Something Different

As some of you may know, I worked with Disney Theme Park Merchandise down in Orlando for over four years and currently still do work for them on a contract basis. It was one of the best experiences I could have ever asked for and I am thankful everyday for being able to have been part of such a fantastic group of people. These were some of the most talented people I have ever met and was able to learn and enormous amount from the group. I hope to have more information up here soon with some of the work that I have done but I thought I would share with you one of my latest projects that was finally released.

The current craze in the toy market are these "urban" style of toys that an artist could have free reign to do whatever they want on the form that is provided. Of course, the "Disneyize" version of this needs to have ears! As artists we were given the freedom to create whatever type of representation we wanted to. In this case, it was asked it to be Park Specific. If anyone knows anything about me, I am big fan of the history of the company.

Also, if you know something about me, I'm a fan of the Carousel of Progress. Yes that old ride that sits in the back corner of tomorrowland, in which most people go in and use it to get out of the heat. For me its different. It all starts off with my Dad. He loves to tell us the story about his trip to the Worlds Fair in 1964 with my grandfather. You can't get into the Magic Kingdom without him going straight to the attraction. (He was not a happy camper one year when it was closed) He recalls all the details and also visiting the various other attractions. To me, there is just something simple and intriguing about the attraction. There are no special "in your face" effects, nothing fancy. It is just simple story telling. A story that captures many different generations of family and how things (wait for it) progress! I tried to capture that in this piece by focusing on the main character, John. I decided that they best way to represent his transformation on this small canvas was through his clothing. This is something that is a huge focal point for the attraction. Anyone who is a fan of the attraction will recognize that lovely green sport coat!

Technology is always going to be advancing and making our daily lives, whether work or play, move faster. When you look at this attraction you can see how things have changed and yet those basic principles lie throughout all the advancements.

So enough rambling! Here are a few photos. Unfortunately, I do not have my own yet (they are only sold in the parks but thanks to a few friends he is on his way). So I must thank the person from ebay for these photos. I just wanted to share it with you asap. I hope you enjoy!