Aaron Blaise spent an incredible 21 years working at Walt Disney, where his credits include The Rescuers Down Under, Mulan, Pocahantas, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Brother Bear, which he was nominated for an Oscar. Since leaving Disney, Aaron has continued his work in 2D animation and character design. Aaron often travels and lectures at classes for animation, film development, digital illustration, and concept design.
Aaron is an Expedition Art board member, along with Manny Carrasco, Kristy Tipton, David Levy, Terryl Whitlatch and Thierry Doizon. Here’s Aaron’s beautiful contributions to the In Danger book:
“Something in the air”
“I’ve always had a soft spot for elephants. To be in their presence is awe inspiring and an honor. I remember the first time my wife, Karen and I saw them in the wild within Samburu Park in Kenya. I couldn’t get the grin off of my face. All I could say was “Wow! WOW!!” I turned to look at my wife and she had tears of joy running down her cheeks. It’s one of my favorite memories.” - Aaron Blaise
“Ghost of the Sunderbans”
“I love painting big cats. One of my favorite big cats to portray are tigers. Their power, their markings, their soul are all a wonderful challenge to capture.” - Aaron Blaise
“Escargot”
“Everglades kites, or snail kites as we called them, are so specialized to our Everglades environment. Their only food is the apple snail. As a matter of fact, the kite’s beak is specially adapted for plucking the snail from its shell. Unfortunately, with so much water diversion in south Florida, the apple snail numbers have dwindled and therefore so have the kites’.” - Aaron Blaise
“Morning Dew”
“I grew up in the everglades and I feel a special bond with the Florida panther. We had one whose territory overlapped our property when I was a kid. I would often track it for hundreds of yards through the palm fronds and underbrush. Every now and then I’d see the tracks kick up sand then I’d follow them to a set of deer tracks also kicking up sand. I was always amazed at the stories I could read just following those tracks.” - Aaron Blaise
The “In Danger” Book
Please consider supporting Expedition Art’s Kickstarter to help self-publish “In Danger”, so we can provide as much funding to SavingSpecies as possible AND continue to create beautiful art for the next projects!