There was nothing Yuko Lau liked better to do as a kid. She was happiest when she had origami, paint, and colored pencils. Anything she could use to create something. She grew up in Japan and her life was very structured given she was the daughter of a school principal. Art gave her the outlet to explore her creative side, to look beyond the black and white lines into a world of color, shapes and wonder. Yuko moved to the San Francisco area in 1987 to study furniture design and construction at the California College of Arts. She especially loved the colors and the playful nature of the post modern furniture from Italy. Modern furniture always intrigued her because while she was growing up they never had beautiful furniture in their house. It was so different in their family, that’s why she wanted to design and build furniture.
She became a studio furniture maker and had shows across the United States, including the Oakland Museum in California and the American Craft Museum in New York City. After 10 years of exhibitions, she realized she loved the creative, designing aspect, but not the grueling physical demands of building furniture. Yuko later transitioned into wall decor images inspired by Asuka, a girl they adopted together with her husband from China. Yuko’s art has been licensed onto many successful products, such as bedding, rugs, home decor, flags, posters, and more. Through Asuka, she is reminded again and again of why she became an artist. She has to be creating something to feel happy.
