Curtis Tatro was born May 11, 1890, in Alburg, Quebec. He ran a farm in North Wolcott, Vermont from 1916 to 1973. Work was important to Curtis. From his first drawing until his death in 1983, he worked steadily as an artist; every finished picture was "another job done." Curtis's archaic imagery and mysterious use of symbols are rooted in mankind's beginning. When asked why he used such devices, Curtis replied with Jackson Pollock's dictum, "Because it works."