Last weekend I went to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Northampton, Massachusetts.  I went to see the three galleries, explore the studio and listen to Lita Judge talk about how she makes books.

One gallery has an exhibit sharing a biography of Eric Carle in both photographs and artwork.  It was really fun to see how his art has changed, but also stayed the same.  I liked seeing the lobster poster that Bill Martin Jr. first saw and caused him to ask Eric Carle to illustrate his first book.  That was Brown Bear, Brown Bear.  I also liked seeing how Eric Carle used foam core and colored dowels to make a model of a sculpture that he later made out of steel.

Another gallery was full of Mo Willems’ sketches, plans and final artwork for all his books.  It is Pigeon’s 10th birthday and so the museum was highlighting his work. (He is from Northampton too.)  The gallery was full of pigeon, Gerald and Piggie, knuffle bunny and Leonardo.  There is a Gerald inspired sculpture in front of the museum too.  It was installed earlier this year.  

The final gallery displayed all 26 pieces of art work that had been put into an alphabet book called A Garden of Ordinary Miracles.  I wished that I’d be able to share it with you all – you would have loved the art work.  The colors are richer that what shows in the book and you’d have love the way the the author/illustrator, Robert Zakanitch played with handwriting and alphabets almost as if the final artwork were part of a sketchbook for practice and experimenting.  If you click on the links you’ll see some of what I mean.

 

 

 

 

 

Lita Judge is from from southern New Hampshire.  She grew up in Alaska and she shared some photographs taken there of bears and eagles, owls and seals.  She uses those images in her book illustrations and in her story ideas.  She also went in dinosaur digs for several years starting at 14.  It was fun to see how all the things she loved growing up now show up in what she does and loves now.  She shared a video of her parrot and her cat – and then shared the draft of a books she is in the middle to creating right now.  I wish you were there – you would have been amazed at what she shared.  You would have been inspired by what you saw.

I hope you get to go to the museum some day.  Make sure you check out the schedule so you can choose the just right day for you!