Peter Ellenshaw

Art Brokerage: Peter Ellenshaw British Artist: b. 1913-2007. Peter Ellenshaw was born in Great Britain in 1913. Ellenshaw's artistic career spans more than six decades. He is a renowned landscape artist, motion picture art director, Academy Award winner. In 1947 his work caught the attention of an art director for the Walt Disney Studios. Disney was in the pre-planning stages of his very first live-action film, "Treasure Island," which would be produced in Great Britain and the art director inquired if Peter Ellenshaw would be interested in the project. Thus began a professional collaboration and friendship with Walt Disney that would span over 30 years and 34 films. Peter Ellenshaw regarded Walt Disney as a source of inspiration, a wonderful executive, and over the years, a good friend. In 1953 the Ellenshaws moved from Great Britain to the United States where Peter began working full-time for the Walt Disney Studios. Ellenshaw maintained his identity as a traditional landscape artist during his Disney years and always found time evenings and weekends to work on his own canvases. One of Ellenshaw's first Disney projects upon his arrival at the Studio was to create a conceptual rendering of something called "Disneyland". Ellenshaw went to work painting an aerial view of the proposed park on a 4' x 8' piece of fiberboard. The painting was then used by Walt Disney to help introduce television audiences to his new project, while simultaneously using the painting to attract backers on this exciting new concept in outdoor entertainment. In 1993, Ellenshaw was officially designated a "Disney Legend" by The Walt Disney Company during a ceremony at The Walt Disney Studios officiated by Michael D. Eisner and Roy E. Disney. Original paintings wanted by Art Brokerage. We no longer accept print and lithograph listings.