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A 100th Birthday Celebration: The Extraordinary Palette Knife Paintings |
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| of Joshua Meador, 1911 - 1965 ... through April 3, 2011 | ||
Prior to a 1959 talk and painting demostration for the prestigeous California Art Club, their newsletter had this to say of Joshua Meador and his painting ... "His work is highly individualistic and his technique is definitely his own. He is able to produce a feeling of boldness with restraint, and create in the beholder the mood which the artist is endeavoring to express! We are in for an artistic treat through the visit and demonstration of Joshua Meador." |
 Tending the Net 36 x 30 Meador family collection |
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In October of 2009, the city Columbus, Mississippi honored Josh as one if its favorite sons, a rarified fraternity including playright Tennessee Williams and sports broadcaster Red Barber. As a high achieving student and gifted athlete, young Josh had been awarded an appointment to the Naval Academy, but the courageous Josh told his father he wished to study art instead. To his father's credit, he helped Josh enroll in the renowned Art Institute of Chicago. Josh and his high school sweetheart Libby came to Chicago just as the Great Depression was deepening. Josh worked hard, and according to his son Philip, wasn't allowed to touch color until the middle of his fourth year. Everything in Josh's training was "draw, draw, draw!" But Josh thrived in his art studies and graduated cum laude. |
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 Chicken Race, Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico Meador Family Collection 20 x 27 |
Josh and Libby moved on to Southern California where Josh submitted his portfolio to Walt Disney. Walt hired Josh on the spot, and he began what would become a 30 year career with Disney Studios. In time, he rose to the position of special effects animator. He had a lot of fun inventing new ways to put animation onto film, participating in achievements such as the fairy dust for Tinkerbell and the "Z" in Zoro. He was one of the directors for Fantasia, and part of the Oscar winning team for special effects in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and made significant contributions to most major films produced by the Disney Studios during his tenure. |
 "Bodega Pier" Bodega Bay 20 x 27 Meador family collection |
 Pacific Cove 20 x 27 |
 "Warming in the Sun" 20 x 27 Meador family collection |
Walt loaned Josh out to MGM Studios to assist on an innovative science fiction thriller, Forbidden Planet, today regarded as a pioneering special effects classic among science fiction fans. As a fine art painter, Josh was just getting started. He established studios in Carmel Highlands and later in Caspar, just north of Mendocino, California. While Libby managed his galleries and schmoozed a growing and admiring group of art collectors and a growing circle of fans, Josh pursued his painting. |
His work was exhibited by fine galleries and museums throughout California, and he frequently gave art talks and demonstrations for art clubs. One of his paintings was acquired by President Lyndon Johnson. Early on in Nasa's planned celebration for returning Apollo astronauts from the moon, Josh was commissioned to be on the aircraft carrier to record the historic moment of the return of the lunar expplorers. But in August of 1965, just as his fine-art career was on the rise, his life was tragically cut short by a heart attack at the young age of 54. Josh died at his Mendocino home as he was taking a quiet lunch break after a morning of studio painting. |
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Duncans Mills, circa late 1940's 20 x 27
Most vacations away from Disney Studios, Josh, Libby and Philip were trekking off in their wood paneled station wagon and tear drop trailer headed for painting locales scattered throughout California and neighboring states. Many of the paintings in this exhibit were done on these excursions, and are offered for sale from the collections of the Meador Family and Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery. |
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 Road to Town (Cambria) 24 x 34 Meador Family Collection |
 Strolling in the Park 24 x 36 Meador family collection |
 Caspar Inlet 16 x 12 Meador Family Collection |
 "To Water" 22 x 30 |
 "Sheep Ranch" Mendocino 24 x 34 Meador family collection |
 Shoreline 16 x 12 Meador Family Collection |
In 1958, Disney Studios produced a short 17 minute film entitled Four Artisits Paint One Tree. The film was introduced and narrated by Walt Disney, and features four of Disney's top artists, Joshua Meador, Eyvind Earle, Walt Paragoy and Marc Davis all painting a California live oak in four different artistic styles. The message of the film is for young artists not to copy the style of any artist, but to develop their own style. In the film, Josh explains and demonstrates some of his palette knife technique. This film is now available as part of Disney Studio's two DVD special edition of Sleeping Beauty, and can be found on the second disk. |
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 Rock Fishing 20 x 27 |
 Cliff Shapes (Caspar) 22 x 30 |
 "El Patio de San Miguel" 22 x 30 Meador family collection |
 Rural Delivery 20 x 27 Meador Family Collection |
 Generations 22 x 30 Meador Family Collection |
 Captain Vallejo's House 22 x 30, Sonoma, CA |
Village by the Ocean 24 x 34
 "Quaking Aspens" 12 x 16 |
 Sierra Cabin Bishop 20 x 27 |
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 We look forward to seeing you at the gallery soon. |
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| Click here for other Meador paintings available from the Meador Family Collection | Back to the top | ||
