This grouping of mother and child pictures starts with a piece I made while pregnant with my first child, in a naive style that’s also reflective of my inexperience with motherhood. Then there’s a detail from “Family Portrait”, which I made for a Christmas card in 1986, showing my son Ian in my arms. Next is a close-up from “Mother’s Dance”, a more active piece, with many gesturing arms and then a detail from a CD cover entitled “A Little Music on the Prairie”. The series ends with a nursing mother from “The Red Chair”.
detail from "Mother and Child", 1983
detail from "Family Portrait", 1986
detail from CD cover, "A Little Music on the Prairie", 1994
detail from "The Red Chair", 1994
Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.
This collection of sewing memorabilia has come my way via grandmothers and great aunts. Inside the Queen Marie needle book are several packs of gold and silver eyed sharps. Don’t you just love the idolized cover scene of 3 generations sewing together? I’ve used some of this rick rack and these hooks & eyes make hinges and door handles in my artwork. And, call me old-fashioned, but I always wear a thimble.
In the late 1980’s, my 97 year old grandmother died and we cleaned out her house in Bristol, RI. Along with drawers full of old keys and costume jewelry, I saved a stash of garter clips and kept them in wait for a future project. Their day came in 1995, when I started working on Queen with Duster.
“Queen with Duster”, fabric-relief, 10″ x 11″, 1995
I’m always on the lookout for small interesting objects that can be sewn down and I liked the pattern created with the garters lined up. The figure started out as a bride, but evolved into a queen when she was crowned with a bejeweled pin.
a collection of my grandmother’s garters
sketches for “Queen with Duster”
Her dress is made from an old wool petticoat of my grandmother’s that was washed so many times, it had become very thin felt. The silver hairpins were also my grandmother’s and she made the tatting on the bottom of the skirt. See “Pink House”, another piece made with my grandmother’s things, here.
detail from “Queen with Duster” 6″ x 4″
my grandmother, Louise (Salley) Hartwell in the 1920’s
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The pods are light and almost have the texture of handmade paper. They open up in the fall, bursting with the most delicate, downy seeds and their boat-like shape and small size make a fitting bed for a little person.
This sleeping girl nestled in her milkweed bed is in my board book, Wee Willie Winkie.
For more ideas on wee doll bedding, visit my post about walnut shells here.
Throughout her lifetime, my mother, Mary Mavor, made some beautiful Christmas cards,which she sent out every year. This selection spans many years, from the late 40’s to the 90’s. Some of her early cards were done in blue print, which she commonly used in the 50’s for reproducing small print runs.
by Mary Hartwell (Mavor), hand colored blue print, about 1947
by Mary Mavor, hand colored blue print, about 1950
This group of trees starts with a paint and crayon picture I made as a child of 7. Next is a detail of a painting I did in art school and then part of an early fabric relief winter scene. The last two are taken from my book, Pocketful of Posies.
snowman and trees, 1963
from “Laplander Mural” 1977
detail from “Skating” 1987
from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010
from “Pocketful of Posies” 2010
Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.
We drove around town this morning, marveling at the snowy scenery, which made everything look like a Christmas card. Here are some photos of Falmouth and Woods Hole.
I’ll add to the multitude of snow pictures being posted on the eastern seaboard today. We woke up to about a foot and a half of the white stuff this morning.
Rob got out his beloved Kabota tractor and plowed the driveway, while Ian and I shoveled.
For my friends and neighbors, I made a huge batch of granola and filled up a dozen quart canning jars. For the labels, I cut paper circles with wavy scissors and decorated them with stamps, stickers and a dye cutter that cuts out tiny leaves. Then I stick them to the canning jar tops with double sticky tape and tied ribbon around.
In the early 80’s, I designed projects for magazines. I remember that the projects themselves were fun to figure out and make, but writing the directions was a big chore. You have to break the process down step by step and explain every detail. Sometimes it’s hard to tell how you did something in a clear understandable way. I work intuitively, so writing coherent directions was work!
Ticket 1981
Here’s a ticket stub to a production of the opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was performed in Falmouth by a local theater group in 1981. I designed the posters, program, tickets and costumes. The image of the three kings got me thinking about doing a nativity scene of cloth dolls. The thing about dolls is that they usually have legs, which makes it difficult for them to stand on their own. So, I gave these characters long robes and even put sand in the bottom to make them stay grounded. The kings were made from lush fabrics like brocade and velveteen, with metallic braid, and they carried bead and button gifts. Mary and Joseph’s clothing was more homespun, with woven wools and roughly textured cloth.
From time to time, I’ll be posting a group of photographs of my favorite things. These Christmas decorations are from my husband’s family in Pennsylvania. My mother-in-law would set up scenes on the mantle piece and window sills around the house. I love the way one of the Santas has a kid leather beard, instead of the traditional cotton.
There are seven metal reindeer left in the set, some with bells and some so lame that they need help standing.
These glass ornaments are so delicate and are still stored in what looks to be their original box.
This wooden angel candle holder is about 3″ tall. I love her little head wreath.
And there’s a flock of sweet sheep and lambs, with their wooden legs worn and exposed.
