Art for the Park!

I''m extremely excited to have a few more pieces that will be exhibited and sold in the Disney Parks this summer. The first one is based on an animated feature film that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to Art Direct called, Disney's"The Little Mermaid". That movie had outstanding direction, great songs, memorable music and lively animation from a great team of amazing animators. Besides a good story, you need a solid team and we certainly had that. Enchanted Paintings. Disney Fine Art. Disney Art.

I'm commemorating that experience of working with such a talented group with this piece. It's gouache over a wash of watercolor done in the traditional steps Disney Studio background artists used in the 1930s and 1940s. A year or two ago I was asked to design the mural for the "Little Mermaid" attraction down at Walt Disney World. That mural was HUGE, probably why they call 'em murals... anyway, I wanted to get back to an earlier concept I had been tinkering with that revealed low rays of the setting sun peeking through the clouds to find a lovely but lonely Ariel on her rocky perch looking longingly towards Eric's ship anchored in the royal harbor. You can see this painting as well as most of my paintings done step by step with explanations as to the medium, how I am applying it, even what specific brush I'm using online in my Facebook pages. Also feel free to comment and ask any questions about the process, I'm always happy to share my techniques and methods. Enchanted Paintings. Disney Fine Art. Disney Art.

It's in a looser and more "painterly"style than I did for the attraction mural along with a much more colorful and saturated palette. You can find this new original and eventually some prints for sale in a marvelous store I always visit while at Disneyland located in the Disney California Adventure called, "Off the Page."

This store offers the guest an immersion of sorts into the retail wonder of Disney animation. Rumor is I might be called in to do a signing  which would be fun. It's always a honor to meet and personally thank the Disney fans out there who collect these pieces.

Not far from "Off the Page", over in Disneyland you'll discover the beautiful and recently re-modeled Disneyanna Gallery located on Disneyland's Main Street where you'll find a couple more of my paintings. This one, "Seasons of Magic" was done in gouache over 300 lb acid free board and it's a big one too. It's done in a whimsical style I have used over the years for commercials, shorts, TV and even some educational film strips I designed for WEDEMCO, an educational division Disney had back in the 1970s.

One of the iconic images for Disneyland is obviously the Sleeping Beauty Castle and I thought it would be unique and fun to illustrate it as a stage in four sections showcasing the seasons. Each season's palette was carefully chosen to compliment its particular time of year as well as using specific characters and poses that would fit into each season. I doodled a bunch of doodles (isn't that what you do when doodling?) at my old animation desk and once I had a composition I felt was OK, I transferred the sketch onto a big piece of 300 lb watercolor board. Disneyland artwork. Disney Fine Art.

Disney Fine Art

When I had that monster of a board firmly secured to my 1/2" thick tempered masonite backing, the fun really started. Out came the gouache and I quickly went for a bright and happy color scheme while keeping each season in mind. I had to consider not only the background setting but the characters that were interacting in front of each section. I also spilled one tiny jar of paint during this session and unfortunately my wife Patty heard me muttering and came up to the studio before I could clean it up so I'm not hearing the end of that.

Illustrating these pieces for the Disney Parks is always an honor I could never tire of. There is a long list of Disney Imagineers who have had their work exhibited and sold at the park including Mary Blair, Marc Davis, Collin Campbell, Herbie Ryman, Sam McKim and many other extremely talented folks. Knowing these originals and prints will go into someone's home or office to be enjoyed is something truly magical to me. I hope you will enjoy my latest paintings but will also take the time to see the fantastic work of so many other amazing artists.