Vincent Galvan

Per.4

2-7-22

Wayne Thiebau Auto-Biography

Wayne Thiebaud was born in Mesa, Arizona in 1920. When he was

only six months old, his family moved to Los Angeles, where he spent

much of his early life in Long Beach, California. He tragically passed away

on December 25th 2021 on christmas day. Thiebaud developed an interest

in stage design and lighting while in highschool. When Wayne Thiebau was

inbetween the ages of 15 and 18, he worked part-time designing posters

for a movie theater and he got so many compliments from his peers and

boss. While in high school these years were very important for Wayne

because these years sparked and developed his creativity the most and it

led him to become a great artist. At 16 Wayne Thiebaud took a summer

apprenticeship in the animation department of Walt Disney Studios where

he made a good name for himself. Here he drew thousands of individual

frames of characters such as Goofy, Pinocchio, and Jiminy Cricket. The

frames, which when shown in quick succession would give the impression

of movement, were known as "in-betweens."

 The frames that Wayne drew when put together are showing the

characters moving. For example the frames drawn could be showing the

audience that Goofy is walking down a path. These frames at the time were

called in-betweens. Even though Thiebaud showed very promising artistic

talent from a young age, he wasnt supported to pursue fine arts training

due to the economy during the Depression. Instead of pursuing fine arts, he

studied commercial art at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and at the

Frank Wiggins Trade School. While at the trade school he intended to learn

sign painting. But once he was there he was encouraged to study

commercial art and illustration by his professor. When World War II

happened it brought a temporary halt to Thiebaud's early career as a

cartoonist and graphic designer. Even though his artistic skills did keep him

out of combat during his service. From 1942 to 1945, he served in the Army

Air Force. Wayne was assigned to the Special Services Department as an

artist and cartoonist, and he was ultimately transferred to the First Air Force

Motion Picture Unit, commanded by future president Ronald Reagan. After

the war Wayne returned to his work as a commercial artist. While working

he met Robert Mallary who encouraged Wayne to continue his education

by studying fine art. At nearly 30 years old, Thiebaud enrolled at San Jose

State College before transferring to Sacramento State College where he

earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. While in college he would help

provide for his family by being a teacher. His preferred students to teach

would be undergraduates or raw beginners because he wanted his

students to be wide open to the subject and it would be easier to teach

them while making it just as interesting as ever. As a teacher, Thiebaud

mentored many artists over the years, most notably Pop artist Mel Ramos,

feminist figurative painter Faith Bromberg, and Native American artist Fritz

Scholder. Wayne is respected so much in the art community for the way he

made it. Popular artists now say “Those wonderful people showed me what

to do - sign painters, women's fashion illustrators. There's a lot of craft in it,

and that's admirable. They would tell you very quickly: 'You've got to shape

up! You can't do that lettering like that!' ... So I'd go back and do it again, do

it again, do it again." and his story is looked upon for tons of motivation.

Wayne has made such a big name for himself and his works of art are very

well known even outside of art. Some very well known works of art would

be Confections, Valley streets, Three machines, and the Dessert Tray. All of

these pieces of art are well known in the art community and have

significance in the history of art because it was made by one of the best

artists to ever do it. Wayne brought a unique look ionto his pieces of art and
they would catch everyones eyes and bring them in and then they would

see more and more of his beautiful creations.