Old Fabric, New Life: How Quilts Heal Us

Family History

My Dad died in 2012. We didn't have a great relationship toward the end of his life. Those of you who have experience with addiction and/or toxic family members will probably know what I'm talking about.

My Dad experienced a lot of pain during his life. Some of it was buried so deep that he refused to talk about it. (And, if you knew him, you know that he was a talker.) At one time, his father sent him to military school. That's all I know: that my grandfather sent my dad to military school. No other details were forthcoming. But I have an interesting relic from that time: a laundry bag.

Dad's name was printed on the bag and the ink ran through it or something. I've held onto it for a number of years, and decided to finally use it.

SYNESTHESIA

I was invited to work with Factory Obscura to help launch their 2022-2023 installation SYNESTHESIA at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman, OK. (The town where I was born, as it happens.) Factory Obscura gave me the opportunity to make some items exclusively for the show's popup shop.

SYNESTHESIA is inspired by the work of Olinka Hrdy, a little-known Oklahoma artist who was way ahead of her time.

The artists were given a specific color palette for inspiration. I made some fabric choices, including the canvas laundry bag.

Make Something Beautiful

Quilting is a form of alchemy. Raw materials are combined and transformed, creating new meaning and new possibilities. I took a thing that hurt Dad so bad he couldn't talk about it, and turned it into something beautiful.

The Fuchsia table runner is available in the Store; click here to purchase.

Commissions Are Open!

Are you interested in ordering a custom-made quilt like the one above? Check out sarahatlee.com/commissions for more information. Table runners are, if you will, on the table. So are placemats!

Let’s connect.

You can also find me on my website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, Pinterest, and Linkedin.

Thanks for Coming!

We had a wonderful time at Cerulean Gallery last Friday night for the opening of On Edge Part I. If you missed opening night, the exhibition will be on display through 28 October 2016.

We woke up to rain in Oklahoma that morning, but no worries - the Amarillo sky was perfectly clear for opening night.

Cerulean Gallery always draws a great crowd!

Gallery owner Caroline Kneese looking fabulous in front of Sushi Leftovers.

Visitors enjoying a sculpture by Nic Noblique.

I was so friggin happy to finally see this piece on the wall!

Enjoying the evening.

Sculptor Nic Noblique made sure people tried out his interactive works.

Discussing Heirloom Tomato with an enthusiastic patron.

One always wants to capture a few ...abstract views.

On Edge Part I, featuring work by Sarah Atlee, Fritz Danner, Nic Noblique, and Victoria Taylor-Gore, is on display 16 September – 28 October 2016. Visit Cerulean Gallery to learn more.

Custom Longboards Show @ DnA Galleries, OKC 2010.10.22

Join us for the second annual Custom Longboards show at DnA Galleries, in OKC's fabulous Plaza District, and help Dylan and Amanda celebrate their gallery's second anniversary!

Normal, OK at Legacy Bank, Edmond, 2009.12.09

Normal, OK: Magnolia Black. Acrylic, collage and prismacolor on canvas. Click image to view source.
Legacy Bank Features Contemporary Oklahoman Artist in Edmond   OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Legacy Bank is currently featuring the art work of contemporary Oklahoman artist Sarah Atlee at the location at 15th and Bryant in Edmond’s Spring Creek Village as part of a program called Art Matters. Art Matters is a program initiated by Legacy Bank to support noteworthy artists in our local community.

Here’s a fun game to play in the car: When you pass a road sign that has two town names on it, pretend they are the first and last names of a person. Invent a personality to go with that name. Who is this person? Where did they come from? What do they do for a living? What are their hobbies? Sarah Atlee has played this game enough to populate an entire imaginary community.

“Normal, OK is a fictional construct, a place in my head, based on real places around me,” says Atlee. “In Normal, everyone has a second job, a quiet dream, a lost love, or a former life. Normal is a town of entrepreneurs, artists, upstanding citizens, troublemakers, friends, and a few enemies. I hope you enjoy your visit.”

Please join me at the Legacy Bank Holiday Open House on Wednesday, December 9th, from 11 am to 2 pm. I will be there sketching from 11:00 until closing time at 5:00. Click here to learn more about Normal, OK.

Paseo First Friday 2009.11.06

Ennis Quadrangle, Patron Saint of Honne and Tatemae*, acrylic and collage on stonehenge, 2009. Click image to view source.

Lots of good stuff happening on the Paseo tonight.

aka gallery is featuring Fear Not The Needle, hand-sewn photographs by romy owens. I have new work in aka's back space, including the one pictured above.

Josh Heilaman's lush, fantastical paintings are on display at Art of Yoga. Treat yourself.

JRB Art at the Elms is showing the work of Jim Keffer and John Wolfe, along with their annual Small Works exhibit. Each 8x8" piece in this show is priced at a mere $180! Get 'em while they're hot. Here's my piece, a little piece o' me.

Don't forget the Girlie Show! (As if you could.) Hit the Paseo at 6:00, see the Girlie Show after 8:00, or go back to either on Saturday afternoon. You can do it all!

* I first heard the terms honne and tatemae in this NPR story about translating the untranslatable. Author Christopher J. Moore, in his 2004 book In Other Words, describes these concepts this-a-way:

Tatemae: A term often translated as "form," but it also has the specific cultural meaning of "the reality that everyone professes to be true, even though they may not privately believe it." For privately held views, the Japanese have a different term, honne, meaning, "the reality that you hold inwardly to be true, even though you would never admit it publicly." The British civil servant muttering the reproach "bad form, old boy" over a drink in the club, may be expressing something very close to the quality of tatamae.