Search results
Lee Everett Blair (October 1, 1911 – April 19, 1993) was an American artist. He was born in Los Angeles, California and died in Soquel, California. He was the younger brother of Preston Blair and the husband of Mary Blair. [1] In 1932 he won a gold medal in the art competitions of the Olympic Games for his "Rodeo". [2] [3]
Feb 5, 2019 · Lee Blair was one such artist, and he found employment at Walt Disney Studios while American citizens were climbing out of the depression during 1938. A whole two years later, Lee managed to get his wife hired and Mary began her career with Walt Disney Studios during 1940.
Jun 16, 2016 · It was here that the then-Mary Browne Robinson met her future husband, Lee Blair. He was another scholarship student, and her involvement with Lee led to an interest in fine-art painting. Together they developed a handsome style of watercolor painting that was very popular during the Depression and exhibited in galleries nationwide.
Aug 25, 2008 · His wife, Mary, was also an artist who went to work for Disney. Her work there, and away from the studio, eventually overshadowed his, at least in popularity.
- Overview
- Legacy
- References
- External Links
Mary Blair (born Mary Robinson) was an American visual development artist, best remembered today for work done for The Walt Disney Company. She was also the wife of another Disney artist, Lee Blair.
Blair produced concept art for many of Disney's post-war releases, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Three Caballeros, Peter Pan, Song of the South, and Cinderella. She also worked briefly on art for Dumbo, an early version of Lady and the Tramp, and a second version of Fantasia titled "Baby Ballet", which was not released until the late 1990s.
Her style also lives on through the designs for the Disney attraction It's a Small World, to which the attraction is primarily modeled after her art style. Her work at Disney Parks can also be seen on an enormous mosaic inside Disney's Contemporary Resort. In 1967, Blair created mural art for the Tomorrowland Promenade. Two similar tile murals flanked the entrance corridor. The mural over Adventure Thru Inner Space was covered over in 1987 with the opening of Star Tours, while the other remained in place until 1998 when the Circle-Vision 360° was replaced by Rocket Rods and a new mural was designed to reflect the new theme.
Outside of Disney, she also illustrated several Little Golden Books for publisher Simon & Schuster and designed Christmas and Easter sets for Radio City Music Hall. She also worked as a designer for Bonwit Teller and created theatrical sets. Blair would also go on to make sets of Walt Disney note cards for Hallmark, and, in 1968, she was credited as color designer on the film How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.
Blair was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend in 1991, one of the first women to be given the honor. The Mickey Mouse episodes "Yodelberg" and "O Sole Minnie" are patterned after Blair's distinctive art style.
In 2014, The Walt Disney Family Museum hosted the comprehensive exhibition: MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: the world of Mary Blair.
1.https://waltdisney.org/exhibitions/magic-color-flair-world-mary-blair
MagicofMaryBlair.com - official site presented by the nieces of Mary Blair
On March 3, 1934 Mary married Lee Blair (1911-1995), a fellow student at Chouinard who shared her love for and aspiration to become a fine art watercolorist. Unfortunately for the two, trying to make a living as a fine artist during the Great Depression was not easy.
People also ask
Who was Lee Blair?
Who was Lee Everett Blair?
Who was Mary Blair?
What did Mary Blair learn from Disney's Circus Tents & animals?
Mar 21, 2014 · Mary and her husband Lee Blair had a dream of making fine art, but they had to make money and found work in animation studios. Lee was hired at Disney in 1938 and Mary followed in 1940 as a...
