'E Pluribus Unum' by Ross Wetzel, Modernist Silk Screen, Walt Disney, San Miguel De Allende

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Signed lower right, in pencil, 'Ross Wetzel' (American, 1917 - 2013), titled lower left, 'E Pluribus Unum' and with number … Read more Signed lower right, in pencil, 'Ross Wetzel' (American, 1917 - 2013), titled lower left, 'E Pluribus Unum' and with number and limitation, '118/300'.
Paper dimensions: 14 x 21 inches.

Born in Chicago, Ross Wetzel was an avid art student through high school, and then enrolled- with his future wife and fellow artist, Janice- at the American Academy of Art in Chicago. He was soon working for Walt Disney Productions, taking lead production roles in the creation of such Disney classics as Pinocchio, Fantasia and Bambi. During the Second World War, he served with the Motion Picture Unit of the First Army Air Corp under Ronald Reagan, creating training films for fighter pilots and bombers and working beside actors including Alan Ladd and Clark Gable.

After the War, Ross and Janice started a serigraphy business, which came to be known as Ross Wetzel Studios creating animated commercials and print advertisements for companies such as Kellogg's, Kleenex and Continental Airlines that featured such characters as Tony the Tiger and Toucan Sam. Ross was also hired to illustrate one of the first renderings of Smokey the Bear for the US Forest Service. During this time he was able to develop his talents in other mediums, most notably with watercolor in which he chose to "eliminate perspective". Wetzel exhibited his work widely and with success and his paintings were featured in such periodicals as American Artist among others. He was also wrote numerous instruction books on how to draw and paint and became an active member of the art community in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. See less