I give credit to Molly Brett in particular for inspiring me to become an anthropomorphic animal illustrator. Many years ago, I came across a display of Medici Society postcards in a little shop in Boston. I was absolutely fascinated by the whole concept of animals dressed as humans, participating in human activities! I bought a few cards, eventually lost them, and went on to other types of artwork. But I never forgot the postcards and now, when I look back knowing the styles of many of the Medici artists, I realize it was Molly's work I was admiring. I eventually took the plunge (after deciding it was perfectly okay for "serious" artists to paint cute animals, especially since that's what I
wanted to do), and the result is my own collection of cute animal illustrations, called
Whimbletails™. Here's a little biographical info on Molly:
Molly (Mary Elizabeth) Brett was born in 1902 and grew up Surrey, Great Britain, surrounded by animals and nature. Her mother, Mary Gould Brett, was a respected animal painter who encouraged her daughter to paint from life, and this is reflected in Molly's gift for making her animals look thoroughly naturalistic while giving them human characteristics and activities. And like Beatrix Potter, her artwork also reflects her great observational powers in depicting nature, especially notable in the two illustrations above.
Molly began her art training with a correspondence course in illustration, followed by formal instruction at Press Art School and the Guilford Art School. It was at Guildford that she met Margaret Tarrant (also destined to attain substantial fame as an illustrator), who soon became a close friend and lived with her in Cornwall. She began her career by illustrating "weekly papers" for children. One of her earliest commissions was to illustrate stories by Enid Blyton. Inspired by this, she went on to write and illustrate 21 books of her own for the Medici Society of London, with whom she was associated for sixty years. Medici has published over 500 of her paintings as postcards, greeting cards and prints.
Molly Brett's work has enchanted generations of children with its beautifully drawn details, subtle colors and magical atmosphere. Her work follows in the tradition of other twentieth-century "dressed animal" illustrators such as Beatrix Potter, Margaret Tempest, Racey Helps, and others.
Would you like to see my own whimsical animal art? Please visit my online store, Adele's Cute Animal Art Shop, featuring a large variety of great products, gifts, and collectibles featuring my own cute animal illustrations.
