photo shoot in the studio

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Salley Mavor

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting photographer Dan Cutrona. He was sent over to my studio by Cape Cod Magazine, which will have an article about my work in March 2014. I’m not sure which issue, but I’ll announce it this blog and Facebook. Dan knows how to put you at ease and we had a great time trying out different ways of showing me at work. I dressed a little nicer than usual and even wore jewelry and lip gloss. Rob took these pictures while Dan was setting up the lights and clicking away on his camera.For the occasion, I borrowed my Self Portrait from its semi-permanent home at the Woods Hole Public Library and hung it on the wall above my work table. Other than that, I didn’t rearrange or clean up my studio, since I wanted it to be showed in its naturally cluttered state. When the magazine issue comes out, I’ll announce it (hopefully with a link) on this blog.

Ireland 2013 (street scenes)

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Salley Mavor

We had lunch in a different town every day, but the pub lunch was basically the same– delicious pureed vegetable soup and brown bread! Here are some of the towns we visited in Ireland. I can’t remember all of their names, but they’re located in the central western area. It was so refreshing to travel around without seeing a single strip mall or bill board.

Ireland 2013 (water)

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Salley Mavor

In Ireland, we traveled through the western counties of Galway, Clare, Sligo and Mayo and were never far from rivers, waterfalls or ocean views!

Talking about my art

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Salley Mavor

I’ll be talking about my art in this room at Highfield Hall in Falmouth, MA, this coming Sunday, Oct. 6th at 1:30 pm. The space will be transformed into a lecture hall with chairs, darkened windows and a screen for my presentation. I look forward to sharing the story of my artistic journey through photos and recollections. 50 original fabric relief illustrations from Pocketful of Posies are hung all over the first floor of the mansion until Oct. 31st. I love having my work shown is such an inviting and beautiful place!

Just for the event on Oct. 6th, two extra pieces will be displayed on easels; Birds of Beebe Woods and Self Portrait: A Personal History of Fashion. The “Birds” piece is home for a short time, between shows, so I thought I’d take it along for an outing. The next day, it’ll be crated and shipped to Sebastopol, California for Innovations in Fiber Arts VI at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts. My Self Portrait is on semi-permanent display at the Woods Hole Public Library, so I’m borrowing it for the Highfield event. We’ll also show a short film my husband Rob and I made about the self portrait. I hope to see locals as well as out-of-towners on Sunday. Be sure to come early to claim a seat and look around at the exhibit!

Poster -Self Portrait: a personal history of fashion, 2007

Ireland 2013 (doors)

Posted on September 29, 2013 by Salley Mavor

Doorways, open and closed, entrances and exits into another place. Especially red ones. I took these photos on our recent trip to Ireland.

Wee Folk photo shoot

Posted on September 27, 2013 by Salley Mavor

We woke up this morning to a hazy, cloudy day, which made me very happy. You see, I’ve been constructing a scene with dolls for my new book, the 2nd edition of Felt Wee Folk (2015 pub. date) and we were hoping to do a photo shoot outside with natural light. The conditions were perfect! The sun was just behind the clouds, shining a defused light that created soft shadows on the dolls’ little faces. We also used a reflector (that large white disk) to shine more light to the subject. It’s my job to hold the reflector at the right angle, but Rob held it while I took this picture. When I showed him this photo, he said, “Oh my, I look like a certified nerd.” I said, “Yeah, that’s my guy!”.

I had to resist the temptation to post closeups of the dolls, but it’s too early to show projects from the book, which isn’t scheduled to come out until 2015. It is not in my nature to hide what I’m up to, but I have to protect my ideas, until the time is right. I know that whatever goes out in cyberspace will be shared, often without regard for the source of origin. So, I’m giving a little peak, quite literally into the camera’s view screen. Hint: Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Polly’s trip to Ireland

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Salley Mavor

Polly had many adventures in Ireland. She saw lots of stone ruins, castles, waterfalls and moss. She joined her companions for meals and drinks of Guinness and visited Yeats’ grave and statue. She encountered thistle, heather and wool knit sweaters and even met another Polly!

Ireland

Scotland

Ireland 2013 (store fronts)

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Salley Mavor

Rob and I just returned from our trip to Ireland and we’ve been spending the weekend going through our hundreds of photographs. It was a great to return to Ireland (see last year’s photos here) and experience another area of the country. We traveled around the western coastal counties of Mayo, Galway, Sligo and Clare. The weather was characteristically cool and rainy with a chance of sun shine. We saw many beautiful and charming sights which I’ll be sharing over the next few weeks.

I’m organizing different categories of pictures to show, including Polly Doll’s adventures, which will come later. Let’s start with some of my favorite subjects: boldly painted store fronts.

Close-ups (beds)

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Salley Mavor

The first image in this series of bed pictures is an illustration for a poem called Tumbling, which is included in my 1997 poetry anthology, You and Me:Poems of Friendship. Then there’s a page from my 2001 picture book In the Heart, which was written by Ann Turner. Copies of In the Heart are available in my Etsy Shop.

My book, Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes has many different scenes with beds. After his fall, Jack took to bed and wrapped his head with vinegar and brown paper. And Hush-a-bye-baby rocks in a walnut shell.

Here are more unconventional sleeping places in my Wee Willie Winkie board book.

And here’s “my son John, went to sleep with his trousers on” from Pocketful of Posies: A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes. I offer autographed copies in my Etsy Shop.

“Go to bed first, a golden purse” from Pocketful of Posies.

And here’s Elsie Marley, who won’t get up to feed the swine, which is also from Pocketful of Posies.

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Polly’s going on a trip

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Salley Mavor

Polly Doll is packed and ready to go on a trip to Ireland. She’s filled her carpet bag and basket with all of her necessities and is waiting to board the Peter Pan bus to Logan Airport. Polly missed the bus last year and she is so determined to go along this time that she will not move from her spot in front of the house. No sleeping, no bathroom breaks. And she insists on holding her carry-on luggage while she waits.

She’s hoping to show pictures of her travels on Facebook while she’s away, so check there from time to time to see where she’s been.