Hey there princess!
Mary Blair was born on October 21, 1911 and is well-known throughout the Disney community for her artistic contribution to classic films such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland as well as her designs for Disney's attraction, "It's A Small World," and her mural featured in Disney World's Contemporary Resort.
Blair was born in McAlester, Oklahoma and moved around with her family from Texas and finally to California in the early 1920's. She attended San Jose State University and after graduation earned a post-graduate scholarship to attend the Chouinard Art Institute. After graduation, she took a job in Metro Goldwyn Mayor's art department, after not too much time she took on a role with Walt Disney Animation Studios. At first, a job at Disney wasn't Mary's cup of tea. She was given small animation roles on Dumbo and Lady in the Tramp, but really hit her stride after traveling to South America for a research tour. After experiencing the new culture, her artwork transformed and took on the bright colors and bold patterns that captured her imagination during her trip. Disney was so impressed with her work that he promoted her to Art Supervisor for the film The Three Caballeros in 1944.
Mary spent the next decade focusing on providing art direction for Disney animated features, and contributed her unique sense of color styling to create artwork that would stand the test of time. While Mary did take some time off from Disney to freelance for other companies in advertising, and also to illustrate for Little Golden Books, she was wooed back at the prospect of creating "It's A Small World for the 1964 New York World's Fair.
Today, Mary's influence can be seen in both the Disney films and rides that her concept art influenced, as well as a resurgence of mid-century modern decor. She also completed several murals in her lifetime, including a 90-foot ceramic mural in the elevator shaft of the Contemporary Resort onsite in Walt Disney World.
Be more like Mary:
- Draw inspiration from the beauty of the world around you.
- Don't be afraid to try new things.
- Travel!
- Don't burn your bridges - you never know when you may want to cross them again.
- Practice makes perfect!
Sparkle on!
