The North Fork of Long Island has water views, marinas full of boats and wine vineyards planted where potatoes fields used to be. But, I didn’t take pictures of those places. Somehow, I’m drawn to where people live and took these while walking around neighborhoods early in the morning.
Rob and Salley at Orient General Store
I took a ton of photos, mostly of houses in the area, which I’ve divided into categories, this one focusing on porches. I’ll be showing others in the next few posts.
I spent the weekend in Muscatine, Iowa, giving a doll making workshop and attending the reception for the Pocketful of Posies Exhibit at the Muscatine Art Center.
The 50 original fabric relief illustrations fit perfectly in the museum’s modern exhibit space, which is an addition built onto an old mansion. The lighting was so well done that it looked as if there was no glass protecting the artwork. Thank you to Katy, Barb and to the other staff at the museum who made the show look so good! My artwork will be on display until June 19th.
In Saturday’s workshop, we spent all day wrapping pipe cleaners and sewing little felt clothes for our dolls.
Everyone made at least 2 figures, with fairies being the most popular.
In the past, I’ve learned that my students get stressed over painting the faces, so I brought bead heads that I had painted ahead. That way we had more time to sew.
This well dressed little guy is being fitted with shoes. We had a great time working and chatting together. Marcella found out about the workshop on this blog and drove all the way from Wisconsin to make dolls with us! Sorry, but there are no more workshops planned.
At the reception on Sunday, I met Elaine and her 2 daughters, who came the longest distance–from Texas! She saw on this blog that the Iowa location was probably going to be the closest to her, so she planned a trip around coming here. This home schooling, children’s book loving family also toured several Little House on the Prairie sites in the midwest, including ones in Wisconsin and S. Dakota. Impressive!
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.
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
Here are some more pictures of houses in the downtown area of Ojai, California, taken on my recent trip. I like the playful use of color on the trim and outside decorations.
Last week, two friends and I went on our yearly trek to a spa in Ojai, California. In addition to providing lots of exercise and healthful food, The Oaks Spa is located in a wonderfully idyllic town with photogenic little houses in the surrounding neighborhood. I found these doorways particularly appealing. See last year’s Ojai houses here and here.
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.
This morning, I was all set to drive the artwork over to the Cape Cod Children’s Museum in Mashpee for the next installment of the Pocketful of Posies Traveling Exhibit. But, we’re having another snow storm, so I’m delaying the delivery until Thursday, when the storm should have passed through. I’ll probably deliver artwork to the Sandwich Library on Thursday as well. They have a nice display case where I’ll set up some originals from the book. If your library has a decent sized locked display case and you are within a 3 hr. drive of Cape Cod, please let me know.
loading the elevator at the Danforth
On Sunday, my husband Rob and I picked up all of the illustrations from the Danforth Museum, where the show has been for the past 3 months. The museum’s director, Katherine French and her staff were wonderful to work with we’re talking about my return to the museum with another show in a few years. Not book illustrations this time, but stand alone fabric relief artwork. Katherine wrote this lovely review of the show:
“The Danforth Museum of Art has been pleased to host an exhibition of original art created for Salley Mavor’s Pocketful of Posies. Even the most jaded parent, reluctantly pulled into the gallery by an eager child, finds themselves engaged by fiber art at the highest level. Created with traditional craft materials, the artist creates small sculptures that are completely charming, yet intricate and complex. The stories she tells are simple, but demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of composition and sculptural form. They are, quite simply, extraordinary. ”
Thanks, Danforth Museum! Here we are, all packed for the journey home. My Subaru Outback is just big enough to fit all of the frames.
I saw this pyramid of lobster pots, while stopping for a sandwich in Sandwich, Massachusetts. Around the Cape, lobstermen frequently pile up their pots in the yard during the winter months. With the festive arrangement of floats on top and Christmas lights, this one takes the cake!
SALLEY MAVOR 