An accomplished painter and printmaker, and one of the most acclaimed Nicaraguan artists, Morales studied at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes deManagua and, later, at the Pratt Graphic Art Center in New York. In 1956 he was awarded first prize at the Central American Painting contest "15 de Septiembre"; the winning painting was later purchased by the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The following year, Morales received a Guggenheim Fellowship which allowed him the opportunity to visit New York. His works are in numerous private and public collections.