<Begin Segment 8>

RM: So Chiura Obata, when he was going to the University of California, he would come to my grandfather's for a rest. That's what my mother told me out of the blue one day. I don't know what we were talking about, but she just told me. And he painted my uncle on a tricycle, and he gave that to my grandfather. And unfortunately, all that was burnt up when vandals set fire to all the structures in the farm. The house and the barn and the workers' housing.

BN: Is this when you, the family was in camp?

RM: Well, yeah, just before we came back, they didn't want us coming back.

BN: What was the connection between Obata -- I mean, who did he know?

RM: I don't know how he knew.

BN: You just know that he came.

RM: I guess he wanted to go out in the country, and my grandfather, I guess someone knew him and they recommended he come out.

BN: I mean, Obata was known for doing that, for going out in the country and painting.

RM: Oh, yeah. Yeah, so that's my connection with Obata. [Laughs] I'm sure he did more than one painting there, because I'm sure he went out there to paint the ocean. You know, my grandfather was a fisherman, so he would go out to the surf and bring back breakfast, you know. So he would be out there in the morning, out in that surf. So I'm sure Obata would have painted some of that, and unfortunately...

BN: All lost.

RM: Yeah.

<End Segment 8> - Copyright © 2022 Densho. All Rights Reserved.