Disney Treasures: The Elegant Warrior
DISNEY TREASURES COLLECTION: THE ELEGANT WARRIOR
Heather Edwards
MEDIUM: Giclée on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
SIZE: 12" x 16"
EDITION SIZE: 1500
ARTIST: Heather Edwards
SKU: DFA-T-ELEGANTWARRIOR
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Inspired by Walt Disney’s Animated Film Mulan. “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” These wise words spoken by The Emperor in Disney's Mulan are a profound statement about Mulan's transformative journey in this classic tale of self-discovery. This mesmerizing portrait is set against a backdrop of blooming Cherry Blossoms, depicts Mulan draped in traditional clothing that confines her to what others expect her to be while wielding the sword of the warrior she knows she is inside.
ABOUT THE MEDIUM: Each Treasure 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 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: Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical historical action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and was Disney's 36th animated feature and the ninth animated film produced and released during the Disney Renaissance. It was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with a story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, and BD Wong star in the English version, while Jackie Chan provided the voice of Captain Li Shang for the Chinese dubs of the film. The film's plot takes place in China during the Han dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion.
Produced and released during the Disney Renaissance, Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Bay Lake, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994 when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration. Mulan was well received by critics and the public who praised the animation, plot, characters (particularly the eponymous character), and musical score, and grossed over $304 million. It earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination and won several Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature. A 2004 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II, followed. A live-action adaptation directed by Niki Caro is scheduled to be released on Disney+ on September 4, 2020.
