've found something to like. I'm happy enough. Here goes.

I did this piece as a donation to friends/frat&soror/customers for their Valentine's Day ball at their church. This was FUN! I already started one for myself. It's going to be bigger, a different color and the scripture will be different.

73/1000 "1st Love"


Then, I did this. It was fun too! I thought the composition was interesting. Don't think I've seen anything like it before. Mommy says she looks like a paper doll. I said it looked like the magic trikk where the magician puts the girl in the box and mixes her body parts up. What say you?

74/1000 and 75/1000 "Scrambled Leggs" 


Loooooooong legs. 



Did ya'll know I LOVE sokks? I didn't know this at first. For many years, I only wore white sokks, but my collection of fun sokks is growing steadily. Bright colors and patters make me happy. I believe when you wear really nice panties, you feel sexy, but when you wear really cute sokks, you feel happy. If you wear both...with a good bra, you'll probably have a FABULOUS day. I did wear a cute pair of knee highs while I painted this. I guess it was a double dose of happy. It made me feel better. I will make more. Maybe thigh highs next time. What ya'll think? I think I want to photograph them framed....when I get frames. 


And here are the 5x7s for the last three days. I don't think I have any thing profound or in depth about this.

42/365 and 77/1000 "Squiggly Puff" 
Saw a big flower on a belt. This is what happened. I wanted to make the belt too, but I'm not buying anything, so it probably won't happen.

43/365 and 78/1000 "Getting Dressed" 
I saw a picture on a wall on an interior design show. I liked it. I said..."ooooh!!!" I tried it. Not NEARLY as fly (or big for that matter), but it's cute like. I added some pearls. Pearls make everything lady like, but for some reason I also associate them with closet freaks. Imitation modesty. I like pearls... :D (Why are there no smileys for my blog?)

44/365 and 79/1000 "YTD"
Oh, I do want to try this again. I think I'll PLAN it next time. The color made me think of dessert. I like desserts. I started with "yummy" and worked my way out from there.

I have a bunch of orders and a terribly BUSY and quite possibly ROUGH week ahead. HEAR. ME. *SIGH.* Oh well, my name is SYM and I got my own cape. 3 day total...7. 79 down...921 pieces and 321 days to go. I got this. *nervous laugh....hearty giggle* :D

2.11.2011

Big Numbers: Day 38-41

Who missed me? Anybody? I missed here. Kinda. I was on...umm...a moment. I was (and still am) all in my feelings and they were kikkin my butt. I just laid down and let them win. I feel...better. I'm trying to paint through it. I did manage to get some things done yesterday. Not a lot. Not as much as I wanted, but previous thoughts were reinforced. Don't rush. Can't force it. Let it be what it wants to be. Haven't quite figured out how to DEMAND that the paint be ready to be whatever it is when I want it to be and to still try not to force it to be what it is too soon. *sigh* Relationships.

Anywho, I painted this for myself. It helped me feel better. After I was done, I saw way more in it than I had intended to be in it. So, find what you want in it. Have fun.

68/1000 "I Won't Complain" or "Hostage" 
Here are the four 5x7s from the last 4 days.

38/365 and 69/1000 "Sketchy Character"

39/365 and 70/1000 "Reflection of a Heartbeat" 

40/365 and 71/1000  "Floral Peace"
I've been feeling purple lately. I don't know what feeling purple is, but I have it. 

41/365 and 72/1000 "Bugs from Space" 
I've been painting so much for me, I'm finding it harder to take requests. It's frustrating and difficult. Then the fact that it's not coming as easily frustrates me. It is not well. Just as in the last post, I've started on lots of items. I didn't finish anything from that post and I've started more since then. I'm just sitting on bunches of incomplete items. My energy right now isn't happy, but whatever it is has resulted in me finally finishing some things. I won't complain.

Final count...4 days...ummmera...5 pieces. 72 down. 928 pieces and 314 days to go.

2.07.2011

Big Numbers: Day 37 (What I'm Working On)

I've altered my sleeping patterns to adjust to my mother's so that I can hang out with her while she is awake and then work uninterrupted while she's sleeping. I think it probably makes for less working hours on some days, but this quiet time at night is invaluable. It also means I can't stay awake during the day, but naps are beautiful little calorie free treats. We should all have more.

I was in some kind of mood today. I was thinking about putting toothpaste and other household products on the canvas...just to see what would happen. Science. I was thinking, so I decided that wouldn't be best. I thought green paint would be a better choice. I like green. Preferably a bright apple like green. It's one of my (current) favorite colors. So that's where I started. I had fun.

"Blossom" 37/365 and 67/1000
I spent the rest of the time working on some shirts for mommy and me. We like bright colors around these parts. See the green again?

Spring and Summer @ SYM1's

So far, I've got four shirts cut up and ready for paint. Speaking of cutting, some really great and insanely sharp scissors (with golden handles) would be nice. Then I'm working on finishing an umbrella.......that I started maybe two years ago. 2 paintings. I have a shirt here from mommy's closet that desires an embellishment. The two pairs of shoes that I have yet to start and a week's worth of orders. Joy to the world!

I'm starting to feel like......I'm slakking. Too much downtime during the day, coupled with a not completing lots of stuff per day has me feeling like I'm slowing down way too soon. I'm definitely trying to nip that in the bud, then beat it with a stikk. Part of feeling accomplished is feeling like you've made progress. I'm progressing...but more progressing would make me feel better.

Final count for today 1. 67 down...933 pieces and 328 days to go.

2.06.2011

Big Numbers: Day 35 and 36

Last night, I was out really late. I came home with the intention to paint. I managed to stay up long enough to do it and everything. I was excited, but I didn't do it though. I couldn't make a decision about what should have been done, so I just stared at the canvas. Then I went to sleep. Today I painted for yesterday and today. If I counted all these fabulous dinners I cook, I'd be much further along in this process. I didn't get as far as I planned today, but great things happened.


Today I learned that my mother is amazingly helpful...simply by looking. Is anyone else amazed at how many great ideas you can come up with on your own by just saying them out loud to someone else? I go downstairs carrying the shirts I mentioned in the last post. I wasn't feeling entirely sure about either of them. After a few minutes with mommy, not only did I make a decision about the shirts, but I also had two new ideas. WOOP! I didn't get to start on them today, but I did pull the shirts out. I'm ready. And excited. Something new is on the horizon. *cabbage patch*

Here's what I was going for yesterday. All I could come up with was PURPLE. I didn't know what else to do, so I stopped. Today, I still felt purple, so I took a stab at it. It made me think of fog and beaches. Maybe at sunset?

"Feeling Purple" 35/365 and 65/365
This was supposed to be "Sex is White" but it started to look gloomy. Who wants that kind of sex? Not I said the cat. It did look like the past three days here in Atlanta though. So I ran with it. Don't fight the artwork.

"When it Rains" 36/365 and 66/1000

Final count for the day 2. 66 down...934 pieces and 329 days to go.

2.04.2011

Big Numbers: Day 34 (I made a mess)

Today hasn't been terribly busy. It's actually been nice. I've been experimenting...hence the mess. Not with paint. With my SCISSORS! Fun and stuff. I think I'll follow up my cutting with some paint. Not sure yet. I'm just messing around. Seeing what I can do. I'll have to show you guys these things once I'm finished and actually wearing them...wait, I own mannequins! It's either or, but I know for a fact that none of this will look great just laying flat.

Anyway, that's all I have to share. Here is the picture for today. It was supposed to be the orange line of the poem, but half way through I decided that I didn't want words on it. I like it the way it is. It reminds me of the ice cream trukk...and push ups...and dreamsicles (that I don't eat), but that's what it made me think of.

34/365 and 64/1000
**Ok, I changed my mind...what's more joyful than the ice cream trukk?**
"Joy is Orange"
Final count for the day is...3. 64 down...936 pieces and 331 days to go.

2.03.2011

Big Numbers: Day 33 (Sometimes, iRamble)

Sorry about yesterday, I just was in NO kind of mood. I'm feeling a lot better today. I wrote a poem. :o)

Sugar is pink
Sunshine is yellow
Joy is orange
Sex is white
Passion is red
Peace is blue
Blakk is beautiful

And we'll call it "Ode to February." Let's all clap for my poetry! #BOOM  My talents are endless people.

I always try to figure out what colors correlate to feelings and events and things. This also applies to flavors. For instance, I've decided that sunshine is yellow. It's pretty literal, but what does sunshine taste like? Maybe watermelon. (HA! I did a piece called sunshine and watermelon on Day 11) These are some of my abstract thoughts. I haven't figured out what color love is or what it taste likes for that matter, but if you'd like to share your thoughts with me, I'd be happy to hear you out. This is fun though. Maybe I'll try to flesh it out. Maybe I'll paint the whole damn poem! You know why? Because my name is SYM and I am awesooooome!!! *Oprah Voice*

The only thing is I usually get bored after I paint something three times in a row, but I've got plenty of days to come bakk to it. Did I tell ya'll I wanted to paint the alphabet? Let's just add 0-9 for good measure. lol. I think I can do it in like 3 months. That'll cover bored days. I'm rambling. I don't care. It's often a sign of a good mood that can turn terribly bad if I don't let some of it out. Deal! 

Oh! I bought paint today. *hangs head in shame* They were on CLEARANCE. I figured it was best to just bite the bullet and buy some today instead of waiting and they were expensive and then I'd be on here MAD because I paid full price and I LOATHE full price. I will go buy more next week. Maybe. Trying to get one of each color.  

So here are the first two lines of the poem. 

32/365 and 60/1000 "Sugar is Pink"
33/365 and 61/1000 "Sunshine is Yellow"

I'll see if I can stay interested enough to work on the other ones this week. I pulled out some shirts for myself that will require cutting, because we already discussed how I didn't have any in my size. Preparing for spring. Yay! Maybe you all will like them and I can make some for you. That would be nice. Ok. I'm done. This is long. I hope it makes up for yesterday. 

Final count for the day 2. 61 down...939 pieces and 332 days to go. 

2.02.2011

Big Numbers: Day 32...ummm...

*sigh* I'm not sleepy, but I'm going to bed. I haven't painted, but I want to. It's just late. My time would be better spent trying to find my groove early tomorrow morning than trying to force something tonight. That's annoying. I'm most productive between 11pm and 3am. Not because I'm necessarily a night person (though I may be), but just because it's quiet. Everybody's asleep. TV sukks. Nobody is talking to me. If it was a feasible option to sleep through the day and work at night, it would definitely be something to consider, but it's not. So, I'm going to try not to stress (because that's not why I'm doing this) about skipping a(nother) day and go to bed and try to be my regular beastly self in the morning.

Positive things are in my future. Amen and goodnight!

2.01.2011

Big Numbers: Day 31

Today was less than exciting. Nothing really to speak of. I finished one of the paintings I started two days ago. Knokked out my 5x7 with little to no resistance. I want to work on some of the others, but 2 am approaches. I should go to bed. Dinner was great. I have a cupcake. That was the extent of my joy for the day.

Here's the first piece I completed. I love. It was fun. No stress. No pressure. Looks like me (not physically...didn't I explain this before?). It's cute and yellow. I was feeling yellow. Not sunshine yellow, but ummm...Easter basket yellow? I don't know, but this worked. Two things about me, I love a long SEXY nekk and jakkets. That's in real life. It translated into this piece. Nice.

"Splash and Class" 58/1000

What am I going to paint today? First thing that comes to mind. FREAK! That was easy. I love orange and blue...and orange and teal together. I have an album to prove it. Oh happy day. I love it when they don't fight with me. This started and ended well.

31/365 and 59/1000

I now have the first month behind me. That went entirely TOO fast. It's been real January. February...it's me and you now. 59 down. 941 pieces and 334 days to go!