Ireland is full of ancient structures and buildings. So, along with all of the green, there are a lot of gray stones to take pictures of.
Ireland 2013 (castles, graves, ruins, etc.)
9
Safe in Sebastopol
I just received confirmation that the Birds of Beebe Woods has made the trip across the country safely! So far, this piece has been exhibited in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Texas and now Sebastopol, in northern California. The “birds” have traveled snug and protected in a custom crate that Rob made. Besides being a wonderful husband who builds crates (see below), he makes the wooden shadow box frames, photographs my artwork (including the closeup below) and sets up the equipment for my presentations. I am so lucky to have had Rob’s consistent support all these years. We recently figured out that we have been together for 35 years!
October 24 – November 30, “Birds of Beebe Woods” will be exhibited in Innovations in Fiber Arts VI, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Sebastopol, California. A flyer for the event is at the end of this post.
It should be a very interesting show, but it’s too far for me to travel for the opening. I will continue to enter the piece into juried exhibits, with the goal of having it seen in as many different locations as possible.
blow up image of 2″ x 3.5″ detail from “Birds of Beebe Woods
Ireland 2013 (landscapes)
It’s true, Ireland is the emerald isle. Lush green moss, ivy, ferns and grass are everywhere!
photo shoot in the studio
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)
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)
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
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)
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
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
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
SALLEY MAVOR 