Flying high: Mary Blair mural closer to completion

Sep. 15—Carmen Taylor stands high above an asphalt parking lot adjacent to the side of a building in downtown McAlester, hoisted upward on a machine called a scissor lift.

While a reddish-tinged moon rises above McAlester, Taylor wields a paint brush and from her upward perch, carefully adds details to a huge mural of Mary Blair — the McAlester-born artist who became a renowned animator, illustrator and designer, known primarily for her her work on some of Walt Disney's most celebrated animated films.

Taylor, who is an art teacher, feels one of the most important things regarding the mural project is helping make more people aware of Blair's enormous legacy.

"A lot of people in town don't know who she is," Taylor said. "She's very significant and we didn't know she was an artist from Oklahoma."

Even those unfamiliar with Blair herself have likely seen her work.

Anyone who has watched the Disney versions of "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland" or "Peter Pan," have beheld Blair's artistic talents. She also worked on "Lady and the Tramp," "Dumbo" and "The Three Caballeros." Blair played a huge role in the "It's a Small World" attraction, originally created for the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

Her creative work resulted in Blair being named one of the original Disney Legends and Imagineers. She also illustrated several children's books, including the Little Golden Book "I Can Fly" and added her artistic touch to a number of movie posters.

Taylor, an art instructor at Sapulpa Public Schools, submitted the winning design following a search for someone to paint a Mary Blair mural on the side of the Honey Beene Boutique in downtown McAlester. She's been driving to McAlester to work on the mural when she can and planned to return this week to add some finishing touches.

"It's close to getting done," said Taylor. "We have to paint her arm; we're adding some 'magic dust' and we're adding a paint brush." Other images will be painted in silhouette, including mice, a rabbit associated with Alice, and a pirate ship.

"I'm doing the silhouettes so it doesn't take anything away from her face," Taylor said. The rest of Taylor's hair has also been added to the image.

Plans call for the mural to be dedicated Oct. 21, which is a Friday. That date will be the 111th anniversary of Blair's 1911 birth in McAlester under her maiden name of Mary Browne Robinson.

An exact time for the McAlester dedication ceremony has yet to be set, but Keep McAlester Beautiful Executive Director Megan Waters said it will likely be in the evening to give Taylor time to drive down from Sapulpa.

Taylor is pleased she can use her own artistic skills to help Blair's legacy endure. "I'm very glad I was selected," said Taylor, who's been assisted on the project by Edelaine Engdahl.

Waters said the nonprofit organization obtained a $3,000 grant for the mural project.

Finding a wall for the mural came easy, courtesy of the Honey Beene Boutique building, owned by Courtney Beene and her husband, Chris Beene. Courtney Beene said she'd been surprised when watching a program about the Disney Imagineers on Disney Plus to learn Mary Blair was from McAlester.

She and Waters approached McAlester Tourism Director Billy Sumner, who thought a Mary Blair mural in her honor was a great idea.

Waters said several artists presented outstanding submissions during the search for an artist to paint the Blair mural. Several artists submitted entries and would have been capable of creating a quality work, Waters said, but Taylor submitted the winning concept. Waters likes what she's seen of the mural so far.

"I think it looks fantastic," Waters said.

After leaving Oklahoma, Blair studied at the Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles. It later became part of the California Institute of the Arts, known as CalArts. She started working with the Disney studios and eventually became one of Walt Disney's favorite artists, according to contemporary accounts.

Blair left Disney Studios after nearly 30 years to concentrate on other projects, including writing and illustrating books.

She died in Soquel California on July 26, 1978, at the age of 66. Waters said Blair's family is enthusiastic about the mural project, with one of her nieces providing a photo of Blair to assist with the mural design,

At some point a QR code is expected to be placed on the wall the McAlester mural adorns, so those who are unfamiliar with Blair can find out more about her simply by scanning the image with their cellphones.

"We will have Mary's information and people can learn more details," said Waters.

For now, Waters is looking forward to the mural's completion and the official Oct. 21 dedication ceremony of Taylor's artwork.

"I'm absolutely, completely pleased with it," said Waters. "I think she's done a great job."

Contact James Beaty at jbeaty@mcalesternews.com.