May look like hoarderville…may look like chaos…but these are my most favorite days in 101 😍 Sophs in Introduction to Photo are working with the @walterwickstudio “I SPY” concept. They are hiding objects within a frame and photographing the layouts. Next week they work in groups to write poems about their hidden objects. They’ll move into InDesign to do layout of their photographs and poems in preparation of their own I SPY book. Good stuff is always happening at @chs_mcvsd #teachergas #digitalphotography #ispy #cteworks
🔎✨ Step into a world of wonder!
I SPY! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders brings 50 years of mind-bending puzzles, optical illusions, and magical miniature worlds to life. From playful floor games to dazzling I SPY challenges, this exhibition is full of surprises waiting to be discovered—are you ready to see what you can find? 👀🧩
“I Spy! Walter Wick’s Hidden Wonders” at @norman_rockwell_museum !!! 🔍✨
Opening day!! This exhibit is sooo wonderful and special 🥹🥲💘 I had been building it up in my mind for months since I first heard about it, and it exceeded my expectations!!
This one really hit close to home and made me super emotional and nostalgic as I slowly explored the show. I grew up spending countless hours with these books, which I think plays a huge role in me being such a keen observer of detail 👀
The I Spy book series is quintessential to the way I observe, notice and appreciate the world. They inspire wonder, imagination, curiosity and the promise of hidden wonders to be found around every corner.
Wick’s work is very aesthetically pleasing and is still 100% my taste now even many years later.
I love how he emphasizes the importance of getting lost in unstructured, free-form hours of childhood play, wandering through nooks and crannies at junk shops and vintage stores and how children are the most dedicated and inquisitive audience any artist could hope for.
It was so cool to see the miniature worlds up close, hand-built model sets, behind-the-scenes at how he made them and amazing photography!
A must-see experience! Make sure to allow yourself plenty of time! Fun for all ages.
Fright Night, my latest book (currently only available in Japan) and Curiosity Shop, my latest US release, are highlighted on Oha Suta TV, a children’s variety show in Japan, where my books have been popular for years. Had someone ever suggested one day I’d be celebrated in Japan, I’d thought they were crazy. The ghosts you see flying around here were drawn by my super-talented art assistant, @moonzmilk (I guess I didn’t use strong enough glue when compositing them on the cover). You’ll also see the Curiosity Shop model, built by the masterful @studiopests . I’m grateful for the recent contributions of these two amazing artists. Also for @linda.wick and @kyoko.kiire for help making these most recent books possible in the first place.
In my studio, which I arranged to reflect a bit of my work life. This is the 5th studio I’ve occupied over 45 years, and it’s 1/10 the size of my previous one. On the right, my old 8 x 10 Toyo View, the camera I used to shoot all the I Spy books, and 3 of the Can You See What I See? Series. On the light box, film from I Spy Fantasy, which might be my favorite of that series. Also, my most recent digital camera, a Fujifilm GXR 50R, which I used to shoot my most recent book, Curiosity Shop - which is shown along with I Spy Love, due for release in November (more about that in a later post). While this studio is small, there are some 20,000 props tucked away in storage behind me. You can see a few of the 60 or so clear bins I use for small objects stacked up on the left. There’s 100 or so gray boxes in the extra-large cabinets above and below the counters. Now scroll to see a scene from inside the Curiosity Shop, and scroll further to see how it was created in the very same part of the studio as the first slide. Special thanks to my three essential contributors, without whom the magic would not have happened: @linda.wick@moonzmilk@studiopests
NEW “Curiosity Shop” by my ol’ pal WW @walterwickstudio , clever & gorgeous latest entry in the award-winning, best-selling “Can You See What I See?“ series… My brainy daughter @maiaslazar helps with the challenging clues, continuing a long tradition stretching back to her childhood… Highly recommend!… https://a.co/d/5ReUyOv
New Book! A hidden object extravaganza that will have you searching through every nook and cranny of my Curiosity Shop - featuring Seymour and Buttons and all my favorites vintage props. Ever wonder where I keep everything I’ve collected over the years? The secret is finally out: they’re all stuffed into this miniature shop, on full display within the pages of my latest book. #familyfun #hiddenpicturespuzzle #canyouseewhatisee #ispyphotographer #walterwickbooks
My Exhibit, Hidden Wonders is now at the Figge Museum of Art in Davenport. I’ll be at the museum Thursday, July 18th for a talk and book signing. The exhibit runs through November 17th, 2024 @figgeartmuseum
1) My exhibit is officially open @nbmaa56 (through Sept. 3). I hope my current and former readers of #ispy and #canyouseewhatisee will
get a chance to see it (photo: Brandon Dole)
2) I have many people to thank for the events that led to this exhibit, first and foremost, my wife @linda.wick who has been by my side for 45 of the 50 years of work comprising the show.
3) Artist Randy Gilman (on the left, with Linda) has been a significant contributor to my work for the past two decades; my two most recent books have been published with Shogakukan, Japan: editor Kyoko Kiire (with me on the right) came all the way from Tokyo to attend the opening.
4) Kyoko arrived with a gift for @nbmaa , which she presented to associate curator, Lisa Williams.
5) I’m heartened to see that all ages were immediately engaged in the exhibit.
6) Linda and I welcome you all! #hiddenwonders #walterwickhiddenwonders #walterwickbooks #scholasticbooks #ispy #ispybooks #canyouseewhatisee #photoillustration #nbmaa
I Spy is 30 years old! I didn’t want 2022 to pass without posting something about this important milestone in my career. I was 38 years old when writer Jean Marzollo called me to ask if I’d be interested in working on a search and find book for children. I already had 18 years of studio experience by then, and had made photo puzzles for Games Magazine for a decade, so though it was my first book, I had many years worth of published work behind me. Search and find books were not a new idea: the market was already saturated with Where’s Waldo and tons of knock offs, but using photographs in this genre did seem like a fresh approach. It didn’t hurt that I had a seasoned children’s book writer to partner with - the series would not have happened without Jean’s participation, nor would it have been so well grounded in age appropriate values without her guidance. Sadly, Jean passed away in 2018, but her I Spy riddles still live on - you’ll see the latest cover version (published this year) in the video, so maybe we’ll have at least another 30 years to go! #ispybooks #childrensbooks #searchandfindbook “hiddenpicturepuzzles #scholasticbooks
My exhibition celebrating anniversary of Can You See What I See? In Japan broke attendance records with over 31,000 visitors in the 3 week run. #walterwick #walterwickbooks #canyouseewhatisee #fujifilmsquare
