More Appreciated After Death

 

Artist and author, Eyvind Earle (1916-2000), possessed a distinctive graphic design approach for many of his landscape interpretations. The suggested low light, perfectly round silhouette of trees, and bright colors were surrealistic in certain works. Earle began his long and successful career of selling Christmas cards in 1939 that he designed and printed himself for the American Artist Group. He created over 800 designs through 1995 and sold more than 300 million copies. Earle joined Walt Disney Productions in 1951 as an assistant background painter and received credit for his experimental background paintings. Earle returned to full-time painting in the mid-sixties, producing watercolors, oils, sculptures, drawings, scratchboards, and limited-edition serigraphs. Much of his work was never exhibited in his lifetime, but The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rahr West Art Museum, Phoenix Art Museum and Arizona State University Art Museum purchased Earle's works and are among their permanent collections. 

More stunning works at: Eyvind Earle

A Blass From The Past

 

Bill Blass (William Ralph Blass 1922-2002) was an American fashion designer, the recipient of many fashion awards, including seven Coty Awards and the Fashion Institute of Technology's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. His school books were filled with sketches of Hollywood-inspired fashions instead of notes. At fifteen, he began sewing and selling evening gowns for $25 each to a New York manufacturer. Blass was the first male to win Mademoiselle's Design for Living award. At Seventeen! He enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was assigned to the 603rd Camouflage Battalion. Its mission was to deceive the German Army into believing the Allies were positioned in fake locations, by using dummy tanks, for example. He served in this unit at several major operations including the Battle of the Bulge. Rarely photographed without a cigarette, Blass was diagnosed in 2000 with oral/tongue cancer which spread to throat cancer.

A Short Prolific Career

 

Richard Amsel (1947-1985) was an American illustrator and graphic designer. His brief career was prolific, including movie posters, album covers, and magazine covers. His portrait of comedian Lily Tomlin for the cover of Time is now part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution. Amsel's illustrations were sometimes created in only two or three days because of stringent deadlines. His thirteen-year association with TV Guide showcased perhaps his most visible work. His strong, flowing lines, design of negative space, and accurate representation of a subject was a trademark. That, and his logo-styled name on his work.