MARY BLAIR DOODLE: Google celebrates Disney artist with tribute art

Mary Blair

GaplekNews--It’s an image that could be titled: “Lady and the Stamp.” Because MARY BLAIR left her influential stamp of artistry on whatever she set her mind and hand to.

Today, Google celebrates the 100th birthday of the late Disney artist, who lent her “explosion of color” style to such immortal ‘50s animated films as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella” and “Peter Pan.” She also contributed to “Dumbo” and “Lady and the Tramp.”

Although Blair left Disney animation by the mid-’50s, Walt Disney — appreciating her eye for hues and movement — later hired her to work on such theme-park attractions as It’s a Small World and the Tomorrowland Promenade.

Today’s Doodle honors that very eye for color — it’s rendered with a bright, expressive palette and playful, almost kinetic design.

Born Mary Robinson in Oklahoma in 1911, she attended L.A.’s esteemed Chouinard Art Institute, soon making her way in an industry then dominated by men. Both her husband, Lee Everett Blair, and her brother-in-law, animator Preston Blair, were also artists.

Blair joined the Disney studio in 1940, where she and her husband created concept art for such films as “The Three Caballeros.” After she left Disney more than a decade later, her graphic work included major advertising campaigns and illustrations for Simon and Schuster’s Golden Books for children.

In 1991 — 13 years after her death — Blair received a “Disney Legend” award.

Her bold, distinctive design continues to influence generations of artists.

And today, as millions of Google viewers enjoy her mirthful, “Cartoon Modern” style, the sharing of her legacy renders it a small world, after all.

Happy birthday, Mary Blair. whasingtonpost