Artist’s Bio

Charlene Asato grew up in Mountain View on the Island of Hawai‘i, earned a BA in Art from the University of Hawai‘i and moved to California in 1967. While working in bank operations then raising a family, she kept an interest in crafts, photography and graphic design, creating school fundraising brochures and programs.  A pivotal point in her art development was in the 1980s when she started taking classes in calligraphy that also combined card making and bookbinding.  Through more classes and workshops she developed a love of lettering and bookbinding and the potential of paper.  In 2003, she moved back to Mountain View and has been focusing on creating artist’s books since.  Her artist’s books have been in many juried shows locally and nationally. A 2012 solo exhibition of her artist’s books titled “Dimensional, Expansive Pages” was held at the East Hawai‘i Cultural Center/Hawai‘i Museum of Contemporary Art in Hilo, Hawai‘i. She occasionally teaches workshops on paper arts and bookbinding.  She lives with her husband and 5 rescued cats on an acre filled with tropical plants, many of which are Hawaiian natives.