Sherry Camhy’s portrait Willis Pyle at 101 was exhibited as part of celebration of his life held at the Illustrators Club ( 128 East 63rd St.) on June 8, 2016.

Willis Pyle had a long career as an animator. He is remembered for his work on the Disney classics Pinocchio, Bambi, Fantasia, and other favorites such as Woody Woodpecker, Gerald McBoing-Boing, Mr. Magoo, as well as Raggedy Ann and Andy, Halloween Is Grinch Night, Charlie Brown. In his last two years, Willis attended the Art Students League drawing from the model when he was in NYC. “It was an honor to have him in my classes where all the students and I were awed by his talent and entranced by the stories he told of his life as an animator,” says Camhy. “My portrait of Willis,” she explains, “was based on some quick sketches and a random photos taken with my phone at an informal luncheon held in his apartment about a week ago and finished after the shocking news of his sudden death a few days later. How can the death of someone who is 101 years old be shocking? The answer lies in knowing just how spunky and full of life Willis always was. He was so looking forward to experimenting drawing in virtual reality and attending my ‘Anatomy Bootcamp’ at the ASL.”