Why You and I Are Here Right Now
Austin Kleon said that Lawrence Wechsler said, “The world keeps showing me these pictures.”
Things are changing, as they always do.
I’m not talking about all of us launching political blogs. I’m talking about reigniting our independent spaces once again. Turning up the volume on our individual voices and real-life stories, sharing our values…creating an alternative to the mass media (now social media) messages and memes that keep floating to the top.
Tavi Gevinson, creator of Rookie, says farewell - for now. There is far too much of note here to summarize in a block quote, so please take time to read the whole thing. Here’s Jason Kottke’s take.
Social media: It’s fun until it isn’t.
Facebook’s tipping point of bad behavior?
Julia Carrie Wong, senior technology reporter for The Guardian, on Twitter:
But this Soros thing is different. This is no passive failure. It’s a malevolent action taken against groups who criticize Facebook for things that Facebook admits it has failed at. It takes advantage of and contributes to the most poisonous aspects of our public discourse.
What does Facebook consider its single biggest threat?
According to an email written by exec Sam Lessin in 2012 addressed to Zuckerberg, it's not one rival site or app — it's lots of them.
"The number one threat to Facebook is not another scale social network, it is the fracturing of information / death by a thousand small vertical apps which are loosely integrated together," he wrote.
Another way to look at it: Facebook’s biggest threat is a diversity of experience using the Internet. Facebook’s biggest threat is anything that isn’t Facebook. What if Facebook’s biggest threat was people taking a walk?
And the primary reason I’m typing this on this page right now:
Sayonara Tumblr. Tumblr has decided to ban all adult content. Including a bunch of stuff that isn’t adult content. Was I on Tumblr for the pr0n? Who cares? I was on Tumblr for the free expression. Tumblr was a safe space to talk about things I can’t publicly discuss elsewhere. But now it’s being made safe for the children. (sarcasm mine)
Tumblr's Porn Ban Reveals Who Controls What We See Online
Tumblr's Porn-Detecting AI Has One Job—and It's Bad at It
All about Tumblr adult ban, alternative platforms, and more (updated as new info arises)
The adult content ban on Tumblr (and elsewhere) disproportionately affects sexual/gender nonconformity? SHOCKER (again, sarcasm mine)
What these “pictures” are saying to me: It’s time to take back control of our content. Re-embrace the decentralized web. As Amanda Palmer puts it, We are the media. I did quit Tumblr. I quit Twitter. I am not quitting Instagram or Facebook (not right now, anyway). Those sites are still powerful communication tools for me. We’ll see…
Patreon is working like gangbusters, particularly as a direct line between myself and the people who want to support what I do. I’ll use it until it no longer serves that function.
And I have sarahatlee.com. This is my house. I will now commence to posting whatever I choose. I don’t care if it makes sense. I don’t care if it’s on brand. I don’t care if you “like” it.
Vaya con carne!
xoxo s
Home Is Where the Art Is
Home. It's a nebulous concept, one that's been on my mind a lot lately. These mini quilts are an expression of longing, rootlessness - perhaps "home" is a part of us that we always carry, though it may drift to the bottom with the kleenex and loose change.
[The Home quilts were created for my top-tier Patreon patrons in 2016. I closed my Patreon page in 2022.]
Following is a more detailed look at the quilt construction process:
Notes on construction, quilting patterns.
Drawing a general outline onto the batting.
Sewing the pieces directly onto the batting, as part of a quilt-as-you-go technique.
The first one with all three layers (top, batting backing) assembled and quilted.
Quilting lines look so cool on the back.
Moving down the assembly line...
Finished blocks, photographed on a convenient hedge.
Quilting creates such wonderful textures.
More stitches. I'm not a fan of stitch-in-the-ditch, but I love getting right up toward those ditches.
home-blocks-closeup-3-500
Hand-finished binding, always perfectly imperfect.
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All Roads Lead Home
Turn Left for Tamales
Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 inches, 2016 by Sarah Atlee. $1,080
For purchase inquiries, contact Cerulean Gallery at 214.564.1199.
This post also appears on my Patreon page.
I would like to thank the fine folks at Cerulean Gallery for hosting my paintings these last few weeks; I'm honored to be working with you. I would also like to thank my Patreon patrons for your ongoing support - you guys are the best!
Want to get art in the mail? Here's where you go for that.
Home. It's a nebulous concept. Is it the place you're from? Where you live now? Some intangible combination of everywhere you've been?
I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They don't call it the Land of Enchantment for nothing; it's a place that stays with you. And nothing tells you that you've come back quite like a plate of hot, home-cooked tamales.
Turn Left for Tamales is inspired by the food I ate last time I was at Ghost Ranch, another one of those places that really gets into you. Just like our memories, the image is fragmented, distorted, seems to bleed around the edges. Like the idea of home.
I'm living in a different place than I was when I started the Glitch series. I'm in Oklahoma now, the place where I was born, the place where I will always be able to go. I didn't know how much it would feel like home until I came back. I don't know what home is right now. I'm looking for it inside myself. But I know I'm on the right road. I can smell the tamales.
Turn Left for Tamales is available at Cerulean Gallery as part of the exhibition On Edge Part I, featuring work by Sarah Atlee, Fritz Danner, Nic Noblique, and Victoria Taylor-Gore, on display 16 September – 28 October 2016. Visit Cerulean Gallery to learn more.
Sarah Atlee Makes Pictures is now on Patreon!
Turn Left for Tamales. Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 20 inches, 2016 by Sarah Atlee.
Hey everybody! I've opened up shop on Patreon, a crowdfunding platform where you can support all manner of creative work, including mine!
Do you love supporting the arts, but maybe don't have the budget to buy a lot of original works? Patreon is the solution for you, one I'm really excited about. I'm always working on something. You can support this ongoing creation by becoming my patron.
How does Patreon work? Read on for some FAQs.
If you're on my email list, you already know about the Launch Pack (and you got a special offer on the price).
Now I have 5 4 3 Launch Packs left for new patrons who pledge $15 or more.
Update: All the Launch Packs have launched! Big, sloppy thanks to all my new patrons.
The Launch Pack
Since I'm produce-ing (ha) a fresh series of food paintings for Cerulean Gallery, I've made you some food-inspired gifts.
If you pledge at the $15 level or higher, you get: - 3 unique hand-painted postcards - Sarah's Can We Have Spaghetti? Sauce recipe - a quilted mug mat made from Authentic Artist Paint Rags - Now You Got a Stew Goin' - Music for the kitchen - plus the regular Collectors Club rewards
This is a limited-time offer while supplies last. To receive your Launch Pack: 1. Go to Patreon.com/SarahAtlee* * I recommend desktop viewing rather than mobile. 2. Select the $15 pledge or more 3. Reap the rewards.
You may have questions. Here are some answers.
What is Patreon? Have you ever seen a crowdfunding site like Kickstarter or GoFundMe? Patreon works like these, but instead of giving a big chunk of money all at once, you pledge a monthly amount - a subscription. It's perfect for artists like me who are always creating. And of course, I send you cool stuff.
Here's a 1-minute video explaining how Patreon works.
Do I have to create an account on Patreon? You may if you wish. You can also login with your Facebook account.
What do I get for becoming a patron? Lots of good stuff. Mail art, prints, even original works. A few surprises. And you get behind-the-scenes looks that I don't share anywhere else. Pat yourself on the back!
Do patrons get a discount on your art? Selling my work at a discount would undercut the business of my fabulous galleries, Cerulean and Ro2. So no. The good news is that as a patron, you receive artistic gifts straight from me that you can't get anywhere else.
Does this mean I won't get your newsletter any more? If you're already on my email &/or snail-mail list, nothing changes. I'll continue sending out bi-monthly news about my projects and upcoming shows. By pledging on Patreon, you'll receive a separate email about once a week when I post something new there.
I don't think Patreon is for me. Are there other ways I can show my support? Of course! Oodles. You can join my email list. You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter. See something you like? Share it with a friend! And you can come see my work in person - more details about this as 2016 rolls on.
Thanks for reading, and for showing your support!
