Jo Mora Vintage Poster CARMEL BY THE SEA

The Uruguayan-born Mora moved to the United States as a child. Before making his way to the Monterey Peninsula, he studied art and worked as a newspaper illustrator in Boston. His editors sent him to sketch developing news stories, and those drawings accompanied articles in the days before photography was standard. As Mora strengthened his graphics skills, he also created three-dimensional works with his father, a sculptor.

That versatility helped Mora earn a living solely through art. “Over the course of his career, his work was fairly evenly divided between two-dimensional and three-dimensional work. He was gifted at both,” says Hiller. “He was always hustling and looking for work, but by the same token, he was fortunate to have enough work coming his way that he was able to comfortably take care of his family.”

Mora eventually moved to Arizona and spent time living in Hopi and Navajo communities. His personal interactions and cultural explorations inspired pen-and-ink drawings, watercolors, sculptures, and a continued interest in the American West shaped many of his future art and writing projects. He finally settled in Carmel.