Morton Traylor

Morton Traylor and Rico Lebrun working on the Crucifixion triptych

Morton Patrick Traylor (April 6, 1918 – April 28, 1996) was an American fine artist, designer, serigrapher and founder of the Virginia Art Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Biography

Born in Petersburg, Virginia on April 6, 1918, Morton Traylor lived in Los Angeles most of his life. After graduating from Eagle Rock High School, he entered Los Angeles City College, where his formal art training began. He then attended the Chouinard Art Institute for two years, holding scholarships won in competition. While at Chouinard, Traylor was introduced to Rico Lebrun, who taught life drawing.

In the spring of 1942, Traylor entered the Navy, where he became an aviation radio man and stationed with a Blimp Squadron in Brazil. While in service his work was exhibited at the Civic Service Club in Jacksonville, Florida in 1943, and later at Moffett Field, California in 1945. A group of his paintings were then shown at Los Angeles City College in 1946.

Traylor was invited to attend École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (National School of the Fine Arts) in Paris, France. He exhibited in the Palais de New York, where he received much praise and a number of newspaper mentions. After returning to Los Angeles, Traylor was invited to teach at the Jepson Art Institute alongside former teacher, Rico Lebrun.

In 1964, he established the Virginia Art Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Morton Traylor's artwork can be found in museums and private collections around the world including the Georgia Museum of Art and The British Museum.

Professional life

• National Features Syndicate, New York, N.Y.
• McNaught Syndicate, St. Louis, Missouri.
• Whitman Publishing Co. (Dell Comics) Beverley Hills, California
• Northrop Aviation Co. Commercial Art Dept., Hawthorne, California
• Art Director, "TRYOUT", Big Bear Lake, California
• Owned and Operated Advertising Co., San Bernardino, California
• President of Inter-Mountain Concert Society, California
• Director of Lex Advertising Co., Charlottesville, Virginia
• Owned and Operated Virginia Art & Advertising, Crozet, Virginia
• Founder/Director of Virginia Art Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia

Awards and honors

• President of Kappa Tau Sigma, Honorary Art Society (1939)
• LACC Summer Scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute through Latham Contest (1939)
• Annual Scholarship to Chouinard through National competition (1940)
• Graduated from LACC as one of six Honor Students Continuing Scholarship to Chouinard Art Institute (1941)
• First Prize (Drawing) 3rd National Veterans' Exhibition, Long Beach, California (1949)
• First Prize (Drawing) 5th Annual, Alley Gallery, Charlottesville, Virginia (1964)
• First Prize (Print) Contemporary Southern Art Festival, Charlottesville, Virginia (1964)
• Hon. Mention, Southern Art Festival, Atlanta Georgia (1964)

National and Group Exhibitions

• Municipal Art Commission, City Han, Los Angeles, California (1946)
• Solon de L'Art Libre, Modern Museum of Art, Paris, France (1947)
• First Annual Veterans' Exhibition, L. A. Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California (1946)
• City Show at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, California. (1946–47)
• National Orange Show, San Bernardino, California (1949–50)
• Los Angeles Art Association, Los Angeles, California (1949–51)
• Print Club, Albany, New York National Serigraph Society, New York City, N. Y. (1949)
• Oakland Art Gallery, Oakland, California San Francisco Museum of Art, California (1949)
• Arizona State Fair, Phoenix Arizona Modern Institute of Art, Beverly Hills, California (1949)
• First Annual Exhibition, Santa Paula, California (1949)
• Los Angeles Annual, County Museum, Los Angeles, California (1950–55)
• Los Angeles County Fair, Pomona, California (1950)
• Western Drawing Institute Show, Jepson's Gallery, Los Angeles, California (1950–51)
• Pennell Exhibition, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C. (1950)
• Laguna National Print Exhibition, Laguna Beach, California (1950)
• California State Fair, Sacramento, California (1949–50)
• Landau Gallery Group Show, LaCieniga Blvd., Los Angeles, California (1951)

Publications

• Newspaper "Paris Montparnasse" Paris, France (1947)
• Art News Magazine, December (1950)
• Newspaper "Times" Los Angeles, California (1949)
• "Sacramento Bee" Sacramento, California (1954)
• Les Archives Historiques D'Art Contemporain De La Biennale De Venise (1954)
• Prints of California Artists, Crest of Hollywood, California (1954)
• The News-Review Roseburg, Oregon (1986)

Gallery

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  Seated Woman 1949 Serigraph

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  Crouched Miner 1949 Serigraph

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  Pre-clear 1951 Serigraph

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  Lamp lighted lamp 1951 Serigraph

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  Family 1977 Oil painting

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  Self Portrait 1994 Oil Painting

Persondata
Name	Traylor, Morton
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Date of birth	April 6, 1918
Place of birth
Date of death	April 28, 1996
Place of death