Live Oak Park Fair - A Berkeley Tradition

Jan Etre throws her heart into each art fair that she produces. This is why I enjoy attending her events. Yoshiko Yamamoto is also a loyal fan. She contributes her designs to support Jan's work.

Anita Lear

In July of 2005 I met Anita Lear at the Fair. She was visiting Berkeley with her son Kye. I will write some posts about Anita, her pioneering work with Anita Marquetry and Aryma, and her current projects.

Although I want to tell the whole story, I'm determined to train myself to write quick, imperfect posts - as long as the facts are correct. So I'll write more later...

Here is another example of Yoshiko's art, along with this year's Live Oak Park Fair dates:

The Berkeley Rose Garden

Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13, 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A visit to the Arts and Crafts Press - Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto

A visit with my friends Bruce and Yoshiko Smith

 

I drove up to Port Orchard, Washington to visit with my friends Bruce and Yoshiko Smith. I brought an offering of brilliant yellow and orange tulips. While Yoshiko placed them in a hand crafted vase, Bruce took me on a tour of the studio. Bruce and Yoshiko are living their Arts and Crafts values with heart and soul.

Limited edition linoleum block print by Yoshiko Yamamoto,
of an early morning view of the Colvos Passage, near the seaside town of Olalla,
looking eastward towards Vashon Island...

As Bruce showed me the Arts and Crafts Press print shop, their apprentice, Ryan Rodel*, tended to the letterpress printing press as it clattered through a short run of one of Yoshiko's original note card designs. Bruce told the tale of his recent adventure picking up the shop's second press.

I reveled in the irony as Bruce Smith, the Arts and Crafts scholar and Greene Brothers expert, described how he recently drove a truck, loaded down with wares from his friend, Dard Hunter III's Dard Hunter Studios, over the Rockies, through winter storms, to deliver the 1,250 pound Vandercook Model 4 press, so that Yoshiko could produce her hand cut block prints. The things we do for love and art!

End of part 1 of this post... More to follow...

 * (Parents are Kevin Rodel and Susan Mack)    http://www.kevinrodel.com/