Discovering Bill Traylor

I recently had an opportunity to view some work of a talented artist, Bill Traylor.  Traylor, a Black American folk artist is mostly known for his drawings.   He created many drawings containing a variety of subject matter.    Bill Traylor was a Southern artist that created work depicting mostly the activities of animals and people.

What is fascinating about these artists is that a lot of his early work was created while he was homeless.  He began with pencil drawings and eventually moved to painting.  He did not begin his artistic career until the age 85.  The work of this self-taught artist did not become widely known until the art exhibit in 1981 of Black Folk Art in America.

If you like storytelling combined with art, you will enjoy Traylor’s work.  Most would agree that Bill Traylor’s work tells us a story.   A great deal of his work can be found in both private and public collections.