At Disney, I worked in an environment deeply committed to formal art training, masterwork study, and painting from life—covering human figures, animals, and landscapes. The studio’s mentorship tradition traces back to Walt Disney’s own collaborations with artists like Salvador Dalí (Destino).

Each film project involved 10-12 background artists producing over 100 paintings in acrylics or watercolors. Drawing inspiration from nature and classical painters such as Claude Lorrain, I embraced this legacy to deepen my understanding of color, atmosphere, and mood.

During downtime, I painted portraits of colleagues and joined a small, scrappy group dedicated to studying the masters—both in film and fine art. Over five years, this experience became a full education in visual storytelling that continues to shape my painting and teaching.

Lilo & Stitch, 2003, watercolors

Director Chris Sanders requested watercolor backgrounds instead of the usual acrylics. Our team spent a year perfecting clean, fluid applications under the guidance of architectural watercolorist Thomas Schaller.

I appreciate John Singer Sargent’s advice on painting with watercolors: “Make the best of an emergency”.

John Henry, 2000, scratchboard and acrylics

Inspired by the Harlem Renaissance and Gee’s Bend quilts, this film challenged us to explore bold new styles. Collaborations with illustrator Brian Pinkney introduced us to scratchboard techniques; a brand new approach to background art.

Brother Bear, 2003, acrylics

Led by production designer, background artist, and painter Xiangyuan Jie, our team developed a painterly lush style for the film. Plein-air research and workshops with artists like Scott Christensen and Len Chmiel informed our color and composition skills.