Abstract Dr. Sketchy’s 8, ink on paper, 2010 by Sarah Atlee. Click image to view source.

Check out the new additions to my Flickr site – abstract drawings from this year’s previous Dr. Sketchy’s sessions.

Carl Sandburg: Crimson, prismacolor in altered book, 2009 by Sarah Atlee. Click image to view source.

It’s a cliche, but I’m honored just to be nominated. Some of my favoite blogs are also up for awards, like Debby Kaspari’s Drawing the Motmot and OVAC’s excellent blog. Vote by February 14!

Click here to see some more drawings from Dr. Sketchy’s OKC, or to learn more about this whole bidness.

2000 I have my first solo show, ____ day of my life, at the now-defunct ASA Gallery at UNM.
2001 My senior thesis show, Actual Size, sells out. I graduate from UNM with a BFA.
2002 Making art on my own in Indiana, I realize that I need more instruction to become a better painter. This becomes my goal in applying to graduate school.
2003 I begin graduate study at RIT.
2004 I learn a heck of a lot about the illustration business, and my personal style really begins to solidify. I start making paintings like this.
2005 I complete my graduate thesis show. One of these paintings is accepted to the Society of Illustrators Scholarship Competition.
2006 I move to Oklahoma, and am warmly welcomed into the artistic community here.
2007 I get a beautiful studio above Mainsite Gallery, and a slot in the Art 365 program.
2008 The Art 365 show debuts, including my series Normal, OK.
2009 I join the fabulous, inspiring, nerdcore community at the Oklahoma City Coworking Collaborative, or okcCoCo.

And from this past year, 2009:

January: I make two drawings for the Seeing Other People show curated by Jennifer Barron.
February: I take my family to Society of Illustrators in NYC to see my piece in the annual Book Illustration exhibition.
March: I quit my last day job to commit to art full-time. Haaaa-le-lu-jah
April: I attend OVAC’s Artists’ Retreat at Quartz Mountain, where I learn all about residencies.
May: I began the Occupied project, on my own, because a) I wanted to and b) I can.
June: My drawing of romy is accepted to the 24 Works On Paper travelling exhibition.
July: Back to Normal: Normal, OK Revisited opens at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum.
August: I join the okcCoCo and move my studio there.
November: I’m accepted into OVAC’s first Oklahoma Art Writing and Curatorial Fellowship.
December: Looking forward to 2010. There have been so many positive changes for me in recent years, I can’t wait to see what comes next.

The 12 Fellows for the first Oklahoma Art Writing & Curatorial Fellowship have been announced. I can’t wait to get started!

There’s an article in the Journal Record today about the Fellowship, plus a photo of me looking downright respectable in my studio. Snip:

The fellows selected for the program will be matched with mentors ranging from a curator in Cleveland, Ohio, to an art critic in New York City to an art professor from Fort Worth, Texas. Mentors and fellows will work together on contemporary art writing, and mentors will guide their fellows on a final project. The public can be part of the process at three panel discussions scheduled for February, March and September at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

These are my favorite Flickr photos from the last month. Shots from the annual Ghouls Gone Wild Parade make this the semi-Halloween edition. (See plenty more ghouls here.)

Flickr Gallery: Visual Diary, October 2009.

See what else I’ve Found on Flickr.

Get your sketchbooks out, tomorrow is Worldwide Sketch Crawl Day # 24.

Sketch Crawl is an excuse to draw whatever’s in front of you or inside your head for a whole day. (It’s like a pub crawl, but a lot more productive.) Challenge yourself, and don’t forget to stretch first. Click here to read more about participating.

I am at the end of my summer sketchbook, an upcycled beauty made by Lindsey Zodrow at Collected Thread here in OKC. I’m transitioning over to another upcycled sketchbook by Sparrowtracks, and I may dip into some Moleskine kraft-cover books.

Looking for some ideas? Have a look at the sketchbooks of Doug Chayka and Debby Kaspari. Or, download one of two pocket guides created by artist Michael Nobbs, 75 Ways to Draw More and Start to Draw Your Life. Go!

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition is gearing up for their 2009-2010 Artist Survival Kit Workshop season. (I’m on the workshop committee, so you can read more about them here in the coming weeks.)

First up is “Dreaming Big: Public Art,” two workshops to answer questions and help artists prepare to apply for the Public Art Mentorship. The Public Art Mentorship will offer commissions to three artists, totaling $75,000, as well as the assistance of experienced public artist, Lynn Basa. This workshop will be held in Tulsa on August 22 and in Oklahoma City on August 29.

In September there will be “Artist Proposal Writing” workshops. Each of these will focus on proposals for the next Art 365 and Momentum opportunities. This will be held in Tulsa on September 10 and in Oklahoma City on September 15.

I’ve been to several of the ASK workshops held by OVAC, and they are not to be missed. I always come away feeling well-informed and energized.

Click here for a full listing of OVAC’s upcoming workshops, plus registration links. This page will be updated regularly, so check back.

Not an OVAC member yet? Here’s why you should be.

OKCCoCo is a new collaborative coworking space in downtown Oklahoma City. It’s a place for freelancers and entrepreneurs who don’t have offices of their own to work and network. At the CoCo, people work to further their careers or reinvent themselves in new businesses. The concept is a little difficult to get across, so watch the video for more insight.

I recently moved into one of the CoCo’s reserved offices, and have set up my studio there. It has changed my life for the better. I’m excited about being among a community of creative people, not just from the art world, but other fields as well.

It’s not just for geeks! The CoCo wants to expand their artistic community, and are doing so through events like the monthly DIY craft meeting, and the upcoming Craft Camp Weekend.

The CoCo offers various membership plans, detailed here. There’s something here for everyone.

Via the SILA blog.

Today is the 23rd International Sketch Crawl Day! Go ye and make drawings in ye Books of Sketch. Browse the SketchCrawl Flickr pool here.

Hey, Okies: who wants to converge for the next Sketch Crawl, in more or less October? (The official date has not yet been released.) All we have to do is draw. Let’s talk about it.

This post is part of NaBloPoMo for July 2009.