DISNEY TREASURES COLLECTION: DRAWN TO THE SHORE

Heather Edwards

MEDIUM: Giclée on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
SIZE: 12" x 18"
EDITION SIZE: 1500
ARTIST: Heather Edwards
SKU: DFA-T-DRAWNTOSHORE

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Inspired by Walt Disney’s Animated 1989 Film The Little Mermaid.  Ariel rests among the crashing waves at the seashore, longing for a life on land with her beloved Prince Eric.  Even the waves appear to be urging her toward her destiny to find love, in this imaginative interpretation of this enduring fairytale, masterfully created in the timeless style of a classic Pre-Raphaelite painting.

ABOUT THE MEDIUM:  Each Treasures On Canvas Collection Features stunning Limited-Edition artwork by many of your favorite artists. All titles are released in limited editions of 1500 and arrive beautifully gallery-wrapped and come complete with a Certificate of Authenticity. Officially Licensed artwork by Disney

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Some stories begin on well-defined roads or with billboard accomplishments. But the story of an artist usually begins somewhere less noticeable, perhaps even unrecognizable to most. It is just such a beginning that gave life to the art of creator, Heather Edwards. Paintings were born from 5:45 a.m. mornings during summer breaks from school in Paradise, Utah, waking up to breathe in the crisp air and watch the sunrise and glow through the blades of grass in the lawn. Ideas sprung from thunderstorms, the struggles of working on a small farm, and from the loyal companionship of pets. Personal experiences combined to shape the narrative behind each forthcoming creation.

From that vantage point, life itself became the paint on the brush and the guiding force behind everything Heather made and from as early as her pre-school years she knew that making art was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life. However, receiving extra training or attending an acknowledged art school were not to be part of her story. Yet, it was from her own father that she learned one of her most valuable lessons: observe. It was a simple enough concept, but it stuck.

Heather's paintings are the product of decades of observation of people, of environments, of animals, and of textiles, as well as the convergence of every scrap of knowledge that came attached to them. The wonder and magic of Disney movies, both the imagery and the music, also helped cultivate the ideas that began to take form in painting, and now, boldly recreating Disney characters in a way that brings them into the realism of our world has become an exciting new passion.

To Heather, every painting is personal, but not necessarily in the way, most might think. "I don't necessarily want the viewer to have the same response to my painting as I have. Instead, my hope is that the expression I paint on the board through hours of observation and execution of detail will speak to them in a way that ignites thoughts and feelings unique to them.”

ABOUT THE FILM: The Little Mermaid is a 1989 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1837 Danish fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen. The film tells the story of a mermaid Princess named Ariel, who dreams of becoming human and falls in love with a human prince named Eric, which leads her to make a magic deal with an evil sea witch to become human and be with him.

The Little Mermaid was released to theaters on November 17, 1989, to critical acclaim, earning praise for the animation, music, and plot. It was also a commercial success and is given credit for breathing life back into the art of Disney animated feature films.  The film won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, Under the Sea.  The film's success lead to a stage adaptation and began performances on Broadway on January 10, 2008.