Noted artist Frank Okada, 69, dies

A prominent Northwest painter whose work subtly reflected his Japanese ancestry, Frank Okada died Monday morning at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene, Ore. He had recently undergone surgery for cancer. The 69-year-old artist retired last year from the University of Oregon, where he had taught painting since 1969.

Mr. Okada was born in Seattle in 1931 and exhibited here regularly over the years, most recently at Greg Kucera Gallery. His work is included in the collections of Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, Microsoft Corporation, Safeco and many other Northwest companies and private collections.

Mr. Okada's daringly stark compositions took their strength from saturated colors and intricate, layered brushwork, creating surfaces like shivering water. In his most recent work, shapes reminiscent of fans and kimonos directly referenced his cultural heritage.

"What people know of Frank's work is the rich, intricate surface. What's so extraordinary about the man was under the surface," said Lawrence Fong, curator of contemporary art at the University of Oregon Museum of Art in Eugene.

"For his friends and family, there was a wonderful graciousness."

At his last Seattle exhibit in 1998, Mr. Okada said, "My parents, through good and bad times, always placed the first portion of newly cooked rice before their modest Buddhist shrine, dedicating that portion to the memory of those past and as an abiding affirmation of their faith.

"Occasionally . . . I sense my work as being metaphorically that daily first portion of rice."

At Mr. Okada's request, there will be no public memorial service.