The art of telling tales: The not so small world of Blair

I received an email on my recent trip to California which said that a package had been delivered to my house and been left outside. The package - “a book” - was then duly wrapped in a series of plastic bin liners and left propped at the back door. Naturally upon my return home the weather was far more winter than early autumn and torrential downpours were not conducive to the package surviving.

It would have been better had I actually remembered that the package was there when I got home - but I eventually recalled the email and went in search.

As I wasn’t expecting any book material it was with utmost delight that the book was “The Colors of Mary Blair” - a 300+ page volume featuring the works of Mary for an exhibition that has been held in Japan.

The collection features an impressive number of Mary’s paintings from both film and theme-park attractions - and the “small world” selection is anything but small. An added bonus to these are context images from imagineering - for example a Marc Davis illustration of the (unrealized) Western River Ride is shown alongside Mary’s interpretation of the scene.

However my favourite section is for the giant mural housed in Disney’s Contemporary Hotel which features details of the designs.