BERKELEY — Noted artist and peace activist Iwao Lewis Suzuki passed away on Jan. 24, 2016 at the age of 95. An important figure in the watercolor movement known as the “California Style,” Suzuki once said, “I feel that art has a place in enriching the life of humanity … Through my art, I try […]
Japanese American centenarian donates life work and more to Vermont college
NEWBURGH, New York — In the 1920s, Tokyo high school student Hideichi Oshiro was moved by a haiku poem he never forgot. In it, Edo era poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) described coming across the subtle beauty of a wildflower during a walk in the mountains. “I wanted to make this kind of haiku in my […]
A legendary artist’s lifetime of loneliness
THE EAST-WEST HOUSE: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan By Christy Hale (New York: Lee and Low Books, 2009, 32 pp., $17.95, hardcover) Always having been curious about the life of biracial artist Isamu Noguchi, I was pleased to receive this book to review. Palo Alto, Calif. author and illustrator Christy Hale has created a lovely picture […]
A SHOW OF HAPPINESS: Tomoko Maruyama at the Market Street Gallery
In spring 2008, Tomoko Maruyama moved to San Francisco with no job or connections — just the goal of making a living as an artist and designer in the city that inspired her most. Three years later, Maruyama has achieved success as a commercial designer; her products, from T-shirts to calendars, are sold at museums, […]
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