While traveling, windows are some of my favorite things to take pictures of. They offer an opening into another world that one can only imagine. This selection from Havana tell the story of a city that gives a glimpse of its former splendor, even in its decrepit state.
While in Cuba last March, we took bus trips out of Havana and had the opportunity to walk in the botanical gardens and in a mangrove forest. My husband Rob concentrated on photographing wildlife and I took pictures of trees.
Rob took tons of pictures of this bird and got one good one.
The botanical gardens…
We were told that this snake was harmless.
An agave plant. It’s good to see where the liquid sweetener comes from.
The view from Ernest Hemingway’s house, overlooking Havana.
My sister, Anne Mavor is visiting from Portland, OR this week. She’s having a show of her beautiful encaustic paintings at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA. The exhibit, Ancient Landscapes: A Spirit of Place will be on display until July 6th. She will also be giving a talk about her work on Sunday, June 1 at 1:30 pm. And look at the banner out front!
Anne uses watercolors on a wax-translucent wall medium base, which makes her paintings look very different from other encaustic work. You can read more about her technique here.
I love this photo of Anne painting with our Mom in Maine in 1962. This is such a typical scene. Mom was always creating artwork of all kinds.
And this one of Anne with Dad in the mid 50’s.
Anne’s paintings are of ancient sacred landscapes based on research photos taken by our father, James W. Mavor and herself. Several pieces in the exhibit at Highfield Hall are of local scenes from Falmouth and the Elizabeth Islands. I encourage you to go see this show–it’s stunning!
She writes, “When I was 17, my family took a trip to the British Isles where we visited ancient stone and mounds built by Neolithic and Bronze age cultures 3,000-7,000 years ago. My father was enthralled with these sites and their spiritual and astronomical meanings. This interest became his full time passion for the next 40 years until his death in 2006. His book Manitou: The Sacred Landscape of New England’s Native Civilization, brings together those years of research.
For my part, I never forgot the experience of walking through those sites. The stones were like groups of people meeting together and the mounds like large mammals hibernating. For the past two years, I have been painting images of those sites using my father’s research photos as inspiration. It has become a form of collaboration through time, combining the creative efforts of the ancient people, my father’s passion, and filtered through my hands and eyes.”
Ryan and Lael will be getting married next month in Woods Hole, so I made them a pair of dolls as a wedding present. They met here as children, when they were Woods Hole summer kids. And this wedding will join two families that have been coming every summer for generations. I’ve always been a bit jealous of the summer people, who seem to appreciate their time in Woods Hole more than we year-rounders. For them, it’s special and magical, like summer camp, where you play and socialize, without the regular responsibilities associated with your “winter” home.
It was clear that a conventional white gown and tuxedo would not represent this couple’s theatrical leanings and spirit of adventure. Since the bride and groom have more than a passing interest in medieval history, I dressed them in period attire. Their costumes were so much fun to research and figure out how to make.
As with the Glen and Susan dolls, these figures use some techniques, such as wig-making, that will be included in the new edition of Felt Wee Folk. Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures will be coming out in the spring of 2015.
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Don’t I look like an American tourista? Come along for a walk around a neighborhood in Havana that was just down the street from our hotel.
It’s time to show more pictures of Cuba. I have so many photos of streets, that I’ll have to post a second group. The streets of Havana were vibrant, very walk-able and clean. The pleasant March weather brought people out onto their stoops and balconies. The Cubans were friendly and engaged with each other. Around every corner was a scene begging to have its picture taken. You didn’t have to watch out for speeding cars and even when I ventured out alone with my conspicuously large camera, I felt safe. Occasionally, you’d have to get out of the way of pedicabs making their way around the side streets. Take a walk with me around the neighborhood.
Glen and Susan surprised everyone when they got married in a small private ceremony last December. They are a special couple, who are happy to have found each other at this stage in their lives. Now, they are planning to celebrate their union with their friends and family at their home in June. I thought that they could use a pair of portrait dolls for the occasion, perhaps as cake toppers. I delivered the dolls a few days ago and you should have seen the look on their faces!
How do you like their eye glasses? It’s the first time I’ve tried making them and now I want to experiment with more ways of bending wire. And how about this photograph? I am so lucky to have my husband Rob document my work at a moment’s notice. We set them up outside in the periwinkle patch and took their photograph at different times of day, with natural lighting. I really like the way this one came out–it shows the dolls in a scene, but you can see the details, too. These dolls use some new techniques, like wig making (not the eyeglasses-they were made after the manuscript was handed in) and clothing, which will be included in my new book, Felt Wee Folk: New Adventures (Spring 2015). Until then, the original edition, Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects is still available from my Etsy Shop here.
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On this Mother’s Day, I’d like to share some of my artwork that depict mothers. The domestic scene above is an illustration from Mary Had a Little Lamb. And the one below shows the kitchen in my book, In the Heart.
This detail from my Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion, covers the years when my children were very young and physically attached to me.
I made this “Old Mother Hubbard” ornament for the Family Trees Exhibit in Concord, MA.
And finally, here’s The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, from my book Pocketful of Posies which peels away the sugar coating of motherhood.
Polly Doll had a wonderful trip to Cuba. She rode a hood ornament, saw Ernest Hemingway’s pool…
…made friends with the “kissing lady”…
…visited a botanical garden…
…hung out in an Havana doorway…
…dined at a Paladar (private restaurant)…
…hiked through a mangrove forest…
…and enjoyed some Cuban rum.
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I am pleased to announce the addition of another 18″ x 24″ poster to my Etsy Shop. The poster is new, but the original NOAH’S ARK piece was made 28 years ago!
I remember working on it during a transitional period, when I created animals that were similar in size and style to my pins (see them here), which I sewed to dyed and appliqued cotton velveteen background fabric. The animal’s legs are formed with tube beads. I also remember finding the orange upholstery fabric that’s around the border while shopping at a large fabric store in Berkeley, CA. I can recall playing around and re-positioning the animals for a long time until they looked right. It was also during a time when I fell in love with hand embroidering little leaves on bushes and trees. You can see some details of the animals and landscape below.
The NOAH’S ARK Poster is available from my Etsy Shop here.
SALLEY MAVOR 