John Lumgair

I saw this concept art by mid-century animation designer Mary Blair on the wall at Illustration House the other day, and I was blown away by its jewel-like beauty. The colours really are as lovely as the jpg shows. According to the catalogue (you have to click through a few pages to find the full list), it was made for Disney’s 1948 Melody Time. The estimate is only about $2000, which is pretty low for original art by a very well known and loved artist, in my opinion. Oh and there’s a second one being offered too – but I’ll leave that for you to find on your own! I am also enamoured of this cute little illustration by Gyo Fujikawa. “Who?” you may ask? Fujikawa was another female illustrator working at approximately the same time as Mary Blair. She too worked for Disney, before turning to freelance and making children’s books. This image here is from her 1957 Child’s Garden of Verses. Fujikawa came to my attention recently because she appears to be the first woman illustrator to actively take part in the administration and volunteer activities of the Society of Illustrators, circa 1951, which is doubly impressive given her Japanese American background and it being right after the War. Disclaimer: I hang out a lot at Illustration House. Yes, this is a shameless plug of sorts. But the artwork’s worth it.

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