Lap Work

Lap Work. Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2016 by Sarah Atlee. $895 For purchase inquiries, contact Cerulean Gallery at 214.564.1199 or caroline@theceruleangallery.com.

Note: This entry first appeared on my Patreon page. Join to see the newest news and receive art rewards!

What is this a painting of?

Well, it's my lap. My lap while I was working on hand-binding a quilt. See the pins? Can you spot the needle and thread? That's the back of the quilt I was finishing.

The burgundy in the upper left is my yoga pants'ed leg. (I'm wearing those pants right now. How about that?) Below that, the hem of a sundress. The lower portion of the painting is dominated by my 100% cotton, Fair Trade, hand-woven-in-Guatemala apron. (Thanks, Mom!)

Did I paint all those little squiggles by hand? You bet I did. Here's a close-up:

I'm very pleased with how this painting turned out. Some of them just come out right on the first try - this is one of those.

Coming Soon

Lap Work will be in my next major exhibition at Cerulean Gallery (Amarillo, Texas) which opens on September 16, 2016. I'd love to see you there!

Detritus, aka Making the Art Sausage

Note: This entry first appeared on my Patreon page, which is no longer active.

When we see a work of art hanging on a wall or seated on a pedestal, it looks like it appeared there by magic. You might get a hint of the work that went into its creation - brush strokes, fingerprints, chisel marks, and so on. But what don't you see?

The process of making a painting bleeds over into my surrounding workspace. There are a lot of leftover bits. Why let them go to waste?

Paint on the Palette

I'm using a glass palette these days for my acrylic paints. It's easier to clean than plastic, but there's an awkward side effect. When my acrylic paint begins to dry on the palette, it forms flakes that absolutely do not mix with wet paint. Grr.

My solution is to take a paper towel, fold it in quarters longways, saturate it with water, and squeeze out my paint onto that. I still use the glass for mixing color, and clean the mixtures off when I'm done.

If I unfold the paper towel carefully, the next day I have this cool object that's just begging to be collaged somewhere.

All the Trimmings

I've been using my extra paint to make postcards. They are standard-size and ready to be stamped and mailed. Or you can just set them on a shelf and enjoy.

I make these by cutting 9 x 12 Bristol board into quarters. However, there's a half-inch that needs to be trimmed in order to meet the USPS' standard postcard dimensions. I've been making a lot of postcards, and these strips are really accumulating. What will they become?

Trading Cards

Are you familiar with Artist Trading Cards? They're made where are collecting and business cards intersect. They're tiny - 2.5 x 3.5 inches - and that's where the standardization ends. I use ATC's as a great place to use up extra paint, switch gears, relax with a small piece, and then have something cool to give away or swap.* Will my Patreon patrons be getting Artist Trading Cards at some point? [Yes they did.]

* You can buy ATCs on eBay. But I prefer them to be gifted or traded hand-to-hand.

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!

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Bananas are my Barometer

Cleaning out some old notes, I find this list of potential painting titles. What does it mean? I think I was thinking that when I run out of bananas, it's time to go grocery shopping. The rest is undoubtedly culled from spam emails.

I keep a lot of these lists. I keep them in a file. One day, they'll reach a critical mass, run off and form their own colony.

Related: How and Why to Title Your Work.

Happiness Through Music

Just for fun. These all came to me at once today. Let's explore. Si Ri Ga Ma Pa!

Conkarah and Rosie Delmah give us a reggae cover of Adele's Hello:

James Corden and Sean Hayes cover Justin Bieber on that piano from Big: (Bieber part starts around 1:30)

One-woman cello orchestra Zoe Keating's closing performance at the World Economic Forum:

Listen to your happiness today. Here's mine: Grace Jones, La Vie En Rose