(David Womersley’s “Arendelle in Winter”)

We hope your holidays were wonderful and that you are on your way to big things in 2015!  We at ArtInsights certainly are..

This last year has seen some great art and great film releases, and some awesome directions for our favorite artists.

Of course the first artist I’d mention is John Alvin, although of course since he passed away in 2008 it isn’t coming from John himself.  But 2014 saw the release by Andrea Alvin, his partner and wife, of the book The Art of John Alvin, which got universally great reviews and made a fair number of best art books of 2014 lists.  We loved seeing it at the top of Amazon UK, and all the press not only the book got, but John’s art as well.  It seemed like every image he ever did for Jurassic Park crossed the internet!

Andrea Alvin also started breaking out on her own accord as an artist.  She had been working with John all these ye
ars, and was an integral part to the creation of many well known posters of the 1980s and 90s, including the Batman advance and the Cape Fear posters.  Most recently, however, she has been working with Disney and Warner Brothers creating official art for The Wizard of Oz anniversary and Looney Tunes, as well as images for Pixar and classic Disney characters.

We love our collaboration with Tennessee Loveless, who is nearly done with his Ten x Ten x Ten series, which is getting more and more interesting while it maintains his edgy, of-the-moment pop aesthetic.  You can see many explanations of the creations in the series HERE.  Look for some new exciting work we’ll be doing with him in 2015!  There is no question his star continues to be on the rise, and there’s no telling just how far high he’ll go.  If you like his work, now is the time to get connected to his fascinating world—one we love being a part of and believe you would too!

Having Michelle St. Laurent was an absolute pleasure at the gallery this December.  We still have several of her originals and they never cease to impress.  So many layers, and so much integration of pop and traditional watercolor styles with illustration and animation—Toby Bluth would have loved it!  We learned Michelle was at the beginning of vinyl-mation, pin-trading, and ‘make your own ear hat” at Disney, and was behind a host of amazing environments at the parks.  How wonderful to see a woman rise so high as an official artist in the studio!

We haven’t had a chance to work with him yet, but very excited about the production designer from Disney’s Frozen, David Womersley, has become an official interpretive Disney fine artist!  This is very cool for those who love collecting artists working inside the studios actually shaping their favorite movies…and it’s a BIG deal!  I can’t wait to find people who will want to do a commission with him!   His first limited edition is based on two concept pieces he created to show the grandeur of the Norwegian landscape, and those pieces were instrumental in the finished design for the film.

We look forward to interviewing him to let fans and collectors get to know him better!

The best news for fans of Disney art with a limited budget is the new collection called “Treasures on Canvas”.  It offers a variety of images that are also available in smaller editions that are hand embellished, in a larger edition size of 1500, gallery wrapped, and with a certificate of authenticity, all for only $125 each.  What makes this so wonderful is when we first started representing animation art some 30 years ago, everyone could afford it.  This collection makes it so again.  We have actually sold several to young kids who bring us money every week, and it means they can collect their first piece of art.  What a joy that has been!  It is also true that the artists in the collection getting a wider audience, and as many of them are close friends I love, this too makes me happy!

As to 2015, we look forward to some great changes and new offerings, which we can’t wait to announce.  We have some new artists we know are set to skyrocket into the limelight, as well as properties we know our collectors are wanting to be released officially we are championing on their behalf.  And in reference to that, if you are interested in a film having official art released, let us know and we’ll see what we can do!

Trust us, we have your interests, and the success of film artists who should have greater notoriety for their work, in mind.  Traditional illustration and concept work deserves recognition, and we as a gallery advocate as much as possible.

Here’s to 2015 expanding awareness of film art to the fine art collectors of the world, expanding acceptance of concept artists little known outside the studios, and expanding our collector base by our work in education and celebration of the art!

Happy New Year!

Leslie and Michael

ArtInsights