A biography of self-taught artist Bill Traylor. As a former slave, then sharecropper, husband, and father, Traylor saw a lot in his lifetime. Without knowing it, he saved up all his experiences and emotions inside until one day, when he was alone and eighty-five, he sat down and poured everything out in a series of drawings and paintings. Although he saw little to no fame in his own lifetime, and eventually lost heart, his work has recently been rediscovered and finally appreciated.
This is a nice reminder that artists must live life in order to have a creative well to pull from, and an inspiration for those who begin to draw either late in life or without formal training. The text-heavy pages make this one more suitable for older students, perhaps ones who are themselves budding artists. While the illustrations mimic Traylor's style, and his artwork is described several times, the book itself contains only one piece of his work, a small painting on the very last page.
EL, MS -- ADVISABLE. Reviewed by: Caryn
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