Artist Profile: Diane Rusin Doran

Diane Rusin Doran

Glenelg, Maryland

www.oohprettycolors.blogspot.com

 

1. Did the change in dimensions present any specific challenges for you?  I prefer the square format, but working to a specific size is always a challenge.My designs are essentially whole cloth, and it's difficult to predict how much they'll shrink when quilted. Sometimes this results in a composition that is not quite what I originally envisioned.

2. Describe your design area, specifically your work table:  what is the best thing about it? The best thing about my work table is the table itself! It's truly a luxury to have a large, flat table with my machine inset in it.

3. What set this quilt apart from other recent projects you have been working on? This piece is much more abstract than most of my recent work. Additionally, the quilting, though plentiful, is much simpler in design than my usual style.

4. When you get “stuck” how do you deal with a “design block”?  How do you overcome it? When I'm stuck I try to work on a different part of the piece, or a different project. I find that the more I work, the more ideas come to me.

5. Do you work on single or multiple projects at the same time? I work on many digital designs at the same time, but generally only work on quilting one piece at a time.

6. What do you hope people take away from your work? I hope that my work brings people joy, as well as intriguing them. I love it when viewers are not sure how I made a piece. I also would like them to see that the sky is the limit with digital imagery, it doesn't just have to be photo realistic. I truly consider it a form of surface design.

7. What are the best parts of working on an art quilt:  What are your least favorite parts? I love the designing and the quilting. Completing the hand work and finishing are definitely the least favorite parts.

8. What art/quilt-related organizations do you belong to? I belong to SAQA, IQA, The Quilt Alliance, and a small critique group.

9. Do you have a preferred color palette?  Why? I love bright colors, and much of my work focuses on blues and greens with a pop of red. I think this is a result of my love of nature.

10. What do you regard as your most interesting milestones along your art journey? Winning ribbons at Houston and other major shows, being on QATV, becoming a teacher and lecturer, writing numerous articles, creating two instructional DVDs for Interweave, and becoming an editor of Machine Quilting Unlimited. It was also pretty exciting when I was on an elevator with Kaffe Fassett and he said he liked my shirt, which was made of fabric I'd designed and had printed at Spoonflower.