THEY CALLED IT “FOLLY”, Part I

When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are, anything your heart desires will come to you…

I wonder…did Walt look back upon his life, in the end, and hum the words of that song?

In the pursuit of the second image of my Disney Dreams Collection, I delved deeply into the Disney archives for ideas and inspiration. What a thrill to surround myself with some of the greatest artwork and illustrations of our age. Funny how I always seem to be attracted to themes and images which, in the end, all orbit around the concept of light overcoming darkness. This time it was a little marionette that caught my mind’s eye. Albeit a bit naïve, he wanted what we all seem to want, in the end – family, home, love, security. To be real. All it would take is a life built upon bravery. Truthfulness. Selflessness. A tall order…

MUSEUMS: A TREASURE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

I encourage people to visit museums. I say it again: Please visit your local museum. Kids are surprisingly attuned to studying objects that they can reach out and touch, and museums allow this tactical feature of exploration. Furthermore, seeing paintings in person does more than just teach you about art history, it teaches you about the history of civilization. One of my favorite museums is the Oakland Museum of California. It was at this museum that I cut my teeth as a painter of epic landscapes. I’ll never forget the dramatic moment when I stood for the first time in front of Thomas Hill’s great panorama of Yosemite Valley. This painting, almost ten feet wide, stands in my mind as one of the great unheralded masterpieces in the history of art. His conception of space and the ability to illuminate a third dimension on canvas was unparalleled. Hill was a master artist who created many paintings for purely commercial reasons. In my mind this doesn’t denigrate the integrity of his art; in fact it only enhances my understanding of arts’ greater purpose – to touch lives. Visit the museum if you get a chance and ask to see the Thomas Hill painting. It will take your breath away.