Disney Treasures: Tree Climbers
DISNEY TREASURES COLLECTION: TREE CLIMBERS
Michelle St. Laurent
MEDIUM: Giclée on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
SIZE: 24" x 8"
EDITION SIZE: 1500
ARTIST: Michelle St. Laurent
SKU: DFA-T- TREECLIMBERS
ABOUT THE IMAGE: Inspired by Walt Disney’s® Animated Classic Winnie the Pooh! Each Treasures on Canvas Collection Features stunning Limited-Edition artwork by many of your favorite artists.
ABOUT THE MEDIUM: 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: Michelle St. Laurent was born and raised in New Jersey, the oldest of four children in a large Italian family. At a young age, Michelle was inspired by Italian Renaissance painters Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. She began painting at the age of 6 and asked for new paint sets and sketchbooks on every birthday. In the first grade, she entered a poster contest creating a painting of all the Disney characters marching in a parade. The judges disqualified her because they could not believe she had done the painting by herself without tracing. Her disappointment fueled her determination to become an artist.
Michelle made it her goal to become a Disney Artist when her family moved to Florida at the age of 16. She worked in the Magic Kingdom throughout high school then attended the Art Institute in Ft. Lauderdale, majoring in Advertising and Design. After gathering years of experience, Michelle was hired by Disney Design Group where she spent ten years creating artwork for Disney’s Theme Park Merchandise. She trained, worked, and was inspired by Disney legend Ralph Kent. Another 5 years working with Disney’s Park Events team as an Art Director creating large-scale sets and props for all the major park parties, festivals, and press events.
Michelle began painting for the Disney Galleries in 1998 and became a true Disney artist. Over 20 years now her talent evolves with each piece. "Through my paintings, I aspire to recreate the classic Disney magic, which allows each of us to be a kid again.” Her art feeds her life’s passion and her family fuels her passion for life!
ABOUT THE FILM: A. A. Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a teddy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, on whom the character Christopher Robin was based. The rest of Christopher Milne's toys – Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, and Tigger – were incorporated into Milne's stories. Two more characters, Owl and Rabbit, were created by Milne's imagination, while Gopher was added to the Disney version.
Christopher Robin's toy bear is on display at the Main Branch of the New York Public Library in New York City. Harry Colebourn and Winnie, 1914 Christopher Milne had named his toy bear after Winnie, a Canadian black bear he often saw at London Zoo, and Pooh, a swan they had encountered while on holiday. The bear cub was purchased from a hunter for C$20 by Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn in White River, Ontario, while en route to England during the First World War. He named the bear Winnie after his adopted hometown in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnie was surreptitiously brought to England with her owner and gained unofficial recognition as The Fort Garry Horse regimental mascot. Colebourn left Winnie at the London Zoo while he and his unit were in France; after the war, she was officially donated to the zoo, as she had become a much-loved attraction there. Pooh the swan appears as a character, in its own right, in When We Were Very Young. Statue in Winnipeg of Harry Colebourn and Winnie In the first chapter of Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne offers this explanation of why Winnie-the-Pooh is often called simply "Pooh":
“But his arms were so stiff ... they stayed up straight in the air for more than a week, and whenever a fly came and settled on his nose he had to blow it off. And I think – but I am not sure – that that is why he is always called Pooh.”
