A large whimsical 1963 calendar commissioned gouache painting for The Louis F. Dow Calendar Company signed “Arnquist” a pseudonym which allowed Bill Layne (who was under contract with Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company) to also get paid for calendar works he created for the rival Saint Paul, Minnesota competing calendar company. A printed tear sheet of the painting titled “Cat Nap” used as a calendar page March 1963 is included in the sale. This work features a xylophone and a band of mice as the central components as a snoozing cat gets his whiskers trimmed in blissful oblivion to the happenings. Nicely matted and framed and ready to enjoy.

Above: Verso view

Above: View with work unframed with tear sheet March 1963

Bill Layne was a prolific and influential Walt Disney Studio’s commercial illustrator who also created hundreds of commissioned images for the Brown & Bigelow Calendar Company and was one of their last true stars. A unique talent that is just starting to fine traction among today’s forward looking collectors and dealers.