Theodore Criley (1880 - October 5, 1930) was an American hotel manager and artist. He joined the art colony in Carmel-by-the-Sea, where he was a watercolorist, portrait painter, and wood engraver. Life Criley grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, and he attended the Chicago Fine Arts Institute. He began his career as the manager of the Coates House Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri and the Lexington Hotel in Chicago. Criley moved to California in 1919, where he joined the art colony in Carmel-by-the-Sea. He became a watercolorist, portrait painter, and wood engraver. Criley married Myrtle Brotherton. They had two sons, including architect Theodore Criley Jr., and a daughter. They resided in Carmel Highlands, California. Criley died of a heart attack on October 5, 1930, in Palo Alto, California. His work can be seen at the Mills College Art Museum in Oakland. References 1880 births 1930 deaths People from Kansas City, Missouri School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumni Painters from California American male painters American portrait painters American watercolorists American wood engravers 20th-century American painters 20th-century American male artists