Closeups (barns)

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Salley Mavor

Houses are my favorites, but I also love to add barns my scenes. This first one is a detail from Picking Peas, which I made in 1986. I used the sewing machine to applique the door and window, but hand embroidered leaves along the ribbon tree branches. See the full fabric relief picture on this post.

detail from "Picking Peas" 1986

These barns are on the title page of the first edition of Mary Had a Little Lamb from 1995. At this point, I sewed everything by hand and no longer used a sewing machine. The “snow” is an old linen table-cloth.

detail from "Mary Had a Little Lamb" 1995

Jump ahead 9 years to this illustration from the 2006 board book, Jack and Jill. I’m using wool felt, so the look is softer and more fuzzy.

: detail from “Jack and Jill” 2006

The last two barns are from Pocketful of Posies. The roof is a piece of bark and the door is driftwood.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

This barn from the Mary Had a Little Lamb rhyme makes use of hook and eye parts. The lamb is about 1/2″ long.

detail from Pocketful of Posies" 2010

SCBWI summer conference

Posted on May 9, 2011 by Salley Mavor

I’ve heard from some people who want to know if I’ll be attending the summer conference of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, so I thought I’d better write and announce that, yes, I’ll be there! When SCBWI executive director Lin Oliver called to tell me that Pocketful of Posies had won the Golden Kite award for illustration, she invited me to come out to LA for the awards ceremony. She also asked if I’d give a workshop at the conference, so I agreed to both.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

The event is held in Los Angeles, California, August 5 th, 6th and 7th. I’ve never been to one of the large SCBWI conferences, just the small regional New England ones. The summer (in LA) and winter (in NY) conferences are large affairs, with tons of workshops, talks and portfolio reviews given by editors, art directors, agents, writers and illustrators in the children’s book field. I tell anyone who’s serious about writing or illustrating for children to become a member and attend these conferences. This is the place for wannabes and published authors to mingle and network, as well as get a realistic idea of what’s involved in creating children’s books in today’s market.

I’m not sure when I’ll be arriving in LA, but I know I will be there on Sunday, Aug, 7th to give a workshop, The Joys and Challenges of Dimensional Illustration, from 10:45 – 11:45 am. Then I’ll be giving my acceptance speech at the 2011 Golden Kite Awards Luncheon. Later, from 5:15 – 7pm, I’ll be signing books with the rest of the faculty. It would be great to see some blog followers that day! To find out about the conference and see the whole schedule of events, go here. You can also read an interview I did on SCBWI’s blog here.

Pocketful of Posies and workshop in Iowa

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Salley Mavor

Go to bed first, a golden purse, from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

The original fabric relief illustrations from Pocketful of Posies are currently on display at the Muscatine Art Center in Muscatine, Iowa. The exhibit will be up through June 19th. (See traveling exhibit schedule here) I’ll be flying out the weekend of May 21/22 to take part in some events at the museum. On Saturday, May 21, from 10:00 to 5:00, I’ll be teaching a doll making workshop (call the Muscatine Art Center to register). Also, a reception will be held on Sunday, May 22 from 1:00 to 5:00 and I’ll give a gallery talk at 2:00. I’m looking forward to experiencing some warm mid-western hospitality and hope to meet some of you at the workshop and reception!

So far, this is the only scheduled doll workshop on the tour, since I’ve pretty much stopped teaching. I figured since I’m traveling out to Iowa for the weekend, we might as well get together a group of people who want to do my favorite activity, stitch and make little dolls, that is.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

book giveaway at Living Crafts

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Salley Mavor

Jerry Hall, he is so small, from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Living Crafts blog is holding a giveaway for 2 of my books, Felt Wee Folk and Pocketful of Posies. The deadline to leave a comment is April 17th, 2011. Details are at the end of the interview, My Life My Craft: SALLEY MAVOR here.

Also, I’ve recently written a story for C&T Publishing’s blog about the symbiotic relationship between my how-to book and my children’s books here.

Closeups (shoes)

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Salley Mavor

JUST POSTED! Read my interview at the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Blog here.

The shoes in this series of closeups are made of leather or felt, with a wooden one at the end. Mother and Child (1983) is from my transitional period, when I was moving from sculpture in the round to a bas relief format, which I later named fabric relief sculpture.

Mother and Child, 1983

In Jumping Girl (1985), I strove to bring a sense of movement to the figure. That’s a piece of Chinese embroidery sewn onto the bottom.

Jumping Girl, 1985

This shows off the girl’s shoes from my picture book “In the Heart” (2001). The leather came with the checked pattern stamped onto it and there was barely enough to make all of her shoes in the book.

detail from “In the Heart”, 2001

Jill’s felt shoes are about 3/4″ long.

detail from “Jack and Jill”, 2006

I made this shoe for the rhyme, One, Two, buckle my shoe in Pocketful of Posies. It’s modeled after those cute mary jane style chinese shoes. While I was working on it, I noticed that my watch band had the perfect sized buckle, so I took off my watch, cut off the buckle and added it to the illustration.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

This wooden shoe sign is hanging over the cobbler’s shop in the picture for the rhyme, Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe, which is also in Pocketful of Posies. I used a jig saw to cut out the shoe and made the cobbler’s work apron from leather.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

Closeups (music)

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Salley Mavor

AWAY with funeral music – set
The pipe to powerful lips –
The cup of life’s for him that drinks
And not for him that sips.

by Robert Louis Stevenson

The first image in this Closeups series about music is from an embroidered scene I made for an illustration class assignment in 1974. I’d forgotten how much fun it is to fill in with a chain stitch! The lute player’s hairdo appeared years before Princess Leia’s coiled braids in the 1977 Star Wars movie.

The harpist is a detail from a lithograph I made in art school at RISD in 1977. (see other lithographs here) I transferred a xerox copy of a harp image onto the limestone surface.

detail from lithograph 1977

This fiddler is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s father, who appears along with his family on a CD cover I made for “A Little Music on the Prairie” in 1994. And yes, I did cut out the wooden violin, with the help of a jig saw. The tuning pegs are seed beads. See another closeup from this illustration here.

from “A Little Music on the Prairie” CD cover, 1994

Here’s Little Tommy Tucker, who sang for his supper, from my book of nursery rhymes, Pocketful of Posies. Autographed copies are available from my Etsy Shop.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

This is one of Old King Cole’s fiddlers three , whose felt fiddle is about an inch long.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

And the cat and the fiddle play on.

detail from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

“Posies” Traveling Exhibit update

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Salley Mavor

Last week, 2 new venues contacted me about bringing the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit to their area. It didn’t take long to work out the details, so, I’m happy to announce that the Mahopac Public Library in Mahopac, New York and Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Illinois have been added to the schedule.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

I’ll be giving a talk in Mahopac and we’re still working on a plan for my visit to Cedarhurst. In the next month, all of the illustrations, except for “Molly My Sister and I” (it’s touring with the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show), will be packed and shipped to Muscatine, Iowa for a couple of months. Check the schedule for the exhibit dates and when I’ll be there for a doll making workshop and gallery talk. I already know that some my blog followers will be there for the workshop!

As mentioned in earlier posts, I’m arranging exhibits of the original artwork from Pocketful of Posies through 2013. If a suitable location is within reasonable driving distance from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, I will consider delivering the artwork. Of course, a “reasonable distance” changes according to where and when. Otherwise, the hosting venue is responsible for shipping costs. Because of these limitations, I have not yet been able to find many organizations outside of New England with the funding for the transportation of my artwork. But, more and more people are finding out about the book and the show, so I’m hoping to send the show far and wide, so as many people as possible can see the originals! Please contact me at weefolk@cape.com if you would like more information.

Bead Show

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Salley Mavor

I recently went to a bead show in the Boston area and saw some of my favorite venders, like Funky Stuff (sorry, no website). They describe what they sell as an international selection of beads, jewelry, artifacts & oddities. I’ve bought interesting things from them over the past few years, including some bone beads and pendants. These bone filigree shapes show up in several illustrations from Pocketful of Posies.

They add an accent, without overwhelming the picture. This is a detail from the rhyme One, two, buckle my shoe.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

And this is from The cock crows in the morn, to tell us to rise….

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

They had a strings of these bone beads hanging on the wall.

I used some 1 inch long bone tube beads in this clock from Hickory, Dickory Dock. The fabric covered rectangle is a belt buckle and the round clock is a curtain ring.

detail from "Pocketful of Posies" 2010

It’s tempting to buy all kinds of wonderful beads and objects, not really knowing how they will be used, if ever.

I bought these glass beads from a Czech couple who import from home. I’m always on the lookout for leaves, but don’t have any immediate plans for these. The polka dot red ones look like they would make a perfect necktie for some extroverted little character.

Pocketful of Posies wins Golden Kite Award!

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Salley Mavor

I just got off the phone with Lin Oliver from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. The first thing she said was, “Are you sitting or standing?” I was sitting at my kitchen table, ready to eat a spoonful of homemade Portuguese kale soup when she told me the news that Pocketful of Posies has won the Golden Kite Award! I can honestly say that this was a complete surprise.

What is so special is that my book was selected by a jury of my peers. For those of you who may not be familiar with SCBWI, it’s an organization that helps writers and illustrators prepare for and navigate the baffling business of children’s book publishing. I’ve been a member since my first book, The Way Home came out 20 years ago (see post here), but you don’t have to be a published author or artist to join. I’ve been invited to accept the award and give a class at their annual conference in Los Angeles this August. The idea is still sinking in as I write this post. My editor, Margaret Raymo at Houghton Mifflin doesn’t even know yet. Tomorrow will be a busy day, with fitting in calls before and after my 11:00am book signing at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum. Thank you for this honor!

thursday book signings

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Salley Mavor

On the next two Thursdays, I’ll be signing copies of Pocketful of Posies at 2 locations in Massachusetts. I hope to meet some of you there!

"Little Miss Muffet" from Pocketful of Posies, 2010

On Thursday, February 24, at 11:00 am, I’ll be at the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in Mashpee, MA. 16 original illustrations from Pocketful of Posies (including Little Miss Muffet) are currently on display until March 31st. See other venues for the Traveling Exhibit here.

Also, I’ll talk about my work and bring some original illustrations to show on Thursday, March 3rd at 7:00 pm, at the Andover Bookstore in Andover, MA.