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.
Sketchbook 2012: Day/Night Quilt
Day/Night Quilt sketch, ink on paper, 2012 by Sarah Atlee
I had so much fun with my Millennium Quilt series that I raced right into this quilt concept for a friend's impending baby.
mely's quilt beginning cropped
I began cutting and piecing not long after finishing the sketch, though it was almost another year before I completed the quilt proper.
At one point, I was so enamored with the finished sections of the quilt that I decided to turn one of them back into 2-dimensional art. I'll post pictures of that piece next week.
Here are pictures of the near-completed quilt in my studio (I just love the morning light in here):
day night quilt photo 2 72 500
Day/Night Quilt, detail view in the studio, 2013 by Sarah Atlee
day night quilt photo 1 72 500
Day/Night Quilt, detail view in the studio, 2013 by Sarah Atlee
Update: See the portion of this quilt that became a painting.
Sketchbook 2012: Millennium Quilt Series
I do some of my best drawing while my mother is in the hospital.
Millennium Quilt I, ink on paper, 2012 by Sarah Atlee
Yes, these are a tad late for the calendar millennium. I named these after Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. I've listened to the audio editions of these books many times.
Millennium Quilt II, ink on paper, 2012 by Sarah Atlee
Filling grids with color is a gratifying way to pass the time, but I consider these patterns for potential real-life quilts. The notes at the bottom of this sketch indicate how many pieces of each color I would need.
Millennium Quilt III, ink on paper, 2012 by Sarah Atlee
One Stitch at a Time
I'm repairing a 30-year-old quilt as part of my current body of work. This process is not as spontaneous or expressive as painting, however it's a lovely, peaceful way to start my day.