Of all the art projects that I’ve ever done, I’m right in the middle of what has to be an all time favorite. It’s a tribute, it’s a constantly developing piece, it’s my way of saying “thank you” to my childhood superheroes.
A group of some of the many Imagineers of WED Enterprises, including Herb Ryman, Marc Davis, Mary Blair, and X. Atencio
Walt Disney Imagineering, or WED Enterprises, as it was originally titled (an anagram of Walter Elias Disney’s initials), was at its founding and continues to be a well of seemingly never-ending imagination and innovation. It was these artists, technicians, and more-or-less magicians who developed and designed the world’s first theme park: Disneyland. There had never been anything like Disneyland before 1955, and there has yet to be anything like it since (save Disney’s own theme parks in Florida, Europe, and Asia). One only needs to experience Disneyland for themselves to recognize the genius these men and women must surely have had to create such an iconic land of family entertainment.
I’m not sure when I first heard the term “Imagineering”. It certainly is a peculiar word (the blending of Imagination with Engineering), and already this post is littered about with squiggly red underlines insisting that I’ve spelt “imagination” wrong. I’m not sure when my fascination for the topic, the profession, the people really began. However, one experience stands forward in my mind that I wouldn’t hesitate to term “definitive”.
I was in line, waiting to hop aboard the world famous Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. I was there with my family and some cousins. (I wish I knew how young I was then, I certainly couldn’t have been much older than 10.) A few guests ahead of us, I couldn’t help but notice a rather elderly gentleman pointing, gesturing wildly, laughing heartily with a couple he was in line with. He kept pointing at the boats passing by us, the tall palm trees, and seemed to have anecdotes about everything around him. I remember hearing him exclaim things like, “Well, the guys and I tried to… We originally designed this area… When we put those in…” He certainly had piqued my curiosity; this man must work for Disneyland!
I turned around to my older cousin, tugged on her sleeve, and half-asked and half-exclaimed, “I think that man over there built this! Who is he?” Without even batting an eyelash, my cousin replied, “It can’t be, all those guys are dead.” The conversation only went so much further, with someone saying Disneyland was over 100 years old (children’s logic. Disneyland hadn’t even turned 50 yet!) so there’s no way any of them could still be around. And so, I stopped trying to listen in on the man’s stories. (Who was he? I have thought and thought it over, but to no avail. It could’ve been Bill Evans! It could’ve been ANYbody!)
That experience, along with a handful of others, led me to discover that real people designed and built Disneyland, and all the attractions therein. I could hardly believe it! Someone actually had to draw the ghosts before they materialized inside the Haunted Mansion. Someone got to paint pirates before they set sail into Pirates of the Caribbean. Someone’s job was to build the Matterhorn!
Since then, I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time learning about the men behind Mickey Mouse, so to speak. I read as many books on the subject and watched as many video clips as I could find. I began learning about Walt Disney, and about all of these incredibly talented people. Names like Marc Davis, Claude Coats, X. Atencio just sank into my head, and these folks became my idols, my superheroes.
It is with such inspiration that I’ve began my newest art project, titled “An Enterprise of American Imagination”. Such is a colorful celebration of not Imagineers alone, but of all of the talents within the Walt Disney Company (past and present) that I have admired for so long, who have left an indelible mark on the history and legacy of all that Disney is. These portraits will be simple caricatures, with greater emphasis on character and spirit, and less on artistic technicalities. As it stands, I have nearly 40 portraits in development for this series, with 4 portraits in each edition (10 editions total). In the coming days, I will share with you portraits from the first edition, which include Rolly Crump, Mary Blair, Harriet Burns, and Marc Davis. Future pieces will highlight talents like Richard and Robert Sherman, John Hench, Diane Disney Miller, and Marty Sklar (to name a few. Like I said, I have 40!).
So please, stay tuned! I hope you’re as excited as I am to see where this will be going. I can’t wait to share more with you.
Hayden Evans Art 