It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
Bill Traylor started drawing at 85. Between 1939 and 1942 Traylor, an emancipated slave, produced over 15,000 works, many of them while homeless on a street corner in Montgomery Alabama. Today he is widely regarded as one of the three most important American self-taught artists. Tate’s biography focuses on the impetus behind Traylor’s painting and the efforts of a white artist, Charles Shannon, to facilitate his work and get him some recognition. A series of reminiscences introduce readers to prosaic and historic elements of Traylor’s life. Christie vividly renders the rural Southern memories in graphically strong acrylic and gouache paintings that evoke Traylor’s folk art style. Each recollection is accompanied by the refrain ”Bill saved up these memories deep inside.” The biography includes many of the hardships Traylor experienced but edits them in an age appropriate manner. The strong rhythms and colors of Traylor’s work and the inspiring story of the powerful legacy he left will engage children. It Jes’ Happened” joins Dave the Potter (Little Brown, 2010) and Snowflake Bentley (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) as an inspiring story of the fame and respect now accorded a previously unheralded artisan or amateur. Mary Lyons Deep Blues (Atheneum, 1995) supplements this work by including many examples of Traylor’s art. Bill Traylor spend his entire life farming. When his family passed away and moved away, he moved too. He made his way to Montgomery to live where he discovered a hard way of life, but also a new beginning - in art.Themes: history, memories, artCharacters: Bill Traylor, Charles ShannonArtwork: acrylic and gouacheAuthor's Note: A tiny paragraph in the opening book information section about the title/quote. One page afterward about folk art and rediscovery of Traylor.Reviewed from a library copy.
What do You think about It Jes' Happened: When Bill Traylor Started To Draw (2012)?
Wonderful true story about Bill Traylor, a former slave who began to draw at the age of 81.
—Basu
A self-taught eighty-one year old artist recalls memories of growing up as a slave.
—kay
I love when I learn something new from a picture book.
—rjc333
