By Daily Press staff
Even late in life, a Santa Monica man realized his dream of being an artist could come true and his efforts have paid off.
Santa Monica College’s Emeritus College has announced that it is holding a retrospective of the abstract watercolors of Santa Monica artist Henry Fukuhara, whose distinguished career has demonstrated it is never too late to pursue your passion.
Fukuhara, 91, had hoped to study art right out of high school, but his plans were thwarted and he didn’t begin painting until he was 60.
The retrospective will be at the new Emeritus College Art Gallery from Aug. 30 to Oct. 15, with the opening reception slated for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9. The gallery is located on the first floor of Emeritus College, 1227 Second St. in downtown Santa Monica. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The exhibit also is featured as part of SMC’s year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary.
“Emeritus College is thrilled to be presenting this exhibit that spotlights the talents of an incredible artist as well as a longtime teacher and student at Emeritus,” said Maggie Hall, associate dean of Emeritus College.
Fukuhara, known for his contributions to abstract watercolor painting, has had his work exhibited in Japan and throughout the United States, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Japanese American National Museum. His paintings also are in collections throughout the nation.
Fukuhara has been featured in many publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and American Artist.
Born in Los Angeles in 1913 and raised in Santa Monica from the age of 12, Fukuhara graduated from Santa Monica High School in 1931 and enrolled at Otis Art Institute. But the Great Depression forced him to leave and take a job to help support his family. Over the ensuing years, he had to put his artistic dreams on hold — first, when he and his family were sent to the Manzanar relocation camp during World War II, and later in New York, when he ran a floral business for 42 years and also was raising a family.
“When I lived in New York, what spare time I had I spent in galleries and museums,” he said. “But I couldn’t really begin painting until the children were grown.”
At the age of 60, he took up the brush — essentially, for the first time — and spent several years as a vital part of the East Coast art scene before inheriting the family home and moving back to Santa Monica in 1987.
When he returned to Santa Monica, he enrolled in art classes at Emeritus College and over the years has studied and taught at Emeritus. He also has taught at the Parrish Museum of Art in New York and the Palos Verdes Art Association, among others.
Emeritus College serves about 2,900 older adults with classes and special programs.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 11, 2004. Read the original PDF.