Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1283918
C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 2 0 121 Jo Mora, "Fandango," Fable Restaurant Mural, 1936 M ora was an extremely colorful character, a Renaissance man who excelled at every- thing he undertook—and he undertook a lot: he was a horseman, linguist, illustrator, photographer, watercolorist, writer, map maker, sculptor, painter, muralist, cartoonist, actor. "His mastery of such varied mediums and sheer volume of work is truly amazing," says Turner. "He also had a true sense of humor rendered in much of his work," Terry Trotter says, "and many of the Mora items on display in the Pacific Grove Museum/Gallery are prime examples." Mora once rode on horseback from Baja California to San Jose, stopping along the way to work on ranches to earn enough to keep moving. "Mora also lived with the Hopi and Navajo tribes for two years, learned their languages and painted and photographed their villages and relics," says Turner. Mora's work is seen all over the Peninsula, most remarkably at the Carmel Mission where he creat- ed the cenotaph of Father Junipero Serra. "He con- sidered this sculptural commission above all others to be the most important of his career," explains Paula Trotter. Jo Mora (1876-1947) Collection of Paula and Terry Trotter, Trotter Galleries, Inc. Jo Mora, "Let's Dance," Fable Restaurant Mural, 1936 Collection of Paula and Terry Trotter, Trotter Galleries, Inc. F. Luis Mora (1874-1940) Jo Mora, December 31, 1900 (A rendering of Jo by his brother)