The Most Important Cup of the Day

Breakfast: Peaches, Coffee, Shogun. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches by Sarah Atlee

"Shogun," you ask? No, that’s not a typo. The object peeking down from the top of the composition is a worn paperback copy of Shogun by James Clavell that I was reading at breakfast that day.

This image represents one of many breakfasts I ate between 4:45 and 5:15 a.m. before heading off to work at a previous job. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am so very glad I don't have to do that anymore. But hey, my day still starts with coffee!

And what goes better with coffee than poetry?

Presenting To Some Coffee Cups I Have Known (An Excerpt)

Dear Center for Quality and Applied Statistics,

What you were doing in the art building I'll never know. Unclear origins enhance your misplaced charm. I nicked you from atop a mobile coatrack outside a cleared meeting room and the rest is history.

Eminently utilitarian you seem more cup than the others.

Dear He Man / Skeletor vessel made by 2004-05 ceramic artist-in-residence at the Rochester Institute of Technology School of American Craft (traded for small silverpoint drawing on found wood block),

If you had a handle I'd use you more.

Dear Sanctuario de Chimayo souvenir,

(broken) You cannot be healed still I cherish your best part.

Thank you.

See Breakfast: Peaches, Coffee, Shogun in Person

Breakfast: Peaches, Coffee, Shogun will be available for purchase in February 2015 at Ro2 Art in Dallas. Join us at For Real featuring Sarah Atlee and James Zamora. Contact Ro2 Art for more details.

UPDATE: 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"

Peachy Patchwork

Peaches & Quilt. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches by Sarah Atlee

Peaches are revered in many cultures as a symbol of longevity, vitality, and wealth. Small wonder - who can resist the sweet smell and juicy flesh of a ripe peach? Each fruit is a treasure.

Peaches. Janet Fish, 1971. Click image to view source.

In this painting by Janet Fish, the tempting peaches are sealed in plastic wrap, increasing our anticipation.

Riverbank of Peach Blossoms. Shi Tao, Chinese, 17th century. Click image to view source.

Peach trees blossom before their leaves appear each spring, contributing to their association with health and vitality. Here landscape painter and poet Shi Tao treats us to a whole riverbank alive with peach blossoms.

Fanciullo con canestro di frutta. Caravaggio, Italian, 16th century. Click image to view source.

In European painting, the peach represents the heart, while a leaf attached to the fruit suggests the tongue. Put them together and you have a symbol for speaking from the heart. The young man in this work by Caravaggio looks as though he's about to do just that.

By now, I know you're thinking about it. Who can forget the immortal tribute to peaches by The Presidents of the United States of America? Here's a cover of their famous song "Peaches" played on actual peaches.

A is for Avocado

Avocados. Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 24 x 24 inches by Sarah Atlee.

The first time I cut open an avocado, I was about 5 years old. My dad built up the suspense by telling me this was the fruit wherein "God made a mistake!" What mistake? I wanted to know. He showed me the seed inside, explaining that God had made it way too big.

I can't say I mind the oversized seed inside this oversized berry. Removing the seed (using the pleasing knife-strike-and-twist maneuver) reveals a void so obligingly concave that it's just asking to be painted.

In India it's called a butter fruit, in Taiwan a cheese pear. The English epithet alligator pear was corrupted from its ancient Nahuatl name ahuacatl. I call it my favorite afternoon snack.

Sarah's Happiness on Crackers

1. Slice one avocado in half lengthwise and remove seed 2. Using a large spoon, scoop the two halves out of the skin and into a bowl 3. Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic vinegar 4. Add cracked pepper to taste 5. If you're me, take a photo of these beauties 6. Mash (if desired) and enjoy on crackers

Or are you hankering for guacamole? Illustrated Bites has a simple recipe, along with a handy visual guide for slicing avocados.

Update: Like your chips & dips more on the surreal side? PESFilm has an alternate guacamole recipe for you.

Read more about the avocado on Wikipedia.

See Avocados in Person

Avocados will be available for purchase in February 2015 at Ro2 Art in Dallas. Join us for a two-person exhibition featuring Sarah Atlee and James Isaac Zamora. Contact Ro2 Art for more details.

UPDATE: 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"

Bonus Gratitude!

A special bonus gratitude session to round out the series. There's someone very special I haven't yet mentioned in my gratitude series.

You.

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for visiting my website. Thank you for sharing your kind words of encouragement. Thank you for saying hello, for your handshake, for your smile.

Thank you for subscribing. Thank you for coming to see my shows. Thank you for sharing your stories about how you connect with my work. Thank you for bringing my art into your home and making what I do a part of your life.

Thank you for supporting an artist, any artist. Thank you for taking the time to look at art. Thank you for looking.

You are my supporter, my patron, my colleague, my collaborator, my friend.

Thank you.

Do we know eachother yet? I would love to connect with you. Sign up and let's stay in touch!

What  - and who - are you thankful for? Express your gratitude in the comments below.

Read Coffee, Sleep, Paper - In Gratitude, Part 1 Read Boundaries, Bracelets, and Biz Coaches - In Gratitude, Part 2 Read Monkeys, Quilts, and Toilet Art - In Gratitude, Part 3 Read It's the Little Things - In Gratitude, Part 4

It's the Little Things - In Gratitude, Part 4

It's November, home of my favorite holiday! This month I'm spending a few minutes each day writing about something for which I am thankful. Batch number four is The Little Things. Food

Friday night food truckin'.

Most people come to Austin for the live music and mild winters. I'm here for the food. Fresh sushi, succulent barbecue, farm-to-table delicacies galore, and more taco trucks than you can twang a steel guitar at. Heaven has a zip code, and it starts with 787.

Rain

Our apartment is situated in the corner of a courtyard, on the ground level. When it rains even just a little, the downspout off the building's roof empties right outside our patio. It's like our own private waterfall.

Fun fact: Lots of Texans (and other folks) are grateful for the rain.

Getting Rid of Stuff

Always feels good.

Life's Surprises

We celebrated our turkey day a week early by cooking a beautiful bird from Richardson Farms. The next morning, I awoke to a cold lodged in my chest. Oh, if only I'd had a big pot of homemade broth already on the sto- WAIT A MINUTE.

Opening the Windows

Fresh breeze in the studio is a luxury I get to enjoy on occasion - not in July, but often in October.

Donuts

For when a deadline approaches and you need twelve sugar rushes in three days.

Just Being

Sit with me a moment. Still your hands. Breathe in, then out. Close your eyes and do it again. Isn't this nice?

Neck Pillow, sketchbook drawing by Sarah Atlee.

What are you thankful for? Express your gratitude in the comments below.

Read Coffee, Sleep, Paper - In Gratitude, Part 1 Read Boundaries, Bracelets, and Biz Coaches - In Gratitude, Part 2 Read Monkeys, Quilts, and Toilet Art - In Gratitude, Part 3 Read Bonus Gratitude!