TIME CAPSULE--100 YEARS AGO IN LOS ANGELES, Exhibit at the Los Angeles Central Library

Copper time capsule boxes, from 1881 on left, 1925 on right, at the Los Angeles Central Library.

In May1925, as the cornerstone for the new Central Los Angeles Library building in downtown Los Angeles was laid, a sealed copper box containing memorable items of the time was encased in a cavity within the stone. Inside was a smaller box, a time capsule from 1881 that had been placed in the State Normal School building that previously stood on the spot. When the library building was completed in the following year, the doors opened to great fanfare.  

Cornerstone Dedication and Time Capsule Placement, May 3, 1925.

Now, one hundred years later, in January 2026, in celebration of the Central Library building’s centennial, the time capsule has been retrieved and opened. It is now on display on the third floor of the library, along with the smaller box found within it—the time capsule from the State Normal School.

Some of the items found in the 1925 time capsule.

Some of the items found in the 1925 time capsule.

On a recent visit to the Central Library I visited the time capsule exhibit. I was surprised by the excellent condition of the materials that had been inside it, ranging from a book of Angeles street maps and the library’s annual report (1925) to newspapers and Christmas cards (1881). The items on exhibit are just a sample of what was contained in the boxes.

The Normal School was a teacher training institution. It moved to another location and eventually became the beginning of UCLA.

Selected contents of the 1881 time capsule.

The contents of the time capsule boxes are a snapshot of life in the growing city of Los Angeles.  For more about the city in the 1920s, click HERE for an article at the library website with numerous photos of life in the city at the time.

CONVERSATIONS WITH ART: Exhibit at Belmont Village Westwood, Los Angeles, CA

It was a pleasure to be part of the gala opening of the exhibit Conversations in Art at the Belmont Village Senior Living Westwood in Los Angeles today. I was one of twelve artists whose work is featured. Each of us had five minutes to tell a little bit about ourselves and our work, which ranged from paintings and drawings, to photography, calligraphy, jewelry and reimagined puzzles. I showed giclee prints of four illustrations from my Australian animal books—A KOALA’S WORLD, A KANGAROO’S WORLD, A PLATYPUS’ WORLD and A WOMBAT’S WORLD. I thank Alicia Thomason in Community Relations at the Belmont for doing an excellent job of organizing and hanging the exhibit.

Conversations with Art features works by UCLA Emeriti and Retirees. (I am a former instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.) The exhibit is a collaboration of the Belmont Village Senior Living community with the UCLA Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center. It will be on display through February 2026 and can be viewed Monday-Sunday between 11:00 am and 6:00 pm. Belmont Village is at 10475 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

ART SHOW--PAINTINGS BY TOM SCHEAFFER, at the Maya Moon Collective, San Diego, CA

My brother Tom Scheaffer is exhibiting his beautiful paintings at the Maya Moon Collective in San Diego, California, 3349 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116. The opening reception is Saturday, March 23^rd, 6 to 8 pm. If you are in the San Diego area, be sure to stop by to see the exhibit and have a bite to eat at the Maya Moon Cafe. The paintings will be up until the end of April.

Tom works in a colorful, expressionist/realistic style, depicting scenes in nature, especially of places in Southern California. His paintings are also inspired by his roots in the upper Midwest and summers in the North Woods at Camp Bovey in northern Wisconsin. Here are some samples of the paintings in the exhibit at the Maya Moon Restaurant.

REMEMBERING CHILDREN'S BOOK ILLUSTRATOR ERIC CARLE (1929-2021)

Renowned children's book illustrator Eric Carle, most famous for his book The Very Hungry Caterpillar, passed away this week at the age of 91. In honor of his passing I am republishing my article written after a visit in 2017 to an exhibit of his work at the High Museum in Atlanta.

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

DAVID HOCKNEY: 82 PORTRAITS and 1 STILL LIFE at LACMA

David Hockney Portrait Exhibit at LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

"I think I've found something that I could go on with forever, because people are fascinating, they're mysterious really." David Hockney

Entrance to the exhibit with photo of Hockney at work in his studio

If you haven't seen the David Hockney show at LACMA, 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life, I highly recommend it. I went to see it on Sunday. At age 80, David Hockney is still going strong. The portraits are stunning and the red walls of the gallery are a perfect foil for the green and blue background of the paintings.

Julie Green

As I walked around I noticed a woman leading a tour. Then I looked at her dress and realized she was Julie Green, one of the people in the portraits!

Architect Frank Gehry

There are portraits of his studio assistants, massage therapist, housekeeper and cook. Others depict Hockney’s siblings, the children and grandchildren of his friends, and art dealers and prominent cultural figures in Los Angeles. All of the paintings are labeled with the sitter's name and dates of sitting.
Organized by the Royal Academy in conjunction with LACMA, the exhibition opened in London in 2016, then traveled to Venice, Italy; Bilboa, Spain; and Melbourne, Australia. The only U.S. stop is L.A., the city where the portraits were painted and where most of his subjects live.

The 83 paintings line the walls of two large galleries in the Broad Contemporary Art Museum

The series began in 2013 after David Hockney moved to Los Angeles from his home and studio in rural England.

Each person came to Hockney’s studio for two or three days and sat in the same chair on a small platform while Hockney painted. All of the figures are full length and the canvas size is the same for each portrait. The backgrounds are simple–flat color and just a suggestion of shadow on the floor. What comes across in each painting is the distinct personality of the sitter.

The one still life was painted on a day when one of his subjects had to postpone her session. So Hockney set up a bench with pieces of fruit in the same spot in his studio and painted it instead.   

If you haven’t seen this spectacular exhibit you need to go soon. It ends July 29, 2018.


David Hockney: 82 Portraits and 1 Still-life
April 15, 2018–July 29, 2018

Review in the LA Times by Barbara Isenberg

Reading in the Redwoods: HUMBOLDT COUNTY CHILDREN’S AUTHOR FESTIVAL, Eureka, CA

Theme art for "Reading in the Redwoods" at the Humboldt County Library, Eureka, CA

I am just home from the bi-annual Humboldt County Children’s Author Festival in Eureka, California, and it was as fabulous as ever. This was my sixth time to participate, and each time it gets better and better. The theme this year was Reading in the Redwoods.
The four day festival (October 18-21)  includes author visits to schools, a gala banquet, book signing at the library, and an exhibition of children’s book art at the Morris Graves Museum of Art. I had two pieces of original art from my book A Day and Night on the Prairie in the exhibit. On the opening day of the festival there is always a welcome reception for the authors and volunteers at the museum, a chance to meet the wonderful volunteers who organize the festival and to mingle with the other authors. This year there were 25 of us!

Artwork by students at Bridgeville School

Thursday and Friday are devoted to author visits in the schools and I had three wonderful school visits. The first was to Bridgeville School, a tiny (26 students grades K-8) school tucked in the hills of Humboldt County. I was greeted by students from the upper grades with a lovely poster and then did two presentations. Librarian Kathy Wolff had done a great job preparing the students. The wall of the library was decorated with student art inspired by my books. 

With librarian Sharron Jones at Hydesville School

I then went down the road to Hydesville School for a delicious lunch with the teachers and then two presentations in the multipurpose room where librarian Sharron Jones had made a lovely display of my books. My driver for the day was Ann Gunderson. (Ann grew up in Eureka and comes back every year to volunteer at the festival. It was great to spend time with her–several years ago I did an author visit at her school in Billings, Montana.)

Thursday evening at the festival is always a potluck dinner (yummy food provided by the many festival volunteers) followed by a Readers Theater performance by students from the arts high school in Arcata, who did a brilliant presentation of Kirby Larson’s book Hattie Big Sky. When they finished there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

Singing the Wiggle and Waggle song with K-2 students at Coastal Grove School

On Friday morning my driver, David Peterson, picked me up to take me to Coastal Grove School in Arcata where I did four presentations followed by lunch. Teacher Jenny Hales coordinated my visit and did a great job.
On Friday evening everyone gathered at Ingomar Club (the historic Carson mansion) for a gala dinner. Entertainment is from the authors–each of us gets three minutes at the podium--a challenge to decide what to say, but everyone manages to be very entertaining and different. In the end I did a reprise of the Wiggle and Waggle song, something I had done ten years ago at my very first banquet. As the second to last speaker I decided a sing-along was a good way to end.

With authors Nancy Coffelt and Linda Bourne at the library book signing

The final event of the Authors Festival is a book signing on Saturday at the beautiful county library. We all wear our festival t-shirts as we chat with visitors and autograph books.
I do many author events but nothing is quite like the Humboldt County festival. I can’t give enough thanks to all the people who put so many hours into planning and coordinating all the different moving parts. (The Festival website has a complete list of these amazing people and much more.) You all do a fantastic job! Thank you for making me a part of this unique and wonderful festival!

Mexico's Ancient City of Teotihuacan Exhibit at the De Young Museum, San Francisco

I can't wait to see the new exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco about Teotihuacan, whose ruins lie just outside Mexico City, and is one of the most fascinating places I've ever visited. Opening September 30th, Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire features never-before-seen archaeological discoveries and captivating artwork from one of the largest and most important cities of the ancient Americas. The exhibit will be up until February 11, 2018.
I am reminded of my visit to Teotihuacan twenty years ago, climbing the pyramids and exploring the ruins as I  researched my book City of the Gods: Mexico's Ancient City of Teotihuacan, which is illustrated with photos by Richard Hewett. You may be able to find the book in the library, or you can read it online. It is available as a Kindle book on Amazon.
Here is a wonderful video giving a preview of the exhibit at the De Young Museum:

IMAGINE II, VIP Reception, dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, CA

At the IMAGINE II exhibit, underneath my art from A Day and Night in the Desert

On Saturday evening I attended the gala VIP reception for illustrators and librarians at the dA Center for the Arts in Pomona. As I arrived, the gallery was full of people looking at the illustrations on the wall, browsing books by the illustrators that were displayed on tables, munching appetizers, and getting ready for a presentation by local school children and later a puppet show.

Books by participating illustrators including my Day and Night Habitat series Lisze Bechtold's Buster the dog books

More than thirty Southern California children’s book illustrators are represented in the exhibit, but as I looked around the room, I couldn’t find the art that I had submitted. It turned out that it been tucked away after I delivered it and overlooked when the exhibit was hung. Luckily, the two pieces were found and are now hanging on the wall along with the other pieces of art. The show will be up until September 23. I encourage you to stop by and take a look.

Illustrators Joe Cepeda and Gina Capaldi

I thank Gina Capaldi of the SCBWI for all the hard work of putting the show together and to Margaret Aichele at the dA Center for the Arts for coordinating the exhibit. It was also great to see Judy Nelson of Mrs. Nelson's Books, who provided the books for sale at the event.

Lisze Bechtold and her illustrations

Where to see the exhibit (until September 23):
dA Center for the Arts
252 South Main Street
Pomona, CA 91766
Phone: 909-397-9716

Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 12pm to 4pm (til 9pm on Thursday)

Judy Nelson with her door, autographed by dozens of children's book writers and illustrators

I SEE A STORY: The Art of Eric Carle at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta

Picture Book Art Exhibit at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia

Colorful caterpillars greeted me as I entered the High Museum of Art through the revolving doors and made my way downstairs to view I See a Story: the Art of Eric Carle, a fascinating exhibit of author/illustrator Eric Carle’s work. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s classic, was published in 1969. The exhibit shows various factors in the creation of a lifetime of work since then. It is a delight for both adults and children.

The Very Long Train (a wordless picture book)

The art is hung low enough to be at eye level for most children and in the corner of the room there was a bin of Eric Carle’s books available for reading. Children could also play a “seek and see scavenger hunt” following a guide they could take home. For adults, and artists like me, it was fascinating to get a glimpse into Eric Carle’s working method. 

Sampling of art supplies

One display showed a sampling of papers, brushes and tubes of paint and another display had a photograph of him applying the paint to the paper with a broom to create unique patterns. 

Dummy page from Friends

I was particularly intrigued by samples of his artist’s dummies–the label noted that each book goes through many dummy stages.

Illustration from Have You Seen My Cat?

To date, Eric Carle has published 70 books for children, all illustrated with his signature style of art–cut paper collage created from pieces of colorful painted tissue paper. They are amazing. The exhibit at the High Museum of Art ended February 12th. You can see more art by Eric Carle at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA.

IMAGINE: The Art of Children’s Book Illustration at the dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, CA

Illustrations from A Day and Night in the Rain Forest

Last Friday evening was the gala opening of IMAGINE: The Art of Children’s Book Illustration at the dA Center for the Arts, Pomona, California. It was a special event with lots of people, great art, delicious food, an art table for kids, and a book sale table so guests could buy the artists’ books and have them autographed at the reception. It was a wonderful opportunity to see old friends, meet new ones, and talk about art.

Opening Reception of IMAGINE and Lisze Bechtold, whose new book is Buster Finds a Kitten

I am proud that two of my illustrations from my book A Day and Night in the Rain Forest are part of the show. I thank Gina Capaldi and the other members of the SCBWI OC/IE Gallery Committee, QL Pierce, Priscilla Burris, and Francesca Rusackas, and Margaret Aichele, Executive Director of the dA Center for the Arts, for all the hard work that went into organizing this wonderful show. It is not often that so much children’s book art is on view in one place!

Mary Anne Fraser and art from her book Heebie-Jeebie Jamboree

I am one of twenty-one illustrators participating in the show: Caroline Arnold, David Barneda, Lisze Bechtold, Diane Browning, Priscilla Burris, Gina Capaldi, Cliff Cramp, Mary Anne Fraser, Diane Greenseid, Soma Han, Naomi Howland, Max Kornell, Irina Mirskaya, Lori Mitchell, Rodolfo Montalvo, Jennifer Gray-Olsen, Atilio Pernisco, Carla Roque, Beth Spiegel, Frans Vischer and Marianne D. Wallace. Joe Cepeda, winner of the Caldecott Medal and a Special Guest Illustrator in this exhibit, gave a short but inspiring talk at the opening. I encourage you to make a trip to Pomona to see this terrific show!

Diane Browning, author and illustrator of Signed, Abiah Rose

IMAGINE will be on view June 13-July 18, 2015.
Gallery hours: Wednesday, Friday, Noon - 4pm; Thursday, Noon - 9 pm.

Author/Illustrator Gina Capaldi