Women Rocking Hollywood: Live Action Female Filmmakers and The Women of Disney Fine Art

Recently, we travelled to LA for WonderCon to present the 10th Women Rocking Hollywood panel. The event is part of the other life of ArtInsights co-owner Leslie Combemale (that’s me!) as a film journalist, writing for the Motion Picture Association and on the Alliance of Women Film Journalist site. I am an enthusiastic supporter of women in film who believes parity for women working in the film industry is essential. Better represention means better cinema! Every year since 2016 I have put together a group of female filmmakers to speak about their careers, new projects, and the experience of being a woman working in the film industry. Until 2024, these have been at San Diego Comic-Con in July, but this year I made the switch to LA, and WonderCon. For every panel, I and my ArtInsights partner and hubs Michael Barry create a video for those who can’t attend, to inspire aspiring female filmmakers, and to excite fans who want to support projects created by women. That got me thinking. Since we just published the video, it seemed the perfect time to talk about it here, and, in synergistic fashion, amplify the many wonderful women of Disney Fine Art!

First, here’s the description of the panel and the video of the panel:

Women Rocking Hollywood 2024: Female Filmmakers Breaking Barriers & Breaking Records

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was the top grossing film of 2023 and is now the highest grossing comedy of all time. Barbie and 2023 releases like Polite Society, Joy Ride, Saltburn, and Past Lives show female filmmakers can and do create blockbusters, great films, and soon-to-be classics, whether or not they get recognized at awards time. Women are also excelling on the small screen. So why are the numbers of women hired by studio projects still so small, especially for women of color? We talk to creative, successful women in film about the way forward, and how gains through SAG/Aftra and the DGA are helping increase the percentage in Hollywood and beyond. Scheduled to appear and discuss the state of the business and their exciting new projects are Erica Tremblay (writer/director, Reservation Dogs, Fancy Dance), Anna Halberg (writer, House/Wife, director, the upcoming Tarot), Amy Greene (producer/stunt coordinator, The Holdovers, stunt coordinator/executive producer, Somewhere in Queens), Anna Biller (writer/director/producer, The Love Witch, the upcoming The Face of Horror), and Andria Wilson Mirza (director, Women in Film’s ReFrame, producer, Queen of My Dreams). Moderated by Leslie Combemale (founder, Women Rocking Hollywood, lead contributor, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists).

You can read more about each panelist and the panel in this lovely article by the head of the AWFJ by clicking HERE.

Here’s the panel:

You can also see all the other panels, by going to the Women Rocking Hollywood website, HERE.

I love that the panel happened on March 30th, ending Women’s History Month with a flourish and a celebration of powerful women working in film!

FEMALE ARTISTS WORKING IN HOLLYWOOD

In my role as co-owner and gallerist at ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery, I’ve always thrilled to see women represented as official studio artists. Honestly, historically, there are very few women who worked as illustrators in live-action film, whether it’s on campaigns or as production concept artists, although there are more in recent years. Andrea Alvin, the wife of John Alvin, was his partner in Alvin and Associates, and worked on some very important movie campaigns, contributing essential elements that impact the finished images. Two, right off the top of my head, are the Batman and Blazing Saddles posters. But it was John who signed his name, and was the front-man. He was the one known for Alvin-izing. There have also always been female storyboard and concept artists, but it’s only recently that concept art from films has become collectible, and the focus is on big names like Ralph McQuarrie. The contributions by women in the field are rarely celebrated. Although more women work in those careers now, their work with the studios is almost always ‘work for hire’, which means they can’t sell the art they create or promote the projects they’ve worked on, which is another reason people don’t know them. The women who DO get celebrated are those who work as official artists like those for Disney Fine Art.

THE WOMEN OF DISNEY FINE ART

That rare visibility happens when female artists get selected to create interpretive studio art. Such is the case with Disney Fine Art. A number of the female artists who are official Disney artists have worked in official capacities in the studios. Take Disney artist Lisa Keene, for example. She started as a background artist on The Black Cauldron, and in her nearly 40-year career at Disney,  she has done everything from visual development to production design to art direction, working on all the big films of Disney’s New Golden Age.

It would not be an exaggeration to say Frozen looks the way it does because of her, but she also had a huge impact on Big Hero 6, Moana, and Tangled. You can see all her interpretive Disney Fine Art HERE. There’s not much of it, but as you can see in the Lisa Keene Little Mermaid art above, what is available is gorgeous.

Then there’s Disney Legend and Broadway star Paige O’Hara, best known as the voice of Belle in 1991’s Beauty and the Beast. O’Hara was 35 when she played the teen character.  Although she was replaced after playing her in the original film, its sequels, and the animated tv show, it is her voice we think of when we think of the iconic role, and it’s her voice we hear as Belle in 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. Paige has been painting since she was a child, and it was a way to make money while she was working to become known as an actress. She continued to paint for herself through her performing career, and wound up signing with Disney Fine Art after bringing a painting of Belle she had created to one of her Beauty and the Beast signings. As a big fan of the film, it’s pretty cool for Disney lovers to be able to get signed limited edition images of Belle created by Belle herself! You can see all the Disney Fine Art images available by Paige O’Hara HERE.

 

Another talented artist who worked on Disney films is Lorelay Bové. Born in Spain, she attended the prestigious CalArts, known as a training ground for future Disney artists. She has worked in visual development for some of your favorite Disney/Pixar films, including Wreck It, Ralph, Tangled, and Zootopia, and contributed Little Golden Books for The Princess and the Frog and Toy Story. Her style has often been compared to that of Mary Blair, which you can see in the image she created inspired by Mary Poppins:

You can see all available Lorelay Bové Disney art HERE.

 

Michelle St. Laurent has become quite the Disney Fine Art star, selling out all the art at her shows whenever she appears. We are happy to say we had the very first show featuring her work for Disney Fine Art wayyyy back when. Michelle has had a fascinating career working in and around Disney, particularly as a production designer for special events inside Walt Disney World. You can read our blog about her life and career, including an exclusive interview with her, HERE.

Michelle has also created some wonderful images inspired by the Muppets, one of her favorite shows. This is our favorite:

You can see all of Michelle St. Laurent’s latest and greatest art HERE.

 

Victoria Ying has loved Disney her whole life, has had a fascinating career, and she’s showing no signs of slowing down. During middle school she’d already made up her mind that she wanted a career in the arts, and went on to attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California where she majored in Illustration with a minor in Entertainment Design. In her role as a Visual Development artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, she created thousands of concepts, including numerous characters designs, environments and character costumes for films such as Tangled, Prep and Landing, Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, Paperman, Big Hero 6, and Moana. Most recently she’s released very popular and award-winning books of her own characters and imagery, which you can see on her own website HERE. Victoria has been on multiple panels with ArtInsights featuring women working in the animation industry, and we’ve loved watching her flourish in everything she does. Click on the below image to see all her gorgeous limited editions for Disney Fine Art.

Click on the below image to see all the Disney Fine Art by Victoria Ying.

 

Artists added more recently as official artists for Disney Fine Art are Denyse Klette and Heather Edwards. Both have long and storied careers in the fine art world. I spoke to each of them for interviews on our blog. You can read about Denyse Klette’s career and art HERE. Denyse is proud to be the first Canadian artist added to Disney Fine Art roster.

You can see all of Denyse’s art HERE.

 

Heather Edwards has been hiding wonderful and often mystical images in her art since she first started creating. I remember realizing, after years of seeing the image, that Beast was hiding in her art featuring Belle. I have never looked at her art the same way again! Find out about what inspires Heather Edwards in the blog about her career and art, including an exclusive interview, HERE.

You can see all the Disney Fine Art by Heather Edwards HERE.

 

We only just added a new name to our female Disney Fine Artists, because we saw this wonderful piece she had created that I know fans of Finding Nemo will love, and also because she is a Ukrainian artist, and I love supporting her work! Her name is Irene Sheri, and she paints gorgeous “fine art”, but brings that talent and inspired, emotional vision to her Disney Fine Art. You can see all her art HERE.

 

As you can see, there is a wealth of female talent in animation and live action, as directors, producers, writers, artists, and illustrators. I love being able to amplify their work through my Women Rocking Hollywood panels and with the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, as well as through ArtInsights Animation and Film Art Gallery. These are inspired women at the top of their game, using their talent and infusing their work with their unique perspectives. We should celebrate and support them in all the ways we can!