Posted October 21, 2020
Today’s famous birthday is – according to an award posthumously given to her in 1991 – a Disney Legend.
Artist Mary Blair, who was born in Oklahoma on this date in 1911, moved to California in her 20s. She graduated from one of California’s state universities and then won a scholarship to an art institute in Los Angeles. After graduating from art school, she married another artist and became known for her watercolors and her design sense.
Blair began to work for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as an animator, and it wasn’t long before she was snatched up by Disney Studios.
She even got to travel to South America with other artists and Walt Disney himself, as part of a research tour.
Blair became an art supervisor, a color stylist, a character designer, and a designer who offered concept art for various movies and projects.
Here are just a few of Blair’s many contributions:
Concept art for Alice in Wonderland
Concept art and character designs for It’s a Small World
Design of a huge mosaic inside Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Florida
Design part of the Mexico Pavilion at the Epcot Center
Also on this date:
Anniversary of the first Apple Day in the U.K.
Singer Celia Cruz’s birthday
G4G Day
Antilles Day (?)
Reptile Awareness Day
Remembrance Day in Serbia
Armed Forces Day in Honduras
St. Ursula’s Day in the British Virgin Islands
Ndadaye Day in Burundi
Hagfish Day
(Third Wednesday in October)
Unity Day
(Third or fourth Wednesday of October)
Plan ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
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October holidays
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October birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in October
And here are my Pinterest boards for:
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November holidays
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November birthdays
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Historical anniversaries in November