November 23, 1927: Birth of artist Clifton Wayne Karhu

On this day in Duluth in 1927, artist Clifton Wayne Karhu was born to painters Arne and Annie Karhu of 1430 East Third Street. The Karhu family left Duluth about 1944 and moved to Worthington, Minnesota. Clifton attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and then served in the U.S. Army in Japan. He returned to Japan to work as a missionary and Bible salesman, but became disenchanted with the work and turned to art and teaching English. He worked in relative poverty for years, but eventually began creating traditional Japanese wood block prints that were very popular. He appeared on NBC’s Today Show in 1971 and was the subject of a lengthy article in the Los Angeles Times in 1986. Karhu mostly carved and printed himself. His subjects are typical Japanese scenes—often old Japanese houses or details taken from these. The source of his inspiration is the old town of Kyoto. There he is a local celebrity and images of his prints are used on towels, calendars and t-shirts. His work was often criticized as too decorative, to which he replied, “If you do not like my pictures, then hang them upside down.” Read more about Karhu here.

“Golden Pavilion–Kinkakuj” by Clifton Karhu (Image: Artelino)