Sarah Atlee 8/2/23 Sarah Atlee 8/2/23

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.

Sarah Atlee 4/16/15 Sarah Atlee 4/16/15

On Presence: Texas Galleries at the 2015 Dallas Art Fair

Two still life paintings by Sarah Atlee 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.

Visitors discussing work at the Dallas Art Fair, 2015 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 to his booth at the 2015 Dallas Art Fair.