Diane Sidener

Artist Statement

Diane Sidener is primarily a fiber and cyanotype artist, trained in visual arts and folklore, and self-taught in a number of fiber arts. She learned to sew and knit as a youngster and has made art of one sort or another, including jewelry, ever since. She began teaching herself to cyanotype a number of years ago with a desire to design her own fabrics, and branched into works on paper as well. Following the example of early cyanotype pioneer Anna Atkins, she collects botanical specimens which she uses in her creations, which recently have extended into collage.

She loves to incorporate her cyanotypes into a variety of items, whether quilts, wall hangings, purses, pillows, accessories, matted/framed works on paper, or one of a kind cards. Her aesthetic tends towards combinations of colors and patterns, even texture, especially with the recent addition of free-motion quilting techniques to her fiber pieces. From her folklorist's training, she has worked with and studied the traditional arts of numerous cultural communities. Perhaps most influential for her has been those of Japan, whose traditional fiber arts are strongly influenced by hand-worked techniques, natural imagery and a love of asymmetry. This influence, and that of many quilting communities, is likely to show up in her layered use of colors and patterns, and asymmetrical placements.