At the same time, Walt was facing the distressing news that the releases of Pinocchio and Fantasia did not dobwell at the box office.

And if that wasn't enough, labor unrest was spreading across America. As American men enlisted and industry turned toward war production, labor was experiencing unrest throughout the country, and the unrest was spilling over into the film industry.

But war in Europe provided Walt an unforeseen opportunity.

A new government agency, the CIAA (the Coordinator of Inter- American Affairs), recruited Hollywood studios to visit Latin America as ambassadors and further asked them to include Latin American themes into their pictures, all in an effort to counter Nazi influences in the region.

At Disney Studios, a plan was made for Walt to serve as a cultural ambassador. Disney Studios sent several teams of creative artists to tour much of South America. Walt and his wife Lilly headed up one team which visited Argentina and Brazil.

Diane writes that she was a little kid, age 7 and her little sister was 4. Their adult cousin Marjorie stayed with them for about three months as Walt and Lilly toured in South America.

Three groups left the Studio at slightly different times and had different itineraries. The Blair Party included Lee and Mary Blair, Herb Ryman and Jack Miller. They visited La Paz and toured the mountains of Bolivia and Peru, and sketched on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

While in Rio De Janeiro, Walt and Lilly met Brazilian composer Ary Barroso. Barroso composed Aquarela do Brasil (Brazil) in 1939 and later said of the piece that he wanted to "free the Samba from the tragedies of life, with chords vibrant with life, the sound of rain with syncopated beats of fantastic tambourines." When Walt heard the tune with all its percussive energy, he wanted to use it. Since the release of Saludos Amigos, Aquarela do Brasil has become as the famous, but unofficial, anthem for Brazil.

When the Disney tours of South America ended, they returned to the studio in a creative flurry. Disney Studios released Saludos Amigos in early in 1942. The film was divided into four segments, Lake Titicaca, Pedro, El Gaucho Goofy, and Aquarela do Brasil. Based on the success of Saludos Amigos, Walt followed with the production of The Three Caballeros, released in 1945.

When Saludos Amigos was being produced, a marvelously talented 31 year old animation effects artist named Joshua Meador was called on to showcase his skills.

Meador, a cum laude graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago, had previously created the silhouette sequence at the beginning of Fantasia. Now, Ary Barroso's lively beat and percussive syncopation inspired Meador to new heights.

J. B. Kaufman writes in South of the Border with Disney, "In the opening 'paintbrush' sequence of Aquarela, Meador creates another landmark." Meador's sequence set to the throbbing percussive rhythms of Aquarela do Brasil "is richly evocative: the animated paintbrush paints a palm tree, which becomes an exotic bird and flies away. A bunch of bananas, with the addition of a glob of black paint, becomes a flock of toucans, snapping their bright yellow beaks like percussion instruments. Brilliant red paint, splashed on the screen in the shape of orchid petals, continues to run down in rivulets that form a pair of flamingos, which begin to samba. This is a fluid, sensuous, vibrant Brazil, pulsing with life expressed as only the animated film can express it."

"The introduction of Donald Duck is equally imaginative: Meador's brush paints a stylized orchid, then a curious bee that beings to investigate it. Suddenly, the petals snap shut, and the orchid, with the bee trapped inside, beings to shudder and shake violently -- revealing itself as Donald, who continues his furious convolutions until the bee escapes from his mouth."

Over the next 25 years, Joshua Meador was Walt's Director of Animation Effects. Among his many wide-ranging contributions were the Wide World of Color's Kaleidoscope opening, the "Z" in Zorro, part of the Oscar winning effects team for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the penguins dancing with Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins, and animatronics work for Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and Kon Tiki Land.

He made contributions to some of Disney's live action films adding special effects, such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People and the "Flubber" movies starring Fred MacMurray. MacMurray was a Meador friend and became an avid collector of Meador's paintings.

Josh found his animation work satisfying and rewarding. His wife Libby recalled, "Josh loved his job at Disney." Beyond the studio though, Joshua Meador always thought of himself as "first and foremost," a painter. He said, "I consider myself an impressionist, but impressionism can be influenced by modern art."

He painted throughout much of California and the West, its mountains, deserts and especially its seacoasts. In the early 1950's, Josh visited and painted in Bodega Bay and Sonoma County often. In 1955, he established a studio in Carmel Highlands, and in 1960, Josh built his dream home and studio on the Pacific cliffs north of Mendocino in Caspar. In August of 1965, he tragically passed away of a heart attack at his Caspar studio at the age of 54.

As part of their research about Joshua Meador resulting from their appreciation of his paintings, Dan and Linda came to meet Meador's son Philip and Meador's widow Libby. After a couple of visits with the Meadors, and after Linda and Dan opened their gallery, the Meador family agreed to allow Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery to represent the Meador family's collection. Below is an article of the new Joshua Meador Exhibition opening Friday, July 20th at the Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery showroom (in Graton, mostly by appointment), featuring Joshua Meador's stylized palette knife technique and including paintings from the Meador Family and Disney collections.

We will be changing our gallery exhibitions from time to time and announcing what we're showing via our website and in our monthly newsletter.

Graton is just north of Sebastopol, and is a pleasant day trip from the Bay Area or Sacramento. Located nearby are interesting high quality restaurants, wineries and shops to browse, as well as the Sonoma Coast, the Russian River, Redwoods and lots of Sonoma County vineyard and orchard scenery.

Atelier One includes the workspaces of a number of artists, and you may wish to make arrangements with them for studio visits when you visit us. Here is a webpage-with-links to many of Atelier One artists' websites.

Also, the Graton Gallery is just two blocks away, featuring some of Sonoma County's best known artists.

Turner traveled in Germany, France and Italy. He loved Venice and visited there three times. In 1819, he stayed for five days, a week in 1833, and nearly two weeks in 1840.

Artistically, he was drawn by the influences of Titian, Tintoretto and Canaletto, but Turner was enticed also by the writings of his younger contemporary, the poet Lord Byron. Byron lived in Venice between 1816 and 1819 on the Grand Canal with 14 servants, 2 monkeys, 2 mastiffs and a fox. It was in Venice that Byron composed his first songs of Don Juan.

In 2011, the Tate Britain hosted an exhibition featuring many of J. M. W. Turner's Venetian paintings. At that time, viewers said that Turner's Venetian paintings were among the most luminous and magical of all his paintings.

Rather than creating a visual tour of the medieval city, Turner painted Venice with his own sensibilities of light, color and the reflections of water.

Below are Turner's Venetian paintings on exhibit at the Tate Britain during our visit in May 2017. Information below is taken from the museum's website and placards.

Rome from the Vatican, Raffaelle preparing paintings for the Loggia, 1820 ... Turner was 42 years old during his first trip to Italy. Rome was filled with settings for many classical and mythological tales he wanted to tell visually. For Turner, Rome was the capitol in many ways, the seat of the ancient Roman Empire, the seat of the Christian Church, and most importantly, the capitol of great art of the Renaissance. In this painting, he celebrates Raphael preparing paintings for display in the loggia of the Vatican.

The Fall of an Avalanche in the Grisons, 1810 ... There are no reports that Turner ever visited the Grisons in eastern Switzerland, nor are there any reports that he ever witnessed an avalanche In 1808, Turner may have been inspired by news reports of an avalanche at Selva, Switzerland which killed 25 people. He exhibited this painting in 1810, an almost abstract scene of nature's overwhelming elemental forces.

Italian Landscape with Bridge and Tower, 1827-28 ... Some years after his first trip to Italy, Turner created a number of landscapes inspired by Italian subjects. He painted many of these on a continuous roll of canvas tacked into a stretcher. The tree and aqueduct or bridge are elements in many Italian compositions.

Palestrina, 1828 ... In ancient times, Palestrina was known as Praeneste, and its loveliness was praised by the Roman poets, Horace and Virgil. But this is a contemporary painting, showing Palestrina as part of Italy's decline. This painting was done as a commission for Turner's patron, Lord Egremont, who wanted a companion painting for a landscape he owned by Claude Lorrain.

Rouen, A View from the Left Bank in the Faubourge, St. Sever, 1827-28 ... For a time, this painting was considered to be Italian, but a sketch of this painting was discovered in one of Turner's small jotting sketchbooks filled while he was touring in Northern France.

View of Orvieto Painted in Rome, 1828-29 ... Turner painted this during his visit to Rome in 1828. It is located north of Rome nearly halfway to Florence. It dates back to Etruscan times and has been conquered and reconquered ever since. Turner showed this painting, one of a small group he exhibited in Rome in 1828. He later reworked it before showing it in London in 1830.

Childe Harold's Pilgrimage Italy, 1832 ... Lord Byron's epic poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (Childe is an archaic title for the son of a nobleman) saw parts of Italy's past as profoundly poignant. Turner acknowledged that the Italy of old had lost its liberty and its integrity, but was still breathtakingly beautiful. When Turner exhibited this painting, he included these lines from Byron's poem, "… and now, fair Italy! ... Thou are the garden of the world … Thy wreck a glory, and thy ruin graced ... With an immaculate charm which cannot be defaced."

The Ponte Delle Torri Spoleto, 1840-45 ... Spoleto is north of Rome in Ubria, known for its Ponte delle Torri (Bridge of Towers). Turner passed through this town in 1819 while en route to Rome. As he did with many of his Italian compositions, he enhanced the real scene before him with an imagined sense of atmosphere.

St. Bernedetto, Looking towards Fusina, 1842 ... Turner seldom painted what was before him as he saw it, yet managed to capture the essence of the spirit of a place. John Ruskin, a leading art critic of England's Victorian era, expressed this thought about Turner when he wrote about this painting, "Without one single accurate detail, it was the likest thing to what it is meant for ... of all that I have ever seen." To put it another way, Venice didn't look like this the day Turner painted this scene, but Turner's treatment of color, light and water all added up to what people thought about Venice.

The Dogano San Giorgio Citella from the Steps of Europa, 1842 ... "A critic of the Art Union wrote of this painting in 1842, saying, "Venice was surely built to be painted by Turner. Unlike his work in Rome, Turner's scenes were not dominated by ruins. Instead, he explored Venice's combination of water, light and the grand architecture of the Renaissance which all seemed, according to Turner, to visually flow together.

The Sun of Venice Going to Sea, 1842 ... Here, Turner pictures a fishing boat named "Sol di Venezia" (Sun of Venice) emblazoned across its sail. The vessel is headed out to sea with Venice dissolving into the background. This picture may hint at Venice's decline. Art critic John Ruskin loved this painting and was thrown out of the Royal Academy's exhibition for trying to copy it.

Heidelberg, 1844 ... Turner thought of himself as a common man and was not impressed by power or privilege. In this German scene in Heidelberg, Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of English King James I, is married to the Elector Palatine, Friedrich V, in 1613. The couple was known for their lavish entertainments. But Friedrich lost control of the Palatine in 1620 and the couple lived the rest of their lives in exile in Holland. It could be Turner's version of the expression, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

-Our Joshua Meador Exhibition begins Friday, July 20, 2018. Email, call or text us for an appointment.

-Atelier One Open Studios will be the weekend of September 29 and 30.

-Art Trails will be the weekends of October 13 & 14 and October 20-21. Five Atelier One artists are participating and will host open studios: Linda Sorensen, Elizabeth Peyton, Susan Proehl, Marylu Downing, and Britta Kathmeyer.

-Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery colleague and friend Warren Davis of the Petaluma Vintage Bank died earlier this year. The Petaluma Center for the Arts is holding an exhibition in his honor. Warren Davis (1949-2018), was a finder and purveyor of fine paintings at Vintage Bank Antiques in Petaluma. Warren's Eye: Paintings from the Vintage Bank opens Saturday, July 21 with a reception from 5 p.m -7 p.m." learn more from the Petaluma Arts Center Website

Beyond her Atelier One studio, Linda Sorensen's paintings are currently showing at

Bodega Landmark Gallery Collection,
located inland in the town of Bodega, west end of town a half block from the Casino, and just across from the (vacant) General Store and the Bodega Volunteer Fire Department.

Corrick's "Art Trails Gallery,"
located in downtown Santa Rosa on 4th Street, just steps from Santa Rosa's reopened Town Square.

Bentonville, AR
Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art

... IN GRATON, CA ...
Linda Sorensen's studio and Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery's showroom is now is located in Atelier One, Graton. You may view all paintings in Linda Sorensen's or Bodega Bay Heritage Gallery's online offerings. Call or email for an appointment.

... IN YOUR HOME ... Call or email for a an appointment. For a fee, we'll bring the art to you (up to 200 miles from Bodega Bay). Sales above $5,000, the travel fee is refunded.

... ON LINE ... Call or email about pieces which interest you. We offer FedEx shipping (included in price) in the U.S for major purchases.