Accordion-style artist book with colorful, cut-paper illustrations depicting marine life and underwater scenes, displayed against a bright blue background.

Storytime with Mare: Artists’ Books from the Odditorium

Seattle native Mare Blocker shares 50 years of making artists’ books. Blocker proves that paper and ink are all you need to bring a world to life. Her retrospective focuses on four themes of her life: Fun & Games, Science & Nature, Myths & Legends, and Waterlife. Blocker’s, whimsy, honesty, and daring will entrance you from cover to cover.

Header image: Mare Blocker (Seattle, WA), Mermaid Rodeo, 2000 and Salt Pier (detail) in background. Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection, photo by Laura Zander.

When

Oct 3, 2025 – Feb 15, 2026

Where

Sherry Grover Gallery

Share

Mare Blocker (Seattle), Let The Water Hold You, 2025, Repurposed papers, painted and stitched, 12"h x 24"w, Courtesy of Mare Blocker, photo by Laura Zander
Mare Blocker (Seattle), Hell’s Carousel: The Merry-Go-Round of Bad Behavior, 1999 Cloth-covered custom clamshell cover with flame design in relief; accordion with signatures, piano hinge binding, hidden flame design on the ‘spine’; wood closure topped with a flag; cloth covered boards with collaged title; gouache and ink, hand-cut, closed 6.375”w x 9”h x 1”d; open 13”dia, unique, Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection, photo by Laura Zander
Mare Blocker (Seattle), The Ultimate Self-Help Book, 2001 Mixed media, hand painted, and hand lettered, open 16.125”h x 21.5”w x 2.5”d, Cynthia Sears Artists’ Books Collection, photo by Laura Zander

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