Bugs Martian Face Off Hand Painted CelSigned by Chuck JonesSize: 16.5 x 19Certificate of Authenticity Included About The ArtistIn a career spanning over 60 years, Jones made more than 300 animated films, winning three Oscars as director and in 1996 an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement. Among the many awards and recognitions, one of those most valued was the honorary life membership from the Directors Guild of America.During the Golden Age of animation Jones helped bring to life many of Warner Bros. most famous characters€”Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd and Porky Pig. The list of characters he created himself includes Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Marvin Martian, Pepe le Pew, Michigan J. Frog and many others. He also produced, directed and wrote the screenplays for €œDr. Seuss€™ How the Grinch Stole Christmas,€ a television classic, as well as the feature-length film €œThe Phantom Tollbooth.€ In addition, Jones was a prolific artist whose work has been exhibited at galleries and museums worldwide.Born on September 21, 1912 in Spokane, Washington, Jones grew up in Hollywood where he observed the talents of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and worked occasionally as a child extra in Mac Sennett comedies. After graduating from Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles (now California Institute of the Arts) Jones drew pencil portraits for a dollar a piece on Olvera Street. Then, in 1932, he got his first job in the fledgling animation industry as a cel washer for former Disney animator, Ubbe Iwerks. It was at Iwerks Productions that he met Dorothy Webster, to whom he was married in 1932.In 1936 Jones was hired by Friz Freleng as an animator for the Leon Schlesinger Studio (later sold to Warner Bros.). Jones admired and revered Freleng for the rest of his life, saying, €œNo one except Tex Avery had as perfect a sense of timing as did Friz Freleng.€He worked with and for directors Tex Avery and Bob Clampett until the early forties when they left the studio, and for the remainder of his years at Warner Bros. he worked in parallel with directors Friz Freleng and Robert McKimson. He remained at Warner Bros. until the studio was closed in 1962.During those years, sometimes referred to later as the Golden Years of Warner Bros. animation, arguably some of the most enduring cartoons ever made were produced; most of them still enjoying worldwide recognition daily.When Warner Bros. closed, and after a very short stay at the Disney Studios, Jones moved to MGM Studios, where he created new episodes from the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. While there, in addition to The Phantom Tollbooth and Dr. Seuss€™ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Jones directed the Academy Award-winning film, The Dot and the Line.Jones established his own production company, Chuck Jones Enterprises, in 1962 and produced nine half-hour animated films for television including Rudyard Kipling€™s Rikki Tikki Tavi, Mowgli€™s Brothers, and The White Seal.In the late 70s Jones and his daughter, Linda, pioneered a continuing art business featuring limited edition images created by Jones depicting scenes from his most enduring cartoons. He continued to support his daughter€™s business, generously making appearances, drawings, and paintings, in addition to signing countless editions of images, which continue to delight collectors and fans worldwide. Chuck Jones died at the age of 89 in February 2002, but he leaves a legacy of brilliance, comedy, joy, color, and laughter that lives on.that will live on forever!AboutHand-painted limited edition cels showcase legendary characters and recreate classic moments from great cartoons, using the same materials and techniques as were used in making the originals. Some limited editions are exact reproductions of frames from the films they represent, while others, such as Chuck Jones€™ limited editions, are based on the artist€™s interpretations of classic animation characters and scenes.In either case, the animator€™s drawing is transferred onto acetate cels, then each is meticulously hand-painted by studio artists. Cel painting is a time-honored, and extremely exacting process requiring that each color be individually applied by hand. Many hand-painted limited edition cels are made up of more than a dozen individual colors, and in some cases several dozen paints are used. It takes the skilled hand of a highly skilled and experienced cel painter to bring these fine art pieces to life.  Each piece is hand-numbered in small edition sizes (generally between 100 and 750) and comes with a studio-issued certificate of authenticity detailing the origins, techniques, and size of the edition. In some cases the finished cels are signed by the animation legends upon whose work they are based. Pieces signed by Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bill Hanna, Joe Barbera, Matt Groening and other animation pioneers are very much in demand by collectors.As the great majority of original production cels from the 1940€™s, 50€™s and 60€™s are no longer in existence, hand-painted limited edition cels allow collectors an unparalleled opportunity to enjoy some of the greatest moments in the history of animation.