From Paint to Sky
From a paper son to the legendary artist in the world of animation
Welcome to the fifth volume of Morning Pages, a newsletter sharing inspirations at the intersection of culture and identity, creative experiments, and studio updates.
Tyrus Wong, artist, designer, and kite-maker
People worldwide have seen the Disney animated classic Bambi (1942) and been deeply moved by it, but few can tell the name of the artist behind the film. Even fewer are aware of this pioneering artist’s impact on American art and popular culture. Until his death at the age of 106, Tyrus Wong (1910-2016) was America’s oldest living Chinese American artist and one of the last remaining artists from the golden age of Disney animation.
Tyrus Wong was a Chinese-born American artist. He was a painter, animator, calligrapher, muralist, ceramicist, lithographer, and kite maker, as well as a set designer and storyboard artist. One of the most influential and celebrated Asian-American artists of the 20th century, Tyrus was also a film production illustrator, who worked for Disney and Warner Brothers.
Tyrus overcame a life of poverty and racism to become a celebrated painter and artist. His unique style – melding Chinese calligraphic and landscape influences with contemporary Western art – is found in every part of the Disney animation film: Bambi. In the documentary The Making of Bambi: A Prince is Born, many Disney artists praised the impressionistic background painting Tyrus produced for the film as a sublime masterpiece.
Unfortunately, Tyrus's monumental contribution to the animation film industry was not widely recognized until later in his life. None of these obstacles had discouraged Tyrus from living his life as an artist. He retired from the film industry in the late 1960s but continued working as an artist, spending most of his time designing kites and flying them on the beach of Santa Monica. His long list of fans is ever-growing, as more people discover something new about this important artist and his multifaceted legacy.
In 2015, PBS American Masters released a documentary depicting Tyrus Wong's artistic life and the vital contributions he’s made to American culture. Besides his prolific skills to blur the artistic styles cross-culture, I'm deeply inspired by his philosophy of life as an artist. His enduring creative spirit is something that everyone could learn from. Watch the film trailer.
Paper Son - Children's Book
Paper Son is an illustrated children's book inspired by the life story of Tyrus Wong. Julie Leung and Chris Sasaki perfectly capture the beautiful life and work of an artist who immigrated to the US with dreams and talent--and who changed the world of animation forever.
Last week, I joined a fantastic panel of women design leaders to discuss gender bias in the workplace and how to lead with grace, resilience, and integrity. We shared our personal career journeys, talked about being a minority in the workplace, discussed the legacy of RBG and so much more. It was such an uplifting conversation and the energy from the group was incredible. You can watch the recording here.
When you follow your bliss…
doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors,
and where there wouldn’t be a door for anyone else.
— Joeseph Campbell
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Yuan Studio is a space that explores the intersections of global cultures and identities. Currently, the studio is incubating a series of creative projects, such as Morning Pages, and offering coaching for people of color to harness the power of their creativity and leadership potential. You can reach out on Twitter and LinkedIn.