Some Kisses From Luscious Lips!

XXmuahXX is coming along nicely. It's debut pic is posted below, and I have worked on it since, so it is ever evolving.

So, I have changed it's scope a bit and have another question for the reading audience:

What does the perfect kiss feel like to you?

I am hoping that this will draw more of a descriptive response.

The Art Front

Photography:

I finished the wedding pics that I spoke of in previous posts. I created a DVD, and am extremely pleased with the outcome. It was a rather long video, so posting it here is not an option. An opportunity to shoot another wedding has presented itself from this wedding.

Painting:

Aside from my own paintings, I have been asked by a friend of the family to paint a mural on a room wall. Word of mouth advertisement has proven to be very kind to me. This friend of the family has passed the word on and I now have yet another gig.

Jewelry:

My sister has been talking me up to some shops in Delaware. It looks like I may be in another store in this area soon.

All in all folks, I am thankful to the man above that things are on the up and up. I am holding the many balls that I am juggling fairly well, and must say that I am loving it.

Words of Wisdom

Management means, in the last analysis, the substitution of thought for brawn and muscle, of knowledge for folkways and superstition, and of cooperation for force. It means the substitution of responsibility for obedience to rank, and of authority of performance for the authority of rank.

~Peter Drucker

Be Blessed!

Is it for Sale?

I have to say that I have been extremely blessed. So much so that it is beyond measure and certainly more than I have ever thought or could have imagined. My creativity is speaking for itself and taking flight all on its own.

The mini photo shoot that I had about 2 weeks ago for a 40th renewing of vows ceremony, went well. I have posted a few pics to the side. I took over 300 or so shots. I managed to edit them, and plan to send them off the their perspective home over the weekend.

XXmuahXX is well underway. I plan to have it done within the next couple of weeks...meaning two weeks. It's not as large as some of the other pieces that I have shown, but nonetheless very interesting. I will post progression pictures in the near future

So, the question has been, "Are my pieces in the market to be sold?" The answer to that question at the moment would be...yes and no. The pieces that I have been posting for your viewing pleasure and feedback are not on sale at the moment. I am in the process of getting my pieces in some galleries and need to make sure that my portfolio is forever building. However, there are a few (and I do mean a few) at the moment that are in the market to be sold outside of the body of work that I am currently working on. They are not really anything like what I have been working on, but if I may toot my own horn...fabulous just the same. LOL! Of course I will be posting the galleries where my art is being displayed. If it is in a city near you and you feel inclined to purchase a piece, that would be great!

Pearls of Wisdom:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~Melodie Beattie

Be Blessed!

XXmuahXX

I have finished the button piece that I was working on and ventured onto yet another piece. Interesting it is to say the least and has been on my mind since I have been in that loving kind of mood.

The title is XXmuahXX. Its birth started perhaps a few weeks ago as I sat and spoke to my mother about kisses. I rambled on and on about the good ones, the bad ones, the missed ones, so forth and so on. I simply explained just how much I desired to be kissed.

It strikes me as strange that at a young age I looked at kissing as just that…kissing. It felt wonderful as my young hormones raged. However, in my aging and as Lovebabz would say, coming into my “grown woman”, I have grown to seek kisses for different reasons. I have grown to understand that a kiss is not simply just a kiss….as the song goes. It’s much more. It denotes so much: friendship, love, care, honesty, etc.

Kisses act as a sort of binding contract, and at times serve as a sign of betrayal. They normally take place at the beginning and the end of interacting with another individual. You kiss a family member or friend when you first come into their presence and then before you leave. A kiss between lovers is shared during the beginning of the courtship phase and often at the end of the courtship (mostly if ended amicably). Lovers kiss to engage and end a particular act of sexual intimacy.

Kisses can be simple and complicated all at the same time. They can be sweet, but bitter. They can be loving, yet unforgiving. They can be passionate, yet mean nothing. They can be innocent, but mean the world. They can be passive, yet aggressive. They can be fearful, but exhilarating. They have the ability to make you smile and cry all at the same time.

Simply put…lips are wonderful body parts that God has made, and kisses are simple nuggets of joy that can be shared with others through them. So, XXmuahXX is a homage to all of the fabulous kinds of kisses.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU
Have you given a kiss or been kissed lately?
Where did it take place?
Where was the kiss placed?
What type of kiss was it?
What was your experience?

*As many of you know, I combine my writing with my pieces. I would love to gain feedback in order to place some of it in my piece. If you would like to forward this on to others, that would be great. The more the merrier. There is a possibility that it may or may not be used. Thanks you so much!

Be Blessed!

The End or the Beginning?

As my life has begun to become consumed with my various responsibilities, I played with the idea of ceasing to continue this blog. I haven't been able to give it the time that I had originally planned to do at its start. I also found myself writing more about who I was, and the many things that was swirling around in my head as oppose to the artwork that I was creating. To the outside world it may have seemed that the two didn't coincide, but to me...they do. But as I really started to think about things...I need to continue. I will continue. I need to push through even when I don't feel like doing so. So, here goes folks. I will blog about my artwork. I will blog about my random thoughts. I will blog about school. I will blog about whatever I so please to blog about!

Playing Catch Up

I have recently started school. Yes...me...school! I never thought that I would be the one that would attend school after declaring never to return approximately 8 years ago. Although I like to do what I would call "recreational writing", I never became fond of technical writing. You know...the papers that can run 20 pages or so. However, the opportunity to become schooled in something that I always wanted to do, without the paper drama arose, and it was so unlike me to say no.

I said yes...and in return, school has said yes to me. It is showing in my grades, which I am grateful to be able to say. I will have completed my program in March of 09, with my National Certification as a Massage Therapist. Unconventional, yet so me. I am loving it you all. I am enjoying the practical portion the most. Where can you go get an education and get a massage daily. It's a beautiful thing.

The Art Front

Photography: I am going to be photographing a great friend of the families 40th wedding anniversary in mid September. I happened to take some shots at a cousin of mines surprise birthday party last month, in preparation for the wedding anniversary. I am trying to take Buddy plenty of places to make sure that I am up to par.

Jewelry: I am happy to announce that the jewelry in Elle Bee is doing well. My pieces are selling, which is the ultimate goal.

Buttons: I am finishing the piece that I am currently working on this evening. I have only a couple of stiches left to complete and it will be a finished work. It's exciting. I have to say out of the whole series, I draw to this piece the most. It chronicles the relationship/courtship between a man and a woman.

Pearls of Wisdom:
I am still on this whimsical love ride you all. Not that love has come yet, but the idea of the love that awaits me has me feeling marvelous.

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
~Carl Jung

Be Blessed!

Enamored With Buddy

I have taken Buddy out for numerous occassions now. I find myself just wanting to take him out wherever I go. Sidebar: For those that have not had the pleasure of reading...Buddy is my camera. End Sidebar.

The train is always a source of fascination for me. The tracks, the signs, the waiting areas, inside or outside stops, and those that are waiting to aboard. It's a place where some folks spend massive amounts of time and others use minimally.

I have more recently been interested in alleys. I can't explain exactly why. Perhaps it is the fact that they are dingy, but yet have so much character attached to them. I can remember passing an alley way in the wee hours of the morning while walking to work in Philly. It would be dark, but this particular alley would be illuminated by the pastry shop that stood at the it's end.

Graffiti and murals are also a thing for me, especially when they are well done. It's truly phenomenal how people can pull together to get something as massive as a mural accomplished. It is also pretty swift of a graffiti artist to pull off his/her work (tags) on a strict time constraint and having to constantly look over their shoulder.

Pearls of Wisdom:
"If you love what you do, then it is no longer work. The money you earn is secondary when you love your work." ~Catherine Pulsifer, a quote from Love What You Do

Are you loving what you do today?

Be Blessed!

Sore Fingers Return

I am finally back to the button series. It is going smashingly well. It is actually going better than I expected, as it has been a minute since I have attended to it. I am assuming that is why it is going so well. My buttons need lots of love and attention, and so do my fingers. They become extremely sore during the process. So, I have vowed to do the button piece in small spurts..perhaps one or two a month, depending on the size of the particular piece.

Other Art Updates:

Photography: I have been using Buddy quite a bit. I have committed to taking him out at least once a week and sometimes more than that. It is wonderful the things that are available to be photographed. Often times it is the unsuspected things that create a fabulous photo. In another week or so, I am looking to post some of the pictures that I have taken on this photography site.

Paintings: I painted another panel in a series on my niece and nephews. I didn't like it at all. I would say that I hated it, but I love the subject...(otherwise known as "my kids"). Even though I didn't like the way that things were turning out, I decided to push through and finish it anyway. I once heard the creator of The Joy of Living Creatively say that an artist does not always like everything that he/she creates. However, an artist should not let that one faux pas stop them from creating masterpieces. The ideal is to push through that particular piece to get to the next piece. I have vowed to push through so that my creativity is never stagnant.

Jewelry: The ETSY page is up. I haven't made any sales as of yet, but then again I haven't made the effort to put much more on there since about 2 weeks ago. I have created some more jewelry, but I just need to put it on the website. That is me being a bit lazy on that end. I will find out how things are selling at Elle Bee Studio by the end of this month. The check in the mail will tell me. Other than that, I have been getting lots of compliments on the pieces that I have been wearing. It is making a buzz around town and selling itself for the most part.

Pearls of Wisdom:

I've been in a loving kind of mood for the last couple of weeks. So, just bare with a sister and allow the love that has been so graciously given to me spill over and engulf you! ENJOY!

"You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth." -Unknown

Be Blessed!

I Went ETSY!!!

Hey all!!! I have been a little off kilter when it comes to blogging. There is so much that I want to say, but I find it hard to sit down and just do what I am supposed to do...write. So I am here now with some overdo updates.

Jewelry: Okay...my pieces are in the Elle Bee store. I am not aware if they are selling, but I will know by the end of the month. My sister friend Lovebabz has purchased some of my goods and is pleased. Thank you Love! And I went ETSY you all. I am now selling my wearable works of art there. The site address is as follows: http://www.exo31artist.etsy.com/ I don't have much on the site as of yet, but keep posted, there will be more to come. Visit the site, let me know what you think and if you like...pass the word on. Oh and Torrance...I haven't forgotten about you! I am doing some research to get you some slamming doggy wearable art.

Photography: Buddy has not been in use aside from me taking shots of my jewelry. When I purchased Buddy I said that I was going to shoot at least once a week. Ask me how many times I shot....not much. It's funny, I have a phobia of taking Buddy out. I know it sounds weird, but a part of me does. I will get out of it real soon as I paid too much to keep it under raps and not used.

Buttons: I actually haven't worked on the buttons in a minute. They are still in the making though.

Paintings: I have just started a new diptych on mirrors. I am loving the concept thus far. It will be up here in a couple of days as it shouldn't take me more than that to finish.

Pearls of Wisdom:
We become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts. -Aristotle

Leaving anonymous quotes is cowardly. Be brave and do a brave act by stating exactly who you are.