Originally published in "Quilt" magazine, Fall 2004 issue

by Jennifer Cuthbertson

Artist Ladan Abosein moves from painting to quilting and back again.

LaDan Abosein of Carnation, Washington, is an artist of long standing, and in choosing this avocation, she is upholding a long family tradition. She says, "The women in my family have had a long tradition of practicing the arts in many mediums, ranging from freelance pencil drawing to Persian Minuatures, embroidery, knitting, cooking, and decorating. Having been active in all of these disciplines, I have settled on quilting as my expression of choice. I have discovered that I am most passionate about quilting because it is the most personally satisfying and rewarding art form I hae practiced to date."

The world around her provides LaDan with ideas. However, she fines a lot of inspiration from her daughter, her husband, other family members and friends as well as places she visits and pictures as she views. most significant of these is her culture. "Although many of my quilting works are not Persian by design, the culture is rich in tradition that focuses on precision, placement, and symmetry in all works of art or craft." LaDan works to pull her matierals, designs, and colors together, but does not subscribe to hard and fast rules of theme or style.

Keeping busy in not a problem for this quilter. She works on her own projects as well as working on commission in both quilting and knitting. To help her out, daughter Sarah, a graphic artist, designed and created a website for LaDan. You can visit www.ladandesign.com and see all the new and exciting one-of-a-kind projects that she is tackling. You can even contact her to learn more about her quilts and her business.