Interview 2

Welcome to the first in what I hope will be a long and interesting series of interviews with artists.

[caption id="attachment_115" align="alignright" width="480" caption="Below the Falls, detail"][/caption]
Eileen Doughty, our first subject, is a fiber artist living in Virginia, USA. She grew up in Menasha, Wisconsin, on the Fox River. An area characterized by rolling dairy country, small towns, lots of water and trees – both of which are major themes in her landscapes. Check out her art work at http://www.doughtydesigns.com
I2: What was it like to grow up in Menasha, Wisconsin?
Doughty: Relatively peaceful, and I was happy to be blissfully ignorant. My dad had a motorboat we took out frequently. I feel landlocked in Virginia. My oldest sister was not allowed to go to college in Madison in the early 70s because of riots. I am the youngest, and my parents were worn out by then, so I went to Madison without any looks back. No riots, but extremely liberal environment – it rubbed off on me.
I2: Did you study painting and drawing techniques?
Doughty: No art after 8th grade. My degree is in cartography, which is both an art and a science; need to understand perception and design. My art is mostly self-taught, reading art magazines, a few workshops, very few quilt magazines. I took 2 art history classes at a community college which were great.
I2: How did your style develop?
Doughty: I always liked pictorial quilts – my love of place, I’m still a cartographer at heart. My artwork has become more graceful with time and work. Thread became an important tool in my work. I’m now making 3D sculptures out of only thread, by the way.
I2: About how many works of art do you produce in a year?
Doughty: Less than a dozen wall art pieces. Sometimes I get a major public art project – my current focus in my business. I am in a co-op gallery of fiber artists, and learned quickly I had to make some things that were under $50 in order to make some steady income there. Unfortunate that we don’t sell more wall pieces. I figured out how to make earrings featuring thread, like leaves made out of thread; home decor items like thread leaf “bowls”. (see the Sculpture gallery on my website)
I2: Is the subject important to you, or do you simply create to express yourself?
Doughty: It [my artwork] has to be about something. I don’t do abstract well.
I2: Do you believe artistic creativity is innate, generally and personally?
Doughty: A tough question, I believe anyone can be creative – but not everyone *wants* to be, because it is actually hard work!
I2: Does your art reflect your philosophy?
Doughty: The bigger pieces do – usually there is some environmental statement in there, or at least that our world can be a beautiful piece. I also have a series of political quilts that sure are reflective of my political philosophy.
I2: Where do you see fiber art today?
Doughty: Struggling, but there are enough serious quilt artists that we’ll make our genre respected by the art world, eventually. Hopefully in my lifetime!
I2: Do you have a gallery representing you at the moment?
Doughty: I’m in a co-op. I hope to get a gallery to carry my 3D sculptures when I have refined that body of work.
I2: Was it a struggle for you to develop your style and find an identity for your work?
Doughty: Yes. It is work and doesn’t come easily to me. Landscapes do not do well in juried exhibitions, generally, though they do very well in some public art venues (like medical buildings).
I2: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Doughty: Making more art, doing less computer work.
I2: Have you regretted some pieces you made?
Doughty: Of course! if I didn’t screw up sometimes, I wouldn’t be learning.
I2: Do you have to do other jobs to earn enough money to live?
Doughty: I am lucky to have a supportive husband.
I2: How do you feel about spending your life as an artist? Do you ever wish you were a filmmaker or a pop star?
Doughty: I am quite satisfied. Though sometimes I wish I were a sculptor, since I see lots more calls for durable exterior art, in public art projects.