By January of 1943, Dick Kelsey had traded in his title as Art Director of the Walt Disney Studio for Lieutenant of the U.S. Marines. During his time in the service in World War II, Lieutenant Kelsey of the 1st Marine Division served his country from the jungles of the Southwest Pacific. Between 1943 and 1945, Kelsey would not only be promoted to Captain of the Division, but also supervise a relief map unit.
The images that you see within this post, showcase an original painting that Kelsey created either during or after his war experiences. This painting recently became a part of my collection as a result of an email from Bill Moore of California over two weeks ago. His family's connection to Kelsey was made when Moore's grandparents obtained Kelsey's vacation home in Three Rivers, California in the 1950s. At some point during that time period, his grandparents obtained this painting; perhaps from Kelsey himself or as a part of the home? Almost five decades later, it was passed on to Bill by his mother.
As a person who continues to appreciate Dick Kelsey's life in art, I feel this painting is significant in a couple of ways. To begin, the creative output is that of a painter of fine art who has been influenced by the conceptual style that goes into the preliminary work of animation. The native figures alone have an almost Mary Blair quality to them; an artist who no doubt influenced Kelsey while working together at Disney. After studying many of the Little Golden Books that Kelsey illustrated in the late 40s and early 50s, the style of this painting is similar to that of a children's book illustration. This of course is not meant to demean or criticize Kelsey's skill, but to acknowledge that his style of fine art had indeed been influenced by the art of animation.
Furthermore, this painting captures some of the sights that Kelsey no doubt saw while stationed in the Southwest Pacific. The war years at Disney fascinates me to begin with, and as I will share in my writing, Kelsey played a very significant part at the Studio and abroad.
When Bill first described this painting to me through e-mail, he said it appeared to look like the scene from an African village. One couldn't blame anyone for thinking that; myself included. I'll admit that before getting the package, I secretly hoped that Bill was wrong, and that it was indeed something Kelsey created as a part of his service years. Upon receiving the painting, I immediately did an image search of the Southwest Pacific during World War II, and was very happy to see that the settings and people were extremely similar to what Kelsey included in his painting. I've included these images for those interested.
Being that Kelsey created many art pieces based on his time in the Southwest Pacific, and exhibited quite a few after his return in 1945, it's very likely that this was among the many. Whether Kelsey created this particular painting while still stationed on the islands in WWII, will remain a mystery. According to his third wife, Alma, in an interview with Kathleen Brewster of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum in 1990, watercolor paints were all that was available to him while away at war. Given that this painting is done in acrylic, Kelsey most likely created it back here in the States.
Feel free to click on the painting images only if you care to see a magnified view of each. Wonderful stuff!
Here are two photos of the time period in native villages of the Southwest Pacific.
See the similarity?
I can't thank Bill enough for allowing me to find a loving home for this Kelsey treasure. I know how much it meant to his grandparents and his mother. This post is dedicated to them, and of course Richmond I. Kelsey.
Today my grandmother's dog passed away, and though it's a subject that doesn't seem to have a Disney connection, I felt the need to celebrate this dog's existence in some way on this site.
Like many of the canine's that grace the screen in many of the Disney films, Duffy was truly one of a kind. I became particularly close with my grandmother after my grandfather's passing, and soon after, the small pooch came into her life.
The stories that center around this dog are too many to mention, and quite a few bring instant laughter upon regaling them. A source of entertainment for me was my grandmother's frequent attempts at trying to recite the dog's mix: Chinese-Crested, Yorkie, Powder-Puff, Cockapoo. Try to say that one ten times fast!
Without sounding too corny or sentimental, here's to you Duffy! Thanks for wagging your tail when I came home to visit from college. Thanks for bringing a smile to our faces when sneaking you snacks under the table. And thanks for being there for Mommom.
The vintage photo seen below is currently up for auction on eBay. It not only represents a time of humble beginnings, but portrays Walt, Lillian, Ruth, Edna, and Roy O. Disney in a rare pose in front of the Disney Bros. Studio on Kingswell Avenue.
May the Disney legacy live on!
While recently watching one of the special featurettes to The Chronological Donald: Volume 2 DVD set, I was surprised to see that photos of Dick Kelsey were included. This specific special feature is entitled, Timeline: The War Years, 1941 to 1945, and it can be viewed on Disc 2 of the set. As I will discuss in my writing on Kelsey, he played a significant role at the Disney Studio during the War, and the two photos presented below provide us with a window to this most interesting time in Disney history.
Dick Kelsey is pictured above on the left.
Today we celebrate the 182nd birthday of famed British photographer, Eadweard J. Muybridge. Google acknowledges his achievements in photography by creatively bringing his slideshow photos of a horse in motion to visual life. Enjoy this modern take of this historical animation!
Ron Dias included this photo of the Who Framed Roger Rabbit? L.A. unit in a recent package he sent me. The crew you see before you is responsible for bringing many scenes from the movie to life, such as Toontown and the animation of Benny the Cab. The man and woman standing together on the far right are Dale and Jane Bear, the director and producer of the California unit. If you look closely, you can spot Ron standing next to Joan Crawford. Yes! You heard me! Ron thought a photo of this magnitude required a celebrity appearance. Good ol' Ron.
Feel free to click on the image for a larger picture. Perhaps it will bring back fond memories for some of you out there.
Enjoy!
The artistic style of Walt Disney's 1959 animated classic, Sleeping Beauty, is unmistakable, however the images included in this post may cause one to raise an eyebrow. As noted in previous posts, my current research and writing on artist Dick Kelsey involves studying illustrations he created for various Little Golden Books. The illustrations you see below are indeed Kelsey's, and were first published in 1952 in a Giant Golden Book edition entitled, Walt Disney's Treasury: 21 Best-Loved Stories.
This book contains over 130 pages of some of Kelsey's best illustrative works, with highlights including: Snow White, Pinocchio, Pedro, Peter and the Wolf, and Ben and Me. The last story in the collection represents a time at the Disney Studio when Sleeping Beauty - as a film - was just going through its infancy stage. The illustrations of the Treasury hints at what is to eventually become of the plot and characters of the film, but differs vastly from the 1959 final product.
I have scanned what I feel are the best Kelsey illustrations from this very early rendition of Disney's Sleeping Beauty. I find the differences concerning the main characters not only to be an interesting study, but Kelsey's freedom on the story inspiring. In a way, his art provides a window to the preliminary work - comparable to storyboard form - of the film. If it wasn't for Kelsey's departure from the Studio in the early 1950s, who knows what he could have contributed to Sleeping Beauty.
Enjoy!
Dick Kelsey's Sleeping Beauty Castle
The Three Fairies Greet Aurora
King Stefan Challenges Maleficent
The Queen Weeps for Her Child
The Burning of the Spinning Wheels
Briar Rose Dreams of Love
Once Upon a Dream
Briar Rose and the Fairies in the Wood Cottage
King Hubert Pleads with Philip
Maleficent Calls to Aurora
The Prick of a Finger
The Three Fairies Sense Danger
A Castle of Thorns
"A forest of thorns shall be his tomb!"
The Happy Ending
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