Artist News Update Recent Literature: Painting a Hidden Life: The Art of Bill Traylor -Mechal Sobel Ranked among the top ten, most important self-taught artists by the world's most respected experts, the eighty-five year old Bill Traylor created approximately 1500 works from 1939-42. Observing street life in Montgomery, AL and recalling memories from his life on a farm, the artist quietly composed uniquely styled images of people, animals and abstract constructions.