Still Life Paintings at Magnolias

Manhattan. Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 30 x 30 inches, 2015 by Sarah Atlee. $1,800 For purchase inquiries, contact Ro2 Art at (214) 803 9597 or visit this piece on Artsy.

Are you in or about Dallas, looking for the perfect cup of coffee? Look no further than Magnolias Sous le Pont. And while you're there, enjoy a gathering of succulent still life paintings by Sarah Atlee!

Put this on your calendar for next year (and every year): September 29 is National Coffee Day. Magnolias celebrated this year with a day of music, art, and endless cups of that heavenly brown nectar. They were also nice enough to interview me about my work and process.

Still Life will be up at Magnolias (map link) through 7 January 2017.

What's Cooking Inside While it Cooks Outside

Yep, it's what we call the Dog Days. While the world outside bakes to a nice golden brown, I'm in the studio gearing up for Fall 2015 ...and beyond.

Ah, the pleasure of that first underpainting. Sometimes I don't want to cover it up.

CHAOS is on display at Ro2 Art in Dallas through September 12! Don't miss it.

Black-Eye Susan and Shrinking Violet, acrylic on panel, 5x5 inches each (9x9 framed).

Save the Date!

Wyld Flowerz, an exhibition of new abstractions, will open at STASH in downtown Norman, OK on Friday 9 October 2015. More details to follow.

Here's a different view of that underpainting, a few layers later.

I'm pleased to share the news that my relationship with Cerulean Gallery in Amarillo, Texas will continue into 2016. More news as the situation develops.

I've been sewing quite a bit. I've begun volunteering with the Community First! Quilters, a connection made through the Austin chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. These are my variation on the traditional flying geese quilt block - I call them flying bats. We see those here from time to time.

This will be Tough Cookie. Right now she's only half-baked.

I do get out sometimes, and go places like the Red Room Lounge.

I do make dinner sometimes, like this caprese salad with marinated zucchini.

CHAOS! Small Works at Ro2 Art 2015.08.01

To inquire about purchasing the works featured below, contact Ro2 Art at  jordan@ro2art.com or (214) 803-9575 Lay of the Land. Acrylic on canvas, 5x5 inches (8x8 framed) by Sarah Atlee. $250

What: CHAOS 2015 - An exhibition of small works

When: 1 August - 12 September 2015

Where: Ro2 Art, 110 N Akard, Dallas TX 75202 (map link)

Opening Reception: Saturday 1 August, 7-10 pm. Free and open to the public!

Ro2 Art is pleased to present CHAOS!!! 2015 - a curated exhibition of small works featuring over 100 Ro2 Artists and guests. The show consists of work in virtually every medium – all presented on an intimate scale (12 x 12 x 12 inches or smaller).

After two memorable editions, the show returns for a third year, promising to provide an outlet for a wide variety of artists to present work to established and emerging collectors.

As in previous years, the artists represented by the gallery are joined by invited guests, creating a dynamic unique to Ro2 Art's CHAOS exhibition. The majority of artists are from Texas, joined by a number of notable artists from around the country and Europe.

See selected works from the CHAOS exhibition on Artsy.

Stone Garden, Grey Shelter. Acrylic on panel, 5x5 inches (8x8 framed) by Sarah Atlee. $250

* Look at this image and move your mouse's scroll wheel up and down. wooooooo

For More Information

Ro2 Art gallery website

CHAOS opening reception event on Facebook

Ro2 Art on Artsy

On Presence: Texas Galleries at the 2015 Dallas Art Fair

Breakfast: Peaches, Coffee, Shogun and Peaches & Quilt by Sarah Atlee. Seen here as part of Ro2 Art's exhibition at the 2015 Dallas Art Fair.

Ugh, another art fair?

Art fairs. We've come to expect a certain amount of cynicism connected with these events. There's the jaded art press, the buyers with more money than sense, the gallerists pushing the latest shock-&-schlock, and artists like me - who feel left out of the whole insular art fair circuit.

That's one very dismal view of this business. I'd like to offer a counterpoint, based on my recent experience at the Dallas Art Fair.

The DAF has been running annually for the past seven years. The number of galleries from Texas and the surrounding region has dwindled to make way for exhibitors from around the globe, making it a truly international affair. This was my first visit to the DAF. It was also the first time I had work in an art fair.

Fair visitors discussing work in Ro2 Art's booth.

It was exciting to participate in such a global event. However, the Texas galleries represented at the 2015 DAF stood out firmly from the crowd. What was the one thing that made the difference?

Engagement.

Nobody from a Texas gallery was too cool to talk to me. Nobody from a Texas gallery looked at my shoes and decided that I wasn't about to drop six figures in their booth, so I must not be worth their time. Nobody from a Texas gallery sat staring at their iPad while I looked at the art on their walls.

Instead, the Texas gallerists were greeting visitors, offering information about the artists and their work, all with smiles on their faces. They were engaged. They know that long-term success in the art business isn't about trends, stars, or dollars - it's about relationships. And a good relationship starts with courtesy and a smile.

(This isn't to say that the Texas gallerists were the only engaged participants at the fair. But the atmosphere of presence was so noticeable in the local booths that it's worth noting.)

Ro2 Art co-owner Jordan Roth greeting visitors at the 2015 Dallas Art Fair.

Thank you, Texas.

I want to thank the following galleries for representing my new home state so beautifully: Barry Whistler Gallery, Conduit Gallery, Cris Worley Fine Arts, Galleri Urbane Marfa + Dallas, Kirk Hopper Fine Art, Ro2 Art, Sicardi Gallery, Talley Dunn Gallery, Valley House Gallery & Sculpture Garden, William Campbell Contemporary Art, and Zhulong Gallery.

For the first time, I'm very proud to be a Texas artist.

Read more about the 2015 Dallas Art Fair

Glasstire: A Loose Guide: Some Picks and Pics of the Dallas Art Fair, More Dallas Art Fair 2015

Artnews: Gone to Texas: The Art World Flocks to Dallas Art Fair for a Little Lonestar Hospitality

Interview: 10 Picks from the Dallas Art Fair 2015 (3 of the 10 are from Texas galleries.)

Blouin Art Info International: What to See (and Buy) at the Dallas Art Fair

See the whole enchilada on Artsy.

Cheers! For Real.

Wineglass. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches by Sarah Atlee.

For Real at Ro2 Art in Dallas is coming to an end. I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Jordan and Susan Roth for being my gracious hosts - you guys are awesome.

Join us Sunday, March 8th 2015 for a closing reception and artist talk. All the details are right here.

What's Next? Sign up for my email announcements and you won't miss a thing!

For Real has been reviewed by Jenny Block for The Huffington Post! Read the full review here: "A Hyperrealism That Questions Reality With James Zamora and Sarah Atlee at RO2 Art"