Laurie Russman takes time to play, creating bright and colorful art quilts. She seeks to inspire joy in the viewer, with her whimsical designs often featuring her cats. Using color filters on apps, she transforms her images to brilliant colors.
How did you find yourself on an artist path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragging drag kicking and screaming? Evolving?
I think it evolved slowly for me. Building a career in financial services, while having never taken an art class… I never thought of myself as an artist! But, my mom taught me how to sew when I was very young, and I had dabbled in all sorts of needle arts over the years.
One day, my daughter needed a quilt for her doll bed, and it took me down to New York City’s famous former quilt shop, The City Quilter. From that point on I think I was hooked! My adventure began with functional quilts for her dolls, then lap quilts followed – machine-pieced and hand-quilted. (I do think that a solid grounding in best practices for patchwork is an excellent base of knowledge for a fiber artist.)
Then I discovered Quilting Arts magazine, which opened up a whole new horizon and introduced me to a wealth of tools/notions I have never seen before – inks, metallic, fibers, paints, and so much more. I dove in and played a little bit of time with each new idea I saw and down the rabbit hole I went —happily!
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Why art quilts? How does that medium best express? What you want to communicate through your art?
For me, art quilting provides a meditative and tactile experience, in addition to the color play. My mission with my art is really quite simple: I seek to inspire joy in the viewer.
Are there recurring themes in your work? What is it about a subject that inspires you to continue exploring it?
Most definitely, as you might imagine from the name, NeonKitty Quilts. I am constantly inspired by the faces of our pets, as well as our surroundings (landscapes/skyscapes are a favorite theme) and still life images transformed by color filters.
Two ongoing series of mine are:
- Joy Quilt Project (6” squares featuring the simple-not-so-simple joys of everyday life, begun during the pandemic). Joy Quilt squares are irresistibly fun because they are such a short time commitment and a perfect way to test a new technique or fill pattern…I did an Advent Joy Quilt series for each day of December and I couldn’t stop smiling ;). This series is probably up to 100 by now (I’ve lost count ;)) and all are created with Lava Solids from Anthology Batiks for Windham Fabric (the best).
- Jackson’s House Quilts (12” squares) are playful scenes depicting my cat on the front lawn of a house in all sorts of climates, terrains and holiday themes – pure fun and I cannot stop making those, either! I can definitely see them as the basis for a children’s book one day.
What do you do differently? What is your signature?
The one common theme throughout everything I create is brilliant color. Author Ingrid Fetell Lee writes in her book Joyful, “color is energy made visible”, a favorite line from a must-read book. Sometimes I create scenes in their natural colors, sometimes I focus on my neon palette, either way, color reigns.
What makes your work stand out as yours?
Chances are, if you see a whimsical brightly-colored portrait of a cat or a dog with LOTS of “fur painting,” it’s one of my pieces.
Materials are also a clue: Aurifil thread and fabrics from Windham Fabrics and its sister company, Anthology Batiks. My Aurifil passion has recently extended to the heavier-weight 28wt thread which helps thread painting really stand out, as seen in the starry sky of “Theo & Vincent.”
Do you plan your work out ahead of time or do you just driving with your materials and start playing?
It’s a combination of both. I am usually inspired by a terrific photo, which I may alter with a filer or two before importing to the Procreate app. Here I begin to plot out which parts of the composition will be pieces of fused fabric (versus ink or paint or thread).
Next, I lay out the fabrics (and thread palette – my Aurifil choices play as large a part as my fabrics) and get to play! I will send some pieces from my iPad to my digital cutter and free-cut other shapes, it depends on the precision required. I often take photos as I go and then put them back into Procreate to check composition. For example, while I created “Scuba Cat,” I would take a picture of the partially finished piece and draw in potential additional elements. That’s how I acquired my feline dive buddy.
Do you use a sketchbook or a journal? How does that help your work develop?
Yes, my iPhone and iPad! The Apple Pencil and the Procreate app were both game-changers. Instead of tiling images from my phone and taping them together to create a pattern to trace, I can compose and edit in Procreate. Then I send the fiddly pieces to my Cricut to cut while I free-cut other elements. Technology has enabled me to become far more efficient. Both devices are always at my elbow if I get an idea!
How do you manage your creative time? Do you schedule start and stop times or work only when inspired?
Inspiration will show up a lot more quickly if you sit in your studio and stare at your fabric! It doesn’t just show up, we need to do our part by being there to receive it. My studio is my happy place where I hang out with my cats and putter and read fiber art magazines. It is never a chore to be here, quite the opposite.
Are you a “finisher”? How many UFOs do you think you have?
I’ll take the 5th on this one…;)
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
Yes, I think it’s really important for every fiber artist to have a dedicated space – even if it’s quite small. I’m fortunate to have the use of a spare bedroom with a good sized closet.
One long wall is completely built out: pull-out wire baskets for my fabric, counter-topped drawers to hold my thread collection and art supplies, and a large pressing station with shelves and drawers.
By the windows, I have a large Horn sewing table housing my beloved Bernina 770 QE, while the other long wall holds a fold-out loveseat and usually some sleeping cats. The closet is handy for things that I need less frequently like batting. It’s a work in progress but I love it!
What is your favorite lesser-known tool for your trade? Have you taken something design for another use and re-purposed it for your studio
Powdered eye shadow (in soft greys and taupes) and blush (pale) are very handy for subtle shading in pet portraits.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does the new work come about?
“Nature Dreams in Color” began as a start black and white photo of a winter scene on a cold January day. The neon filter altered the lights and darks into brilliant shades. I thought this was so appropriate since I knew this scene would, in a few months, burst with color as spring arrived.
Landscape scenes rarely require my digital cutter, as I prefer the more organic look of free-cutting with my rotary cutter and tearing strips of fabric to make trees. (The easiest way to make realistic looking branches is to partially tear narrower strips from the base “trunk”, then curve them as you fuse to create natural patterns). I assembled a stack of Lava Solids by Anthology Batiks for Windham Fabrics and my “neon” Aurifil palette…cut/ripped…fused…stitched. Thinner branches and small plants were added purely by stitching them in; heavier-weight thread is super fun for this! A bit more detail was added with fabric inks.
Do you think creativity is part of human nature or is it something that must be nurtured and learned?
Yes and yes! I firmly believe that we are all creative. Some folks simply have not yet discovered their medium. It can lie dormant for decades (trust me on this one) then suddenly sprout again. All that is required is to keep asking, what if?, and trying the next experiment.
What is on your “Someday” creative wish list?
Oh, that is a long list, because each time I read another issue of Uppercase I discover another rabbit hole that fascinates me! When I have a bit more time, I need to get back to that book proposal…
Learn more about Laurie on her website and follow her on Instagram.
Interview posted February 2023
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