Q: I recently acquired a set of gouache paintings and a pencil drawing at an estate sale. The owner said the paintings were by a relative who worked for the Disney art department in the late ’50s or early ’60s. The drawing was found in the same box. The paintings are in the style often associated with the Jiminy Cricket “I’m No Fool” series. Influenced by the Mary Blair style, a bit retro and very expressive. They have the initials (in lower case) “d.j.r.” The pencil drawing is a portrait of Beast, and signed by Kevin Kidney, 1992. By any chance, could you tell me anything about these two artists in the Disney talent pool?
Leo, Santa Maria, California
A: I cannot think of an artist with the initials of DJR, but Kevin Kidney has been a merchandise designer for Disney for more than 25 years. You can see his blog at http://miehana.blogspot.com/. Kevin originally worked on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, but later became a Disney staff artist and now does freelance work with his design partner, Jody Daily.
Dave Smith