A recent burst of color in my neighborhood!
Eric Carle
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Some thoughts on LOOKING and SEEING
Dear Friends,
Art is often thought of as a painting or sculpture in a museum. And while this is true, it is only partially so. We tend to overlook things of beauty that surround us in our daily lives. A spider web, the bark of a tree, the surface of a rock. And beauty is not only found in nature, look closely at a screw imbedded in a piece of rusty steel, a broken windowpane, the bristles of a hardened paint brush, a segment of colorful graffiti on a concrete wall, which, by the way, tells us that art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder and may not be considered “beautiful”.
In order to heighten one’s sense of looking and seeing try cutting a square window, about 15 cm, into a piece of sturdy paper and look through it. Hold it close or at arm’s length and look at all kinds of things around you.
You’ll be surprised how different the same object will look when viewed through the frame held up close or from a distance.
Look close up at the surface of the sidewalk, a piece of sandpaper, a weathered piece of wood
Or look at the leaves of a tree or bush.
Have you ever noticed how many shapes and sizes and colors leaves have?
Look up at a cloud. Let it drift by or move along with it.
What you see is a strange and beautiful world which you may not have been aware of.
By framing an image that way and isolating it from its usual surrounding it often takes on a different quality or meaning.
By now you understand what I am trying to express. There are so many things to look at and see differently from what we are used to.
In a museum, I like to look closely at a large masterpiece and study a very small area of brush strokes.
I am fascinated by the small world of brush strokes isolated from the painting itself. Try it sometime and you too will be amazed.
Eric Carle
Art is often thought of as a painting or sculpture in a museum. And while this is true, it is only partially so. We tend to overlook things of beauty that surround us in our daily lives. A spider web, the bark of a tree, the surface of a rock. And beauty is not only found in nature, look closely at a screw imbedded in a piece of rusty steel, a broken windowpane, the bristles of a hardened paint brush, a segment of colorful graffiti on a concrete wall, which, by the way, tells us that art and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder and may not be considered “beautiful”.
In order to heighten one’s sense of looking and seeing try cutting a square window, about 15 cm, into a piece of sturdy paper and look through it. Hold it close or at arm’s length and look at all kinds of things around you.
You’ll be surprised how different the same object will look when viewed through the frame held up close or from a distance.
Look close up at the surface of the sidewalk, a piece of sandpaper, a weathered piece of wood
Or look at the leaves of a tree or bush.
Have you ever noticed how many shapes and sizes and colors leaves have?
Look up at a cloud. Let it drift by or move along with it.
What you see is a strange and beautiful world which you may not have been aware of.
By framing an image that way and isolating it from its usual surrounding it often takes on a different quality or meaning.
By now you understand what I am trying to express. There are so many things to look at and see differently from what we are used to.
In a museum, I like to look closely at a large masterpiece and study a very small area of brush strokes.
I am fascinated by the small world of brush strokes isolated from the painting itself. Try it sometime and you too will be amazed.
Eric Carle
Friday, May 8, 2009
ABSTRACT ART
Dear Friends,
I sometimes like to create abstract pieces using my painted tissue paper sheets, as well as other materials such as silk fabric, plate glass, plastic sheathing and aluminum foil. I continue to create pieces in my studio, little works that for one reason or another capture my attention. I thought you might like to see an example of this kind of art including an Ingo Maurer ceiling lamp in my home that I decorated using pieces of my painted papers!
Eric Carle
I sometimes like to create abstract pieces using my painted tissue paper sheets, as well as other materials such as silk fabric, plate glass, plastic sheathing and aluminum foil. I continue to create pieces in my studio, little works that for one reason or another capture my attention. I thought you might like to see an example of this kind of art including an Ingo Maurer ceiling lamp in my home that I decorated using pieces of my painted papers!
Eric Carle
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
LA Times Books Festival
Dear Friends,
While I've cut back a good deal on the number of book signings I do, I still make a few scheduled appearances each year. Recently, I signed copies of my books and gave a presentation at the LA Times Book Festival, an event for which I also created art for the program and other publicity materials. It was a very well-organized festival and I was delighted to meet readers and fans of all ages who were there. I hope you enjoy these photos of the few days in California.
Eric Carle
While I've cut back a good deal on the number of book signings I do, I still make a few scheduled appearances each year. Recently, I signed copies of my books and gave a presentation at the LA Times Book Festival, an event for which I also created art for the program and other publicity materials. It was a very well-organized festival and I was delighted to meet readers and fans of all ages who were there. I hope you enjoy these photos of the few days in California.
Eric Carle
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A Day in My Life
Dear Friends,
I thought you might enjoy a small view into my daily life in Florida. I have said it often and it remains true that I very much enjoy the quiet days at home in my garden,
playing solitaire,
spending time with Bobbie,
watching the crabs,
feeding stray cats,
and Iguanas who frequent our property.
I still spend time in my studio but am very happily doing little else.
Soon we will leave to spend the summer in North Carolina. I love it there too, but have enjoyed this time near the ocean immensely.
Eric Carle
I thought you might enjoy a small view into my daily life in Florida. I have said it often and it remains true that I very much enjoy the quiet days at home in my garden,
playing solitaire,
spending time with Bobbie,
watching the crabs,
feeding stray cats,
and Iguanas who frequent our property.
I still spend time in my studio but am very happily doing little else.
Soon we will leave to spend the summer in North Carolina. I love it there too, but have enjoyed this time near the ocean immensely.
Eric Carle
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Around the world
Dear Friends,
I wanted to share some of the stories and photographs of international celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been translated into more than 47 languages and it has been wonderful to read about and see photos from events in Russia, Taiwan and London among other cities and countries.
We heard there were hundreds of events at schools and libraries in Germany; that The Very Hungry Caterpillar himself came to celebrate on the streets of London.
We received photos from two days of celebrating at a fun fair in Taiwan that more than 3000 people participated in! And in Moscow, art classes were held in libraries and bookstores as well as a program on making a cartoon at the Cancer Department of the Moscow Children's Hospital.
These stories and pictures have been a true delight to receive and I am thankful to be able to share them with all of you.
Best wishes,
Eric Carle
Friday, March 20, 2009
Gratitude
Dear Friends,
My wife Bobbie and I are sending our best wishes to all who are celebrating the 40th Anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar today and our heartfelt gratitude for all of the messages from readers from around the world.
We have heard of celebrations taking place in Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Puerto Rico, New York, California, Hawaii, Wisconsin, Singapore and in other cities and countries around the world.
It is a wonderful day!
Eric and Bobbie Carle
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