Going on an Egg Hunt

Egg Hunt (working title), acrylic on canvas mounted on wood panel, 10 x 8 inches, 2015 by Sarah Atlee.

Continuing with the spring-is-springing theme, here's another new abstract piece. I'm noticing that my patchwork impulse is just plain taking over.

Bright as Bulbs

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

It's citrus season, a time when I'm extra-thankful for living in central Texas. Just yesterday I was given what I think is my first orange with its leaves still attached:

Gosh, maybe I should paint a picture of these.

Holding, peeling, and eating a succulent orange is its own special set of pleasures. Following are some other artists' interpretations of orange - both the fruit and the color.

Vincent Van Gogh. Child with Orange, 1890.

Luis Feito. Untitled (Orange, red and purple).

You know that moment when you first dig your thumbnail into an orange and begin to peel back the skin? When the scent of citrus oil fills your nose and the juice starts running? I think Feito has captured that here.

Fernando Botero. Orange, 1977. Update: Check out Fernando Botero's page on Artsy to learn more.

Johannes Itten. Composition in Orange and Blue-Green, 1957.

Itten's composition above interests me both as a painter and as a quilter.

In a 2010 radio essay you can read here, Paul Marion describes the joy of seeing oranges in the winter:

"Bright as light bulbs on the kitchen table, the oranges promise sunshine as late December daylight shrinks in the shortest days of the year."

Peachy Patchwork

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

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.

Sketchbook 2012: No Trespassing Quilt

Sketchbook 2012: No Trespassing, mixed media, 2012 by Sarah Atle

No Trespassing, mixed media collage sketch, 2012 by Sarah Atlee

Like the Millennium Quilt series, I made this drawing while my mother was recovering from surgery. I thought it would be interesting to create a geometric composition based on a (blurry) photograph. Abstraction through pixellation, although the original photograph is the digital media, whereas the drawing below is analog.

Fijian, jiving, and scheme are cool words.

Sketchbook 2012: No Trespassing quilt sketch, ink and colored pe

No Trespassing Quilt, ink and colored pencil on paper, 2012 by Sarah Atlee

Day/Night Quilt Fragment

Day/Night Quilt Fragment, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches, 2013 by Sarah Atlee

This painting grew out of the process of creating an actual quilt (read more about that here). I painted this for the 2013 edition of OVAC's annual 12x12 fundraiser. I wanted to create another composition along the lines of Beside the Ironing Board:

Beside the Ironing Board, acrylic on canvas, 12 x 12 inches, 2011 by Sarah Atlee

Just as with this earlier painting, I found the raw "material" I wanted in a quilt-in-progress.

Day/Night Quilt Fragment in the studio, with the model in the background.

In a beautiful act of generosity, the person who bought Day/Night Fragment gifted me with a box of quilt pieces that his great-aunt had begun before she died. I feel sure I will complete that quilt someday, and share it with you here.