“Hawks and Doves” is the name of a quilt depicting the emotional impact of 9/11. It portrays the four airplanes as hawks and hope itself as the doves flying toward the sky. This quilt is now part of a tour that opens this week in San Pedro, Costa Rica.
The artist, however, lives right here in Virginia.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Eileen Doughty moved to Virginia in 1981. With a bachelor's degree in cartography and an interest in quilting, Doughty decided to combine the two. Today, part of the family income comes from the sales of Eileen’s quilt art.
“I am very lucky,” Doughty said, agreeing that earning money from what started out as a hobby, or even being able to work at home, is unusual. But work is always work, and although Eileen enjoys work that uses her imagination and creativity, it can sometimes require a lot of discipline to continue to work and not simply “walk off to the refrigerator.” The reward is worth the effort, however, and the quilts “more than pay for themselves,” both monetarily and emotionally, she said.
Reflecting over Hawks and Doves and her feelings following the events of 9/11, she also describes the three-dimensional depth of the quilt medium: “I could literally hold the feelings in my hand and do something with them,” she said.
She previously turned down an offer to display the quilt in a large Texas exhibition. Not until asked a second time, on behalf of the Costa Rican exhibition, did she find the time ripe to let people look at her Hawks and Doves quilt.
Still, Doughty's work has been on view before. As part of multiple exhibitions, commissioned artworks and publications, the signature E. F. Doughty has been present from the islands of Japan to the decorations for the White House Christmas tree.
This is what Doughty enjoys with her work - to have it seen and experienced by other people. To be noticed. Also, since many commissions and inspirations demand certain things, experimentation is an essential part of the quilt art. Something that makes it ever-changing, always giving room for, or even requiring, a new angle or solution.
The members of the Q&A Quilt Art group are all enjoying the same varied medium and the same experimentation. The group, formed by Eileen Doughty, includes 23 members. “Eileen took the initiative and pulled together an interesting group of people,” said Katherine DeWitt, one of the members in the Quilt Art group. “We have all been invigorated creatively by each other. You can see what everybody else is doing and become aware of new and interesting techniques.” The group has been able to share ideas, visions and results among members. Together, they are displaying some of their work at the Logistics Management Institute (LMI) in McLean.
Future plans include more exhibitions and commissions for Eileen Doughty and the Q&A Quilt Art group.
<sh>Stats
<lst>Eileen F. Doughty.
Born in Wisconsin, 1958.
Moved to Virginia in 1981.
Lives in Vienna.
Bachelor’s degree in cartography.
Married, with two children: Elly, 12; Kheo, 7.
Helped found Q&A Quilt Art with 23 current members.
Work on display at Logistics Management Institute (LMI) in McLean.
Gallery also at www.doughtydesigns.com.
# # #