Etsy shop open for business

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Salley Mavor

I’ve finally joined the rest of the world by opening an Etsy shop! It’s taken a while for me to figure out what kind of items to sell, since I’ve given up mass-producing dolls and kits, etc. I could have really used a service like this 30 years ago, or even 10 years ago. At the moment, I’m happy to offer three brand new posters of some of my more popular fabric relief pieces; Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion, Rabbitat and On Halloween.

The 18″ x 24″ posters are high quality reproductions, printed on sturdy 100 lb. paper. My sister, Anne Mavor did a beautiful job with the graphic design–so tastefully done. I’m very excited to be offering these, so please visit my shop!

RISD reunion in SF

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Ashley Wolff, Salley, Julie Downing

We’re back home and the snow peas in the garden have grown an inch. It’s going to be the earliest harvest yet! One of the highlights of our trip west was a visit with some RISD classmates in San Francisco. Rob and I had such a great time catching up with Ashley Wolff, Julie Downing and her husband Scott Slotterback. I swear, we didn’t plan our coordinated blue tops and jeans. Earlier in the day, I gave a talk at the Academy of Art University, where Julie teaches illustration classes. In the evening we gathered at Julie and Scott’s art-filled house.

RISD grads, Salley, Julie, Ashley and Scott

Julie and I figured out that it’s been 29 years since we’ve seen each other. Ashley came to visit me last summer, which I wrote about here. Even Polly Doll made new friends. We took her picture with the little boy from Julie’s book, White Snow, Blue Feather and Miss Bindergarten from Ashley’s book’s.

Julie presented me with my old RISD meal card mug shot. I have no memory of the card, but apparently we were too unreliable to carry cards on our persons and had our pictures displayed on a board in the cafeteria. She had kept it all these years in a folder with other RISD memorabilia.

I look like a mixture of Pocahontas and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Thanks for such a good time, Julie! All these years, we’ve all been caught in the family and career vortex, so it’s great to finally reunite and still have fun together!

Posies show going to North Carolina!

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Salley Mavor

detail from "There was a Crooked Man" from "Pocketful of Posies"

I’m excited to announce that the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit will be going to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains next year! 25 original fabric relief illustrations from the book will be exhibited from January 11 to February 23rd, 2013 at the Foothills Arts Council in Elkin, North Carolina.

My goal was to have the “Posies” artwork travel to the west coast and the south, so I’m thrilled to add this show and the one in Fresno, CA. (see announcement here)

Portland, OR reminder

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Salley Mavor

This is a reminder for those of you in the Portland, Oregon area, who plan on coming to my illustrated talk, Once Upon a Thread. I’ll be at Gossamer on Sunday, April 1st at 3:00 pm. I recommend getting there early, as space is limited. I plan to be there by 2:00 pm to mingle and chat. It will be wonderful to meet my blog friends!

Wild Things exhibit

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Salley Mavor

"Little Miss Muffett" illustration from Pocketful of Posies

An illustration from Pocketful of Posies was part of an exhibit recently held at the Cotuit Center for the Arts. Every winter, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod organizes an exhibit of work made by Cape Cod artists, with the purpose of exposing school children to art. There’s a different theme each year, and the latest was “Wild Things”. This exhibit ended a couple of weeks ago. Back in 2007, I made my Self Portrait for a show they put together of the same name. I try to participate every year, if I have something that fits the theme.

Local photographer Mark Chester took this B & W shot of a school group being shown the original fabric relief illustration for “Little Miss Muffett”. She held up my book, open to the printed picture and told the children how my work was used as an illustration. The tour leader is the Cotuit Center’s educational coordinator, Lenore Lyons. Mark had a photo in the show from his delightful new book of paired photographs, Twosomes. Thanks for sending over the photo, Mark! I’ll probably include Miss Muffett in the Mashpee Public Library display during the month of May and this July and August at the Mahopac Public Library, Mahopac, New York .

Posies show coming to Fresno, CA

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Salley Mavor

I’m happy to announce that the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit is going coast to coast! 25 original fabric relief illustrations from Pocketful of Posies, plus some illustrations from my other books will be displayed at the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, Henry Madden Library, California State University, Fresno, CA, from March 18 – May 27, 2013.

This arrangement came about because a librarian at the Arne Nixon Center saw my illustration on the cover of the current issue of Horn Book Magazine. (See how I made the cover artwork here.) She found out about the touring exhibit and inquired about sending the artwork to Fresno. Luckily, half of the pieces in the show are available during the time slot she was interested in, so they’ll be shipped to California in a little over a year. The other half will be shown at Cedarhurst in Mt. Vernon, Illinios about the same time, from Feb. 23rd to May 5th, 2013.

Plans are in the works for the show to travel to some other locations, which I’ll announce when arrangements are confirmed. I’m so glad that people in different areas of the country will be able to see my work “up close and personal”. Inquiries from non-commercial, secure venues with museum lighting and a shipping budget are welcome. (weefolk@cape.com)

coming to Portland, OR

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Salley Mavor

I’ll be going out west to Portland, Oregon this spring to visit my sister Anne. She helped me set up an event at a wonderful fiber arts shop called Gossamer.

The owner, Rose used to sell my fairy kits when she ran the store at the Portland Waldorf School, so she is familiar with my work. Now, she is happy to have her own shop, which sells fiber arts materials and Waldorf supplies. On Sunday, April 1st at 3:00 pm, I’ll be there to give an illustrated talk, show the Rabbitat film, sign copies of Pocketful of Posies and meet people, including some blog followers from Portland. I’m thinking of bringing some original fabric reliefs to show, too.

Closer to home, my next presentation will be Wed., Feb. 8th at 12:30 pm at the Falmouth Congregational Church, on the village green, Falmouth, MA. The public is welcome to come hear me talk about my work and see some original fabric relief pieces.

2 more weeks to see “Sewn Stories” in Brattleboro, VT

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Salley Mavor

Self Portrait detail

My show, Salley Mavor: Sewn Stories will be at the Brattleboro Museum in Vermont for just 2 more weeks. It’s a wonderful little museum in a great town! Many people have seen the exhibit since it opened last July , but I know there are others who have been thinking about going, so now is the time. The show will be there through Sunday, February 5th, 2012.

The show includes several originals from Pocketful of Posies as well as illustrations from some of my other books. My Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion and Rabbitat are on display, too. After the show ends, the self-portrait will be returning to its semi-permanent home at the Woods Hole Public Library.

I don’t usually toot my own horn so loudly, but I want to share a few sentences from this review of the show, which came out in Art New England:

“In astonishing detail, Mavor’s work above all conveys an artist who is entirely present. Beyond merely illustrating a story or poem, she brings us into it. Engaging with these works is like searching for stars in the night sky–at first we don’t recognize the extent of the delicate endless stitching, but as we keep our eyes focused, more and more appear. Surely her thread is gossamer, her fingers unimaginably nimble.”

Horn Book poster winner!

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Salley Mavor

I am overwhelmed by the response to the Horn Book poster giveaway! Thank you to everyone (107) who entered. I am very touched by so many lengthy, thoughtful and generous comments on the giveaway post, well beyond the usual minimal missives.

Drum roll, please. The winner is Marianne Monaghan! I’ll notify her by e-mail and find out where to send the poster. Anyone who’d like to buy posters ($7 within the US, $10 outside the US) from the Horn Book can call (Eastern Standard Time) or email any of the following:

800-325-9558 ext 7942, 614-873-7942, info@hbook.com

I gave a poster to Woods Hole Library Director Margaret McCormick, to hang up in our library.

I just had to show you this picture of one-year-old Helen dressed as a lamb, which was in the most recent Woods Hole Library newsletter. Her mother, Kellie Porter was working at the desk in the library when I brought in the poster. Kellie and I were both surprised to see the similarity between her daughter/lamb and my little girl/lamb swinging from the tree in the poster. I made the artwork for the magazine this past summer and Kellie hadn’t seen the Horn Book cover until I showed her the poster, so the resemblance was unexpected. By the way, Helen’s costume is not homemade, but I think it could easily be copied. I wish I had thought to add a collar and bell!

Close-ups (winter solstice)

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Salley Mavor

The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.

Salley, age 8

They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.

detail from “One Misty, Moisty Morning” in “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us – listen!

detail from “Little Jack Horner” in “Pocketful of Posies” 2010

All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.