Walter Wick
Encyclopedia
Walter Wick is an American artist and photographer best known for the elaborate images in two series of publications, the I Spy and the Can You See What I See? books, which were published by Scholastic Books.
Wick was born in Hartford, Connecticut
and attended the Paier College of Art
. After school he embarked on a career as a commercial photographer and eventually shifted to photo-illustration for books and magazines. He contributed to Scholastic's Let's Find Out and Super Science series and photographed hundreds of mass-market magazine covers. He also created photographic puzzles for Games magazine.
In 1991 Wick began a collaboration with writer Jean Marzollo
on the enormously successful I Spy search-and-find picture books. Eight original titles were produced and millions of copies sold.
Wick has received the Boston Globe-Horn Book first prize for non-fiction and had his book Walter Wick's Optical Tricks named one of the year's "best illustrated books" by The New York Times
. In 2003 Wick and his wife purchased an abandoned 1920 firehouse from the city of Hartford and renovated the building to become a new studio for his artwork. In 2009 Wick had a collection of his work, Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos, and Toys in the Attic, exhibited at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art
.
Wick was born in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and attended the Paier College of Art
Paier College of Art
The Paier College of Art is a private 4-year art school in Hamden, Connecticut, on the outskirts of the greater New Haven area. Formerly the Paier School of Art, the institution's current name and form date from 1982 when it received a charter and accreditation for offering a 4-year Bachelor of...
. After school he embarked on a career as a commercial photographer and eventually shifted to photo-illustration for books and magazines. He contributed to Scholastic's Let's Find Out and Super Science series and photographed hundreds of mass-market magazine covers. He also created photographic puzzles for Games magazine.
In 1991 Wick began a collaboration with writer Jean Marzollo
Jean Marzollo
Jean Marzollo is a children's author and illustrator. Born in 1942, she has written over 130 books, including the best-selling award-winning I SPY series for children, written completely in rhythm and rhyme....
on the enormously successful I Spy search-and-find picture books. Eight original titles were produced and millions of copies sold.
Wick has received the Boston Globe-Horn Book first prize for non-fiction and had his book Walter Wick's Optical Tricks named one of the year's "best illustrated books" by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. In 2003 Wick and his wife purchased an abandoned 1920 firehouse from the city of Hartford and renovated the building to become a new studio for his artwork. In 2009 Wick had a collection of his work, Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos, and Toys in the Attic, exhibited at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art
Brigham Young University Museum of Art
The Brigham Young University Museum of Art, located in Provo, Utah, is the university's primary art museum and is one of the best attended university-campus art museums in the United States. The museum, which had been discussed for more than fifty years, opened in a space in October 1993 with a...
.
Book list
The following is a partial list of Walter Wick books:- I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles (1991)
- I Spy: Christmas (1992)
- I Spy: Fun House (1993)
- I Spy: Mystery (1993)
- I Spy: Fantasy (1994)
- I Spy: School Days (1995)
- I Spy: Spooky Night (1996)
- A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder (1997)
- Walter Wick's Optical Tricks (1998)
- I Spy: Treasure Hunt (1999)
- Can You See What I See?: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve (2002)
- Can You See What I See?: Dream Machine (2003)
- Can You See What I See?: Cool Collections (2004)
- Can You See What I See?: The Night Before Christmas (2005)
- Can You See What I See?: Once Upon A Time (2006)
- Can You See What I See?: On A Scary Scary Night (2008)
- Can You See What I See?: Treasure Ship (2010)
- Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express (2011)
Sources
- "About the author" information, I Spy Fun House: A Book of Picture Riddles by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo, New York, Scholastic, 1993, p. 37.
- "Artist's Statement" Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos, and Toys in the Attic by Walter Wick, Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, 2009.