Friday, September 18, 2015

The Art of Eyvind Earle



Eyvind Earle.  Not a household name.  And yet, when you see his work, you'll realize you do know this artist.  He worked with Walt Disney to develop that stylized artwork we associate with Disney. 

Once again, I found this artist while perusing on the internet while I was supposed to be doing something else.  But it drew me back. Here it what I found.




This is from his Artist Page:


Eyvind Earle's Biography 


Born in New York in 1916, Eyvind Earle began his prolific career at the age of ten when his father, Ferdinand Earle, gave him a challenging choice: read 50 pages of a book or paint a picture every day. Earle choose both. From the time of his first one-man showing in France when he was 14, Earle’s fame had grown steadily. At the age of 21, Earle bicycled across country from Hollywood to New York, paying his way by painting 42 watercolors. In 1937, he opened at the Charles Morgan Galleries, his first of many one-man shows in New York.Two years later at his third consecutive showing at the gallery, the response to his work was so positive that the exhibition sold out and the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased one of his paintings for their permanent collection.



His earliest work was strictly realistic, but after having studied the work of a variety of masters such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Rockwell, Kent and Georgia O’Keefe, Earle by the age of 21, came into his own unique style. His oeuvre is characterized by a simplicity, directness and surety of handling.



In 1951 Earle joined Walt Disney studios as an assistant background painter. Earle intrigued Disney in 1953 when he
created the look of “Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom†an animated short that won an Academy Award and a Cannes Film Festival Award. Disney kept the artist busy for the rest of decade, painting the settings for such stories as “Peter Panâ€, “For Whom the Bulls Toilâ€, “Working for Peanutsâ€, “Pigs is Pigsâ€, “Paul Bunyan†and “Lady and the Trampâ€.


Earle was responsible for the styling, background and colors for the highly acclaimed movie “Sleeping Beauty†and gave the movie its magical, medieval look. He also painted the dioramas for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.



Earle’s work was also seen on television. One of his
animated creations was an 18-minute version of the story of the Nativity that he did in 1963 for Tennessee Ernie Ford’s Special “The Story of Christmasâ€. A Daily Variety reviewer said Earle’s sequence “should be preserved and played back for years on end.†The show was digitally re-mastered in 1997.


Earle’s career has encompassed many different fields. In addition to book illustrating, the artist had also designed a number of covers for magazine publications and had produced and created several animated commercials and specials for television.




In 1998, at its Annie Awards show in Glendale, the International Animated Film Society gave Earle its Windsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement. In the 1940’s, Earle adapted his creative landscapes to Christmas cards, painting more than 800 designs that have sold more than 300 million copies through American Artist Group.


After about 15 years creating animated art, Earle returned to painting full time in 1966 and kept working until the end of his life. In addition to his watercolors, oils, sculptures, drawings and scratchboards, in 1974 he began making limited edition serigraphs.

Eyvind Earle had a totally original perception 
of landscape. He successfully synthesizes seemingly incongruent aspects into a singularly distinctive style: a style, which is at once mysterious, primitive, disciplined, moody and nostalgic. He captures the grandeur of simplicity of the American countryside, and represents these glimpses of the American scene with a direct lyric ardor.

His landscapes are remarkable for their suggestion of distances, landmasses and weather moods. “For 70 years,†Earle wrote in 1996, “I’ve painted paintings, and I’m constantly and everlastingly overwhelmed at the stupendous infinity of Nature. Wherever I turn and look, there I see creation. Art is creating...Art is the search for truth.â€
Eyvind Earle passed away on July 20, 2000 at the age of 84. During his lifetime he created many paintings, sculptures, scratchboards, watercolors and drawings that have not been publicly seen or exhibited.

Eyvind Earle Publishing LLC, under the specific instruction of the late Eyvind Earle, will continue the legacy of the artist, promoting and introducing new serigraphs and books through galleries worldwide. These posthumous limited edition serigraphs will be printed from the oil paintings created by Eyvind Earle that are in the collection of Joan Earle and others.



Sources:

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Yorien's Hand by Jenelle Schmidt

Jenelle Schmidt
Cover Reveal
Yorien’s Hand



Book Description:
The years of Oraeyn’s short rule have been peaceful, but now ominous nightmares plague his sleep and cling to him during his waking hours. When two of his most trusted advisors disappear without a trace and not even the power of dragons can locate them, the fell promise of the king’s nightmares becomes reality.

From the furthest reaches of the world, an ancient enemy stirs. Stretching beyond his crumbling prison walls, this foe seeks to bring life to the darkest of shadows. His army marches towards Aom-igh with deadly intent, threatening all Oraeyn holds dear.

Aided by dragons, and with the warrior Brant and Princess Kamarie at his side, Oraeyn must journey into the wilds of a forgotten realm. Trusting in the wisdom and skill of the enigmatic minstrel, Kiernan Kane, the companions race against time in search of Yorien’s Hand, a relic that may hold the power to save them all.




Author Bio
Jenelle Schmidt grew up in the northern-midwest. She now resides with her husband and their three adorable children in North Carolina where the summers are too hot and there is never enough snow. Jenelle fell in love with reading at a young age during family storytimes. To this day she enjoys creating exciting adventure tales filled with poignant themes and compelling characters in the fantasy and sci-fi genres.

Jenelle's Website:


Excerpt:

    “How do we find this High King?” Brant asked, one eyebrow raised expectantly.
         “There are always clues,” Kiernan Kane said, in a tone that was dangerously soft. “There are stories, songs, and prophecies that tell of what is to come, that aid us in finding the next High King when one is needed. In this case, I believe the clue lies in the verses of an old song.” He took up his mandolin and struck a chord that sounded like breaking crystal; then he began to play, his fingers dancing across the strings. “The words go like this:

“Black death rides on silver wings
Thirsty for the blood of kings
Only two can stand before him
Only one can hope to fell him.

The answer to the riddle lies
In deepest, darkest, starless skies
The ancient foe quivers in fear
When the wielder of his bane draws near.

From far off crystal shores he strides
A golden blade hangs at his side.
The love of a sylph shall bind his heart
And gives him strength when they must part.”

         The room hung in a trance as the final words of the song faded away. Oraeyn breathed in slowly. His gaze locked with Kamarie’s and she stared at him in obvious distress.



Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Vision and Verse Hits 66,000 Pageview Milestone!


Dear Gentle Readers,

While I've been preoccupied finishing my latest book, a story in the Oakville Family Christmas anthology, Vision and Verse has hit another milestone, 66,000 page views.

Thank you to all of you who stop in daily to see what craziness in happening around here! I have a few very special art events to share with you in the coming days and weeks, as well as some new and exciting author interviews. Terry Hill, Sci-fi author and NASA engineer, was interview number 99, and he blew the lid off the numbers chart. Who will be number 100?

Hugs,
Carol

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

The Dot Queen, the Work of Elspeth McLean





Look at what this woman does with stones and paint!

These gorgeous painted stones are by Elspeth McLean, an Australian artist born in Gooseberry Hill, a small suburb in western Australia. She showed her artistic tendencies at a very early age.







She moved to the East Coast of Australia at the age of nineteen to follow her dream of becoming  a full time artist.


Elspeth now lives in Canada.







Elspeth creates breathtaking masterpieces of tiny, colorful dots in beautiful patterns on round ocean stones.  Each one is more beautiful than the next. 
Follow Elspeth McLean on Facebook by visiting her beautiful page at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elspeth-McLean-artist-/113764415348201?fref=ts

None of these photos are mine. I got them online or at website.  Her work is available for sale at 
etsy. com