Using improvisational patchwork and reclaimed textiles, Sarah Atlee creates mindful, joyful quilts that are at home on both art gallery walls and your cozy couch.
Artist Statement
I am at a critical juncture in my art practice. For twenty years I built a career on painting, exploring a variety of abstract and realist techniques. Having come to a place in painting where the medium no longer surprised me, I have shifted my focus to fiber art, quilting in particular. I now dedicate my full-time studio practice to exploring the art of quilting.
Working with found, reclaimed, and donated fabrics is crucial to my practice. I source materials from what is around me – discarded clothing or other textiles, local thrift store finds, even antique market bargains. My experience using donated fabrics has taught me that even the unlikeliest materials can work together, if you’re willing to be surprised. In this way I can keep fabric out of the landfill while breaking down barriers around traditional expectations of quilting and fine art. By practicing an ancient art born of necessity, I connect with our shared past while reflecting on self-sufficiency in consumer culture.
Artist Bio
After 20 years as a professional painter, Sarah Atlee pivoted to focus on quilting as her primary art form. Atlee is known for her colorful and geometric compositions, rich with energy and free-form texture. Using improvisational patchwork and reclaimed textiles, Atlee creates mindful, joyful quilts that are at home on both art gallery walls and your cozy couch. Visitors are always welcome at sarahatlee.com.
And the Other. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 44 x 44 inches.
Fayetteville More or Less. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 67 x 57 inches.
Just Around the Corner. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 80 x 60 inches.
Purple Patch Ft Smith. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced, hand quilted. 62 x 40 inches.
Safety Blankie. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted with additional hand stitching. 45 x 42 inches.
Ban Logic. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 40 x 40 inches.
Fences I. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 37 x 29 inches.
Log Cabana. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 36.5 x 37.5 inches.
Quilt Diary 201807: Under the Whelm. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 66 x 54 inches.
Signal Aspect. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 37 x 29 inches.
Cows on Hillside. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted with additional hand stitching. 22 x 17 inches.
In Here. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 27 x 28 inches.
Magpie: Myths and Secrets. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 54 x 37 inches.
Quilt Diary 201912: So Ready For January. Deconstructed garments and other fabrics, machine pieced and quilted. 60 x 75 inches.
