Bold. Confident. Visionary.

These three words spring to the surface when contemplating mid-century conceptual artist and illustrator, Mary Blair.As the first woman to be hired to work in Walt Disney Studios’ male-dominated Animation Department in the 1940s, Blair maneuvered through the obstacles of what some still consider the “Disney boys’ club of design” with admirable poise and strength. Today, Blair’s enduring influence, at Disney and in many areas of design, is undeniable. With so many of contemporary designers and illustrators embracing her distinctive color palette and graphic, naïve style, it’s relevant to question where Mary Blair found her own inspiration and why her work continues to be so appealing to fans and artists—more than fifty years after much of it was created.