Background
Mary Blair was born on October 21, 1911 in Mcalester, Oklahoma, United States. She was the daughter of John Donovan Robinson and Varda Morton Valliant Robinson.
Mary Blair in her studio
Mary Blair was born on October 21, 1911 in Mcalester, Oklahoma, United States. She was the daughter of John Donovan Robinson and Varda Morton Valliant Robinson.
During the period from 1929 to 1931, Mary studied at San Jose State University. After graduating, she won a scholarship to the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, where she studied under such artists, as Pruett Carter, Morgan Russell and Lawrence Murphy. Mary graduated from the institute in 1933.
Mary started her career as an animator at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., where she didn't stay for too long and soon began to work at the Ub Iwerks studio before moving to Disney.
By 1940, Mary started to work for Walt Disney and in 1941 her passionate "explosion of color" style began to emerge in her works. The same year, in 1941, Blair travelled to various South American countries with Walt Disney, Lillian Disney and other artists on a research tour as part of the Good Neighbor policy of the President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later, Disney, who was impressed by her watercolors, appointed her as an art supervisor for the animated feature films Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros.
Blair first began animation and color design on major films in 1943 and would continue to work on animated films for Disney for a full decade. Her work with animation did not end there however as after that, she worked on several package films and on two partially animated features — Song of the South and So Dear to My Heart.
Some time later, Blair worked on Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953). After the completion of Peter Pan, Blair resigned from Disney and worked as a freelance graphic designer and illustrator, creating advertising campaigns for companies such as Nabisco, Pepsodent, Maxwell House, Beatrice Foods and others.
Mary also illustrated several Little Golden Books for publisher Simon & Schuster and designed Christmas and Easter sets for Radio City Music Hall. During that time, Blair worked as a designer for Bonwit Teller and created theatrical sets.
In 1967, Blair created mural art for the Tomorrowland Promenade.
Mary Blair continued to create sets of Walt Disney note cards for Hallmark. In 1968, she was appointed a color designer to work on the film version of humorous book "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying".
The 1970s were Mary’s last years of life. During these years her love of texture, color and collage art combined in a surprising and exciting new expression of Mary — "the Mary Blair nude".
Cinderella
The Three Caballeros
Cinderella
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland
Peter Pan
Peter Pan
Alice in Wonderland
Cinderella
Backyards
Lady and the Tramp
The Little House
Pall Mall
Susie Little Blue Coupe
Ichabod and Mr Toad
It's a small world
Ichabod and Mr Toad
So Dear to my Heart
Melody Time
Song of the South
Cinderella
Alice in Wonderland
Quotations: "You get an education in school and in college. And then you start to work. And that's when you learn!"
In the 1930s, Mary Blrair was a member of the California Watercolor Association.
Mary Blair married Lee Everett Blair, an artist, on March 3, 1934. The couple had two sons — Donovan, born in 1947, and Kevin, born in 1950.