Snow White Discovers the Cottage

Because I’ve nurtured my fantasy life since my youth, I am constantly aware of new influences and inspirations. I regularly seek out new places and scenery as well as out-of-print books, comic books, obscure publications and even esoteric websites in search of imagery and ideas. One early form of inspiration came when, as a young child, I first visited Disneyland. I am convinced that Disneyland and the broader Disney version shaped me in some defining way as a person and as an artist.

Years ago, a fifty cent purchase changed my life. As a seven year-old boy, I purchased a matinee ticket and stared in wide-eyed wonder at the magical world of Walt Disney’s classic film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I was especially charmed with the whimsical woodland cottage that housed the seven dwarfs – it was as though my fascination with cottages suddenly was awakened!

It wasn’t until I traveled to England and the rest of Europe in my early twenties that I discovered that such dwellings actually exist in the real world. For me, the charms of the old world are akin to the fairytale magic I first discovered in the early Disney films. With this in mind, you can imagine my delight when Disney recently opened their archives to me as I prepared for my first-ever series of images inspired by classic Disney moments.

The first painting in my Timeless Disney Moments (soon to be known as the Disney Dreams Collection), will recreate that pivotal moment in the film where Snow White stumbles upon the seven Dwarf’s cottage in the forest. My goal in this painting is to imaginatively expand upon what is actually depicted in the feature itself. I have tired to step into the world created by the film and ‘wander around’ in my imagination – searching for new vistas.

In my current work, Snow White’s world is alive with color. The Prince’s castle where Snow White will eventually discover happiness looms majestically in the distance, while a foaming waterfall and fanciful animals remind us that Snow White is at peace with all of nature. I studied the work of early American illustrators to recreate the fairytale look of the tree trunks, forest stones, and woodland pathways. Of course, I also included my iconic colorful flowers which festoon the scene with hopeful reminders of spring.

In Snow White Discovers the Cottage I tried to step into the world created by the film and ‘wander around’ in my imagination, searching for new vistas… I went back to the early design work for the film and discovered many great concept sketches of the cottage and the surrounding landscape that are largely unknown today. I hope that Snow White Discovers the Cottage will be a fairytale come true for Disney and Kinkade collectors everywhere.