DICK RUHL MR SPOCK /MICKEY MOUSE 1978 STAR TREK ORIGINAL ART PASTEL WALT DISNEY

$

80

This listing is for an original piece of art in pastel by legendary Walt Disney artist, Duck Ruhl. I am the original owner of this painting of his in pastels. Mr. Ruhl was born in 1926 but sadly is no longer with us. Mr. Ruhl was one of the top animators of the Golden Age at Disney. I commissioned and purchased this directly from Mr. Ruhl's home and art studio in Richardson TX back in 1978. Here's how I commissioned and acquired this in the spring of 1978. I was a teenager in the Dallas TX area and had just started driving on my own. One day I went to Valley View Mall in Dallas TX off of Preston Road. In between the various stores where smaller vendors sold nuts and jewelry sat Dick Ruhl. He had numerous original Disney artwork for sale. Like Mickey Mouse and Goofy and such. He also did custom art. At the time I was really into Star Trek. Star Wars had come out the summer before and Star Trek had started to become neglected. So I asked Mr. Ruhl if he could do a custom Star Trek painting for me. He very politely told me two things. The first was that he was authorized to paint only Disney character related originals. The second thing he told me was he did not know anything about Star Trek. Not wanting to walk away empty handed I asked Mr. Ruhl if he could do a painting of Mickey Mouse in a Star Trek setting. He said he didn't know why not. The result is this listing that you see here. Mr. Ruhl asked for my input as to specifically what I wanted this commission to contain. At the time Spock was by far much more popular than Kirk (my apologies to Mr. Shatner), so I asked if he could have Mickey Mouse dressed in the attire of my beloved Mr. Spock. Again be said why not. The only problem is that Mr. Ruhl of course had never heard of Mr. Spock. In 1978 there were only 3 seasons of Star Trek reruns on mostly UHF channels and a convention here and there. So back in 1978 Spock was not yet an icon. So Mr. Ruhl had me go home and bring back a photo of what Mr. Spock looked like and how he dressed. I brought him a paperback, The World of Star Trek, which had numerous photos. He was surprised to discover the pointed ears , but by this time he was all in and really took notice to all the "details". He got the uniform correct along with the collar and science officer emblem. Of course the ears are awesome and even the Vulcan hand greeting are all there. And how about those eyebrows! Mr. Spock does not wear shorts but of course Mickey does, so at least they are Starfleet grey. We had a good chat about the character of Spock and he took a lot notes. I told him what Spock's verbal greeting would have been and he even incorporated that right above his signature and date " Peace, Live Long And Prosper". It took a couple of months for Mr. Ruhl to complete this. He called me when he was done. I lived in Garland at the time and drove the few miles to his residential home in Richardson, TX. He told me to go thru his garage and up the steps. He had a studio in what would have been the attic, full of all kinds of in-process and completed works. I am assuming he went to all the area shopping malls in the Dallas and Ft Worth area. I don't remember what I paid for this but I remember it was pricy. The size of this original is about 9" wide by 11 3/4 tall. It is in a cheap frame, but actually this what he gave it to me in. The artwork is in pristine shape. In my photos there are glares from a ceiling light reflecting on the glass that covers this original. But be reassured this piece is mint. Mr. Ruhl even has the orange color darker around the edge and lighter near Mickey/Spock's tunic. I have never hung this. It has been stored in a box in the dark for decades, away from light. I am getting older and this original needs to now go to someone else who can appreciate it and perhaps display it in a proper frame. Or you can leave it in the frame that it was given to me in. I have the original brochure that he gave me at Valley View Mall, at our first encounter. And I have a second same brochure he gave to me when I picked up the pastel painting. I hope this goes to a good new home. I will ship this out in a box with peanuts and appropriate bubble wrap. Shipping will be $10.00, along with included insurance. Sorry, but I only ship in the 50 United States; no foreign or overseas shipping. I usually ship within a couple of days of the bid closing. Let me know if you have any questions. I hope there is a Mickey/Spock fan out there somewhere that will appreciate this. Happy Holidays.