Photos provided by Morgan Hill Historical Society |
enjoyed by millions of visitors from around the globe since the hotel opened in 1971 .
That same year , Mary moved to Soquel , California , where she enjoyed a return to small watercolor projects . She was working toward a gallery exhibit in San Francisco when she passed away after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage in 1978 . Today her legacy lives on .
In 1991 she was posthumously honored as a Disney Legend . In 2011 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosted “ Mary Blair ’ s World of Color — A Centennial Tribute ”. The same year Mary was honored in the Google Doodle on the 100th anniversary of her birthday ( October 21st ). And in 2014 she was one of the artists included in the Walt Disney Family Museum special exhibition featuring 200 works curated by Academy Award-winning animator John Canemaker , who also published a collection of her work in an art book .
Mary Blair ’ s early fine art watercolors and classic Disney film production concept paintings continue to be popular with collectors . Top animators credit
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her with introducing a modern , abstract form to Disney ’ s projects — a radical departure from the studio ’ s traditional animation style .
Contemporary artists continue to draw inspiration from her innovation , technical mastery , powerful visual storytelling , and lifelong creativity . Among her fans is Kubo , a Southern California artist who also grew up in Morgan Hill . “ The whimsical designs of Mary Blair have excited me ever since I saw It ’ s a Small World at Disneyland as a little girl . Her color stories defined the design style of the 1960 ’ s that I still love and am inspired by today ,” Kubo said .
Thanks to the generosity of Mary ’ s childhood friend , her watercolor , Morgan Hill Foothills , now adorns the entryway of the Morgan Hill Museum , greeting visitors with a fascinating bit of local history . Visit : MorganHillHistoricalSociety . com .
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Reference : ( 1 ) Sean Adams - The Design Observer : https :// designobserver . com / feature / mary-blair-the-grand-canyon-concourse-mural / 39546 |
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT : ( INSET ) Mary Robinson Blair ( circa 1940 ). Blair ' s color styling on Disney ' s Alice In Wonderland ( circa 1951 ), and Peter Pan ( circa 1953 ). TOP INSET : Mary Blair and Walt Disney with scale model of the UNICEF Pavillion for the 1964 New York World ' s Fair , the inspriation for the world famous " It ' s a Small World " Disney attraction ( TOP RIGHT ). BELOW : " Mosaic " 90 foot installation ( circa 1971 ) at Disney ' s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World , FL . completed for the hotel ' s grand opening . Golden Books tribute to Mary Blair , color work on Disney ' s Three Caballeros , Google ' s 1991 tribute doodle celebrating Mary Blair ' s 100th birthday . |